From The Sunday Times on 16th September 2007
Everywhere in the United States (including Singapore- my own insertion), workers are being hurt by the migration of jobs to lower-cost countries. Paul Zach looks at how life has changed in Michigan after companies shifted their production abroad and workers found themselves jobless at close to retirement age.
NANETTE and Gerald Holden poured a combined 56 years worth of sweat and blood into working for one of the countless factories that fed Detroit’s ‘Big Three’ automakers – Ford, General Motors and Chrysler.
Now tears are almost all they have to show for it.
Just four days before Christmas last year, the plant they both worked at in Elsie, a town of about 1,000 people not far from Lansing, Michigan’s state capital, closed.
‘They pretty much just sat down and said we’re gone,’ said Mrs Holden. ‘It was devastating.’
Read the full article here>>>
Andrew: Inside & Insights 
Motorola to stop manufacturing handsets in Singapore- 2 April 2008
SINGAPORE : Some 700 Motorola employees will lose their jobs when the company stops all handset production in Singapore by the end of this year.
The move follows a global US$500 million cost-reduction initiative by Motorola – the US’ biggest mobile phone maker.
In a statement, Motorola confirmed that from next month, its manufacturing operations will be relocated to other facilities worldwide.
Affected employees here will be given outplacement support – such as interview skills coaching and getting help in their job resumes. Some will even be compensated with severance packages.
Motorola said Singapore will continue to be its operational headquarters for Asia Pacific.
The company has one manufacturing facility, located at Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 3. – CNA/ms
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/cna/cgi-bin/search/search_7days.pl?status=&search=motorola&id=338913
More to come for Singapore… Let’s brace ourselves and be prepared for the “tsunami waves” of globalisation.