Comment by ThrowawayR2
15 days ago
Growth in manufacturing products for export, first in wrecked post-war Japan, then in Taiwan, and then in China, is what lifted all of them out of deep poverty into global powerhouses and technology leaders. You better believe that they were happy to have those jobs others didn't want and to capitalize on them to grow themselves.
Manufacturing jobs produce locallly useful materials, pay for locally useful machines and equipment, and atleast in the first 2/3rs of industrializarion locally useful skills.
This stuff does bring them money which is nice, but a person having access to and learning to use a welder or lathe or loom or repair or fabricate such thhings has value far beyond merely their wage.
Tools and the skills to use them is the most important thing in building a modern society. Countries don't really ever transition from agrarian straight to a modern service economy.