With globalization, moving labor in developing countries became the usual practice for big corporations in the 20th century. They use it to cut down the cost of production, and many workers in developing worlds are happy to be able to work and provide for their families. The companies are often vilified for exploiting the workers and providing poor working conditions. In the article "The Noble Feat of Nike,"" Johan Norberg shares his research on factory workers in Vietnam and offers their point of view on outsourcing. A young female Nike worker, whom Norberg interviews explains that the conditions in the factories are far better than in the sunny humid fields (189). She is satisfied with the wages, and is grateful for the lifestyle she can now afford. Her new income allowed her to buy a car and fix her house, and her son doesn't have to work instead of going to school, like every middle class family in America.
American prosperity was built on the backs of middle class families, with one or both parents working in manufacturing and living their American dream. When companies moved much of their manufacturing to China, these workers had to be displaced to different jobs that were created as a result of the higher profit companies earned and invested back in the economy. The new jobs often needed training, but were better paid, and at the same time consumers enjoyed the price cuts in the products they were buying. Economists call it a win-win situation where more jobs are created in the U.S., the economy benefits from the companies' higher profits, and people from developing countries have a chance for a better life. However the lives of the families of the workers that lost their jobs to offshoring have changed irreversibly. U.S. companies more than doubled their workforce in China, between 2003 and 2008, causing the closure of 42,000 factories in America (Granholm). While offshoring stimulates the economies in developing countries, it is robbing middle class families in America of their American dream.
