We need to look no further than General Motors’ own figures to learn that GM outsources almost two thirds of its jobs overseas. Less than one in five GM vehicles are manufactured in the United States.
To be exact: GM’s December 31, 2011 annual report shows General Motors of North America accounting for 98,000 of the 207,000 GM jobs worldwide. But 12,000 of these jobs are in Canada and 11,500 are in Mexico. Accordingly, GM has 74,500 jobs in the United States and 122,500 abroad, even after Obama’s touted surge in Detroit jobs. Almost two thirds of GM’s jobs are in other countries.
GM’s outsourcing is not a slip. GM clearly states that foreign investment and outsourcing of jobs are an integral parts of its growth strategy.
So it now appears that GM’s goal is to make Mexico prosperous, not the good old US of A! In the same press release, GM heralds its upcoming billion dollar investments in its Mexican plants (versus a $100 million investment in Rochester, New York). It should have saved the Rochester announcement for another day.
GM is no less ambitious with respect to manufacturing in the BRIC countries of Brazil, Russia, India, and China. Again from GM’s annual report:
“We will continue to grow our business under the Baojin, Jiefang, and Wuling brands. We operate in Chinese markets through a number of joint ventures and maintaining good relations with our joint venture partners, which are affiliated with the Chinese government, is an important part of our Chinese growth strategy.”
Grace D. Lieblein, President and CEO of GM Mexico, for example, proudly announced in a GM Mexico press release: -snip-
Seems like a good match: U.S. Government Motors with China’s “national champions.” Well, Obama likes government-private partnerships. Our GM is now in cahoots with the titans of the Chinese Communist Party.
GM has the other BRICS covered as well: “We are increasingly well-positioned in Russia, Brazil and India with a $1 billion investment in Russia to turn out a quarter million vehicles by 2015. GM also touts an almost three billion dollars of investment in Brazil “to increase its capacity and modernize plants in the country.” Not all these investments have turned out well. GM is shutting down in Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela. GM should be warned about doing business in Russia. Putin has a nasty habit of taking over foreign operations when they are on the verge of success.
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