Future of Work

Where are the world’s highest minimum wages?

Workers on the assembly line replace the back covers of 32-inch television sets at Element Electronics in Winnsboro, South Carolina May 29, 2014. When Walmart pledged last year to buy an extra $250 billion in U.S.-made goods over the next decade, it appeared to be just what was needed to help move America's putative manufacturing renaissance from rhetoric to reality. The company says consumers can now buy everything from U.S.-made flat-screen TVs, light bulbs and towels and curtains in its stores and on its website. The flat-screen TVs, made in Winnsboro, South Carolina by Element Electronics, may be the campaign?s biggest surprise to date. Today, Element?s 315,000-square-foot plant in South Carolina has six assembly lines making 32- and 40-inch TVs that are now available in all of Walmart's more than 4,000 U.S. Stores. The switch has led to significant savings in ocean freight charges and customs duties on finished goods - though like so many companies involved in the initiative Element has had difficulty finding domestic suppliers. To match Feature WALMART-RESHORING/ Picture taken May 29, 2014. REUTERS/Chris Keane

Workers on an assembly line in Winnsboro, South Carolina Image: REUTERS/Chris Keane

Joe Myers
Writer, Forum Agenda
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