[标准VOA] 高油价增加工作机会(2)[080817]
"In December, we had about three employees here. We were just getting set up. Now we have 14."
Economists say shipping products from other countries made sense when oil was $20 a barrel. These days, a 40-foot container -- that used to cost $3000 to ship from Shanghai to New York -- now costs about $8000.
Some companies are also finding it's more cost effective to manufacture in the U.S. some goods destined for American markets.
Economist Jeffrey Rubins says high shipping costs could benefit the American steel industry, which used to maintain large fabricating plants in industrial cities like Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
"When you have to shift iron ore from Brazil to China to make steel and then ship it back to New York, Pittsburgh's looking pretty good."
While Americans earn a higher standard of pay than workers in other countries, bringing jobs back to the United States would not necessarily mean higher prices for consumers. For example, Shami says it takes 70 people in China 20 minutes to make one of his flat irons. Using automation, he says the same flat iron takes five Americans about five minutes to make.
