Advertisement

Forget 'Made In China,' Factory Jobs Come Back To U.S.

15:20
Download Audio
Resume
Workers at Rickshaw Bags in San Francisco produce about 50,000 messenger bags a year. (
Workers at Rickshaw Bagworks in San Francisco produce about 50,000 messenger bags a year. (Joseph Montana, Rickshaw Bagworks)

American manufacturing grew in March at close to the fastest pace in nearly seven years. While the Federal Reserve cautions that the economy is still recovering at a modest pace, factories and high-tech companies added jobs in most parts of the country. Could part of the reason be that some smaller companies have decided to bring overseas jobs back to the U.S.?

Wired magazine recently reported that several companies have decided to stop outsourcing to developing countries like China, because of poor quality, the cost of shipping, the cost of overseeing a factory thousands of miles away and concerns that their designs will be stolen.

We speak with Brendan Koerner of Wired magazine, who profiled several companies that are bringing jobs back to America. We also speak to Mark Dwight, owner of Rickshaw Bagworks in San Francisco and founder of SFMade, a nonprofit group that helps companies set up manufacturing facilities in San Francisco.

This segment aired on April 14, 2011.

Advertisement

More from Here & Now

Listen Live
Close