Industrialization and globalization have dramatically changed the manufacturing industry in the past three decades. The demand for cheaper products had led to a race to the bottom, negatively impacting factory workers’ income and lives. A lower share of profits is now distributed as compensation to manufacturing workers, and low-skilled workers are experiencing unemployment and stagnating wages caused by sudden changes in consumer demands and international brands’ production cycles. At the same time, communities in the developing world are still adapting to the radical changes brought by the shift of jobs from farms to factories.
The Global Living Wage Coalition is tackling these challenges through its work to advance living wages for all workers around the world and providing context for industries from electronics to sports ball manufacturing.