Insights to the Chinese Manufacturing Worker
by Bernard Ablola
Sep 29, 2008 Bernard, China Study Tour 2008
Our company visits brought us to a telecommunication equipment company, a technology science park and a consumer products plant, Andrew Telecommunications, Suzhou Science Park and Black and Decker. These three companies provided us with a glimpse of Suzhou’s upcoming expansion and its workforce.
During a candid question and answer session with Andrew Telecommunications, we got a glimpse of the Chinese manufacturing plant worker’s life. The Chinese manufacturing worker is relatively young, 20 to 27. Turnover is an issue with these workers because the more skilled they are the more they can easily find jobs, especially in the industrial park. An extra $100 to $250 dollars a month means a lot to them, therefore an additional $1.00 an hour can cost the company an employee. They don’t own their own apartment and may share one room with three or four other workers. Company culture, management and respect is important to them. Productivity level is high as long as you manage correctly.
As future managers of a diverse workforce we should strive to understand our employees’ backgrounds, motivators and drivers in order to empathize with them. As China goes through its rapid growth period, strong management is key to keeping key talent.
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