Industrial Migration|产业外移

by Eryk Smith

The United States is trying to find ways to stop companies from leaving.

It's been a rough couple of decades for US manufacturers. For many big American companies, it makes sense to outsource manufacturing to locations where costs are cheaper. _(1)_ This industrial migration might help keep prices down, but as manufacturing moves out of America, so do the jobs.

The US government is trying to encourage companies to keep manufacturing jobs in its homeland, but it's a tough sell. In Vietnam, a factory worker often earns less than US$50 per month, while a factory worker doing the same job in America might get as much as US$2,000 per month. _(2)_

One strategy some US companies are taking is appealing to consumer patriotism. _(3)_

Some experts, however, argue that America will never regain its position as a major commodities manufacturer. _(4)_ Without laboratories or workshops, it's hard for entrepreneurs to create prototypes. _(5)_ TechShop charges members US$100 a month for access to high-tech tools that are usually only found in the research and design departments of large companies. It's not yet clear if these or other ideas can reverse the trend of industrial migration. In the immediate future, it seems hard times may continue for many US workers.

(A) By advertising that their products are solely made in America, firms can appeal to Americans who are willing to pay higher prices to support the local economy.

(B) Obviously, if a company manufactures items in the US, the prices of its products have to be higher.

(C) To solve this problem, an organization called TechShop has sprung up in five US cities in recent years.

(D) Instead, they suggest that the US should focus on being a center for entrepreneurial activity.

(E) China is one of the prime destinations for outsourcing, but American companies also send orders to factories in Mexico, Vietnam, and dozens of other locations.

产业外移

美国正设法找寻方法阻止公司外移。

这对美国的制造商来说真是难熬的几十年啊。对许多美国的大公司来说，将生产工作外包到制造成本较低的地点有其道理。中国是主要的外包地点之一，但是美国企业仍然下订单到墨西哥、越南以及其他几十个外包地点。这样的产业外移或许有助于压低成本，但当制造业外移出美国本土，工作机会也是。

美国政府正设法鼓励企业把制造业的工作机会留在美国本土，但很难被企业所接受。在越南，一个工厂工人每个月经常收入不到 50 美元，而在美国做相同工作的工人每个月可能可以赚高达 2 千美元。显然，假如某家企业是在美国制造商品，其成品价格一定是比较高的。

有些美国企业所采取的策略之一就是诉诸消费者的爱国心。借着打广告说他们的产品完全都是在美国制造的，如此一来企业便可以吸引那些愿意付高价来支持本土经济的美国人。

然而部份专家认为，美国将永远无法重回主要日用品制造商的地位。这些专家反而建议美国应着重于成为企业活动的中心。没有了实验室或工作室，很难为企业创造原型产品。为了要解决这个问题，一间名为『技术工坊』（TechShop）的机构近年来涌现在美国 5 座城市中（编按：包括加州的 3 个城市门洛帕克、旧金山、圣荷西、北卡州的罗利以及密执安州的底特律）。『技术工坊』每个月向会员收取 1 百美元，这样他们就可使用这些通常只有在大企业研发部门才找得到的高科技工具。目前还不清楚这些或是其他的理念是否能够扭转产业外移的趋势。但在此不久的将来，这些艰苦的时光似乎还会继续困扰着许多美国员工。

答案：  1.  E   2.  B   3.  A   4.  D   5.  C

跟美国一样，台湾亦面临产业外移的问题。台大经济系教授林向恺指出，根据经济部统计，2010年上市上柜公司对中国投资增加一千一百五十亿元，创下历史新高纪录，显示第二波产业外移正在发生，使台湾产业空洞化，对台湾未来经济，他相当忧心，尤其是没有能力随着资本在两岸移动的两千三百多万台湾人，将是最大受害者。林向恺强调，他认为首要之务，必须限制资金外移，设法与欧盟、美国发展更密切的关系。

林表示，ECFA签署后，因为中国变成经济核心，

台湾将沦为边陲，中国对台湾成为『城乡关系』，台湾将变得找不到工作机会、薪水难成长，以致所得差距更加扩大。（数据源：自由电子报）