Outsourcing is the use of an outside service or source by a company. Many companies use Chinese manufacturers, or other countries’ manufacturers, because of their cheap labor. It is unjust for companies to outsource or to use foreign labor for cheaper manufacturing costs, because workers have poor working conditions, low pay, and long hours.
For example, factories in China have low sanitation standards and have a dangerous work environment. According to workers, the “cafeterias are unsanitary and living quarters [are] inadequate and dirty” (CBS). Many workers are “expos[ed] to metal dust,” which can be harmful and cause lung diseases (CBS). Even with these health concerns, “some factories fail to pay [the] legally mandated costs of insurance” for their employees (CBS). The desire for profit leads to the neglect for the health of the workers. The workers’ health is not considered important enough to provide insurance. The company views the workers not as people, but as a way to make more money. Although rules are put in place, in many cases, these rules are overlooked due to the mass amount of factories that manufacture for each company. These rules are overlooked because companies are looking to make the most profit possible, but they obviously have enough money to provide insurance for their workers. Teachers and cashiers have better health benefits for their jobs, which have significantly less danger than the factory jobs in China. It is not right that companies overlook their workers’ welfare because they are looking to make more money.
The desire for profit also causes workers to have minimal wages; therefore, many are unable to support their families. The majority of “workers cannot support themselves” on the minimum wage (CBS). Outsourcing companies “push productivity and spend as little on labor as possible” in order to make the most profit (CBS). This again demonstrates how capital is put as a higher priority than the welfare or financial stability of their workers. People are naturally selfish, it is evident in children who were not taught to be self-centered but had the instinct, for example, to snatch a toy for themselves. The child put themselves as a higher priority than the other child to whom the toy belonged to. American companies are  like the selfish children and money is the toy that they desire. The rightful owners of the money, are the factory workers in China whose labor is being exploited because they have less power. Without their labor, companies would not be able to produce the products needed to sell and make money; therefore, they deserve to be paid more, due to their significant role within the company.
In addition, many factory laborers work for excessive hours and even work overtime or during holidays. During the busy season, they can work “between 150 and 180 hours” in a month and “11 hours” per day, this “includ[es] weekends and holidays, with a day off allowed [once] a month” (CBS). Because workers can’t support themselves on the base pay, they “think overtime is reasonable or even want to work more” (CBS). These excessive hours take time away from these people who could be spending more time with their family. Instead, they choose to work more hours in order to provide for their family’s needs. These workers love their families enough to work in a dangerous environment, with no insurance, an inadequate salary, and unreasonable hours. Minimum wage jobs in the U.S. are given more holidays and days off, than factory workers in China. Why is it any different? Both peoples deserve the same rights and privileges. Minimal pay and long hours hurts the majority, but benefits the individual. Rather than making their employees toil for needless hours, they could hire more people, which would provide for more job opportunities and increase productivity.
On the other hand, one might argue that outsourcing saves money on labor costs, provides access to more resources and markets, and allows for opportunities for expansion. Samsung has “become the leader in chips and displays” with their “in-house manufacturing strategy” which they consider to be the “main strength of the company” (Kim). In contrast, “Apple depends heavily on contractors,” and were “having trouble meeting [the] demand” for iPhones (Kim). As a leading competitor of Apple, Samsung demonstrates the benefits of minimizing its use of outside services. By manufacturing within the Korea, Samsung is able to adapt to market changes quickly which allows for more flexibility. If the market demands for more of a certain product, Samsung can adjust the output of that product to match their needs. Apple was not able to produce the needed number of iPhones due to production problems at one of their plants in China. It is evident that Apple has been hurt by their outsourcing strategy and Samsung has grown and prospered from their in-house manufacturing strategy. This proves that it is unnecessary to outsource in order to generate capital.
Obviously, taking advantage of cheap labor in foreign countries is unjust because the laborers work in dangerous and unsanitary workplaces, they can’t support themselves with their minimal pay, and they work unreasonably long hours. People do things that are unjust for their own economic gain because people are inherently selfish. The abuse of labor and people in foreign countries needs to be put to an end. It would be best that American companies move toward in-house manufacturing because it can improve one’s business and it can create more job opportunities for the U.S.


Works Cited
"Apple Has China Labor Problems -- Again." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.
Kim, Miyoung. "Samsung Says to Fix Outsourcing Issues, but Keep Most Production Inhouse." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 30 Nov. 2012. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.
"The Top 10 Reasons To Outsource." : Outsource, Offshore, Outsourcing, Offshoring, Reasons to Outsource. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.