Automation & Manufacturing: 3 Insights of China’s Migrant Workers

With an increased number of reports and discussions focused on the impact of automation on jobs, there is a clear (and growing) concern in many areas of the world. It is a concern that we first studied last year as part of our work with the ILO in creating the Future of Work report. This concern, at the time, was seen as misplaced in the minds of many of the executives and factory owners we spoke…

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New Report: Manufacturing Labor in China

In this new report we provide insight into China's manufacturing labor force. For so long the work horse of the Chinese economy, the area of manufacturing has recently undergone considerable structural change. China is transitioning into its third economic cycle there is a far greater focus on the service sector and as a result the importance of manufacturing to total GDP has diminished. Furthermo…

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Event Insight: The Future of Work

Globally the future of work is changing. Millennial workers are entering the office, with widely differing expectations than the previous generations, more automated systems are cannibalizing jobs, and the shear nature of work spaces are changing with the proliferation of co-working and a far greater focus on collaboration. At Collective, our most recent Beyond Business As Usual Forum focus…

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BeyondBAU July Forum on “The Future of Work”

Be it through the movement from a manufacturing-based economy to one based on services, the movement of millions of people into the city, or through the increased presence of technology, the very nature and future of work is changing. For firms, this will require a change not only in how they attract and retain labor, but in how offices are designed and built for a more flexible labor force. Fo…

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Event Insights: BeyondBAU July Luncheon on “The Future of Labor”

With China’s desire to shift from “made in China” to “created in China”, the movement away from labor-intensive industries towards new, innovative, and highly efficient manufacturing has begun. Additionally, the existing Chinese workforce is more expectant and empowered than ever, demanding increasingly higher wages – wages that are some of the highest in the Asian region. As many consider the…

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Elderly Economics: Offsetting the Graying of China

China’s elderly population, as discussed in our previous blog post, has far-reaching social, economic, and political implications that have and will continue to shape key areas of Chinese society. The phenomenon of population aging is not unique to China. Economic development is commonly linked to a drop in fertility rates and rise in working age. But the pace at which it aging has occurred in Chi…

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ASEAN in Transformation: How Technology is Changing Jobs

Last week, the ILO released an ASEAN-wide report into the future of labor. At Collective Responsibility, we are proud to have been a significant contributor to the report series, specifically the focused research on the textile and electronics sectors in China and ASEAN. The future of labor is assessed throughout the report series, with major focus placed on the impact of automation on the…

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Upcoming “Beyond Business As Usual” July Luncheon: The Future of Labor

With China’s desire to shift from “made in China” to “created in China”, the movement away from labor-intensive industries towards new, innovative and highly efficient manufacturing has begun. Coupled with this, the existent workforce are more expectant and empowered than ever, demanding increasingly higher wages - wages that are some of the highest in the Asian region. With some considering…

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Digging for Work: Mining Unemployment in China’s Shifting Economy

After its astronomical rise to the world’s largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP) over the last 35 years, the Chinese economy is experiencing a major transition from a manufacturing-based to a service-based economy. In 2015, the tertiary sector climbed to 50.5% of total gross domestic product (GDP) while industry continued to fall to 40.5% of total GDP. While this economic trans…

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What Brexit Might Mean for Global Trade and Policy

In an historical decision last week that shook the world, the United Kingdom voted through referendum to "Brexit", or leave the European Union, giving rise to numerous political, economic, and social implications. The social implications were already visible on a personal level over the weekend, as many people living in the UK — particularly ethnic minorities and foreign workers — have experienced…

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#Brexit: A Reminder About the World’s Migrant Workers

Migrant workers. We see them across the city, working the hard jobs on the street, studying for university degrees, and earning wages to support themselves and others. They are domestic migrants, traveling to urban Chinese centers of opportunity from rural hometowns in hope and pursuit of a better life – for themselves and their families. Considering the political turmoil and societal hesitati…

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Labor Displacement and Industry 4.0 in China

Talk of robots replacing labor is everywhere, and a quick search will bring up a host of articles proclaiming our “jobs are at risk” or “the robotic revolution” is upon us. Over the last couple of months we at Collective have been conducting research into the future of labor in China and understanding robotics and automation has been a key area of interest. Throughout this period we have found…

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Guangdong Raises Minimum Wage to Attract Migrant Labor Back

On May 1st 2015, China’s Guangdong Province will implement a new labor law that will increase the minimum wage by 19% and in Guangzhou by 22.2 % (China Daily), making Guangdong the province with the highest paid minimum wage. It is a step being taken partly because Guangdong has found it more and more difficult to attract workers to the province each year. This is in part because wages in other p…

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H&M Assumes Legal Responsibility for Safety of Outsourced Labor

One of the major issues that I have been speaking about is the fact in outsourced supply chains accountability and responsibility have been largely independent. That when things went wrong on the factory floor, the brand could hold itself above the issue by saying that it was their suppliers who were the ones who were legally responsible for the failures. A position that many consumers, particu…

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Protecting Your Outsourced Brand

Garment factory collapse could leave reputations in tatters. Here are seven principles that foreign companies operating in low-cost, outsourced production markets should follow to better protect their reputations: 1. If the workplace health, safety and environmental regulatory framework of your sourcing market is less stringent than in your home country, find suppliers that are prepared to acce…

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