Will Consumers demand American made Levi's?

Economy shows some signs of recovery, Marist report says


POUGHKEEPSIE – There are some signs of an economic recovery, but the third quarter economic survey conducted by Marist College in Poughkeepsie says the Great Recession is far from over.
The increase in employment and labor force participation that began in the second quarter of this year continued into the third quarter with employment up 1.12 percent and labor force participation up by 1.36 percent.

“Employment is improving, as is the willingness of people to enter the labor force,” said Marist Bureau of Economic Research Director Dr. Christy Huebner Caridi.But, housing has yet to catch up with sales of existing homes and the foreclosure rate negatively impacting the housing market, she said.

There is also the nationwide issue of manufacturing domestically versus globally, and that is something Americans will eventually have to confront.

"Do we truly want to be a nation where Barbie is made in China and Levis are made in the Far East and etcetera; there is a laundry list of what we view to be American icons that are no longer produced in the United States,” she said. “Somewhere there is going to be a backlash. Somewhere people are finally going to say, ‘this is crazy, I don’t want it anymore,’ and it may be as simple as the household sector cutting back the consumption so drastically that firms get the message and start bringing back the manufacturing jobs.”

Caridi said some companies that have off-shored their call centers are moving them back to the US already.