HONG KONG, China (Reuters) -- Pressure on Western firms to improve conditions at factories in China is paying off, experts say, with some firms granting workers rights that are still taboo for most employees in the Communist state.

After being faced with boycotts in the 1990s, many international companies adopted stricter labor codes to counter accusations by consumers and labor activists that the firms were operating sweatshop-style factories in developing countries.

We live in a world where Barbie’s outfit, makeup and marketing has come to symbolize the internationalization of the labour market. But can a doll symbolize how offshoring is affecting job markets? Indeed, job losses and the degradation of working conditions in the industrialized world have been blamed on globalization, internationalization and offshoring of work, but is this true? A new ILO publication* analyzes trends and patterns in the internationalization of employment, and identifies winners and losers. ILO Online spoke with ILO employment analyst Peter Auer.

By Anuja Mirchandaney

My sister in the US recently bought a smartly embroidered top for $35, and was amused to find a `Made in India' tag. Had she known that only $1.8 of the retail price went for labour, she would have been shocked. While the Indian garment sector earns high export revenues, the flip side is that the substantial profit accruing to foreign retailers and, to a lesser extent, Indian manufacturers, is not reflected in the garment workers' wages.

Workers, CJM, and Levi Strauss Force Lajat to Respect Code

Workers Gain Full Severance and Keep Their Independent Union to Take on New Challenges

Unprecedented Negotiations

By Steven Greenhouse and Michael Barbaro

Propelled by a free trade agreement with the United States, apparel manufacturing is booming in Jordan, its exports to America soaring twentyfold in the last five years.

But some foreign workers in Jordanian factories that produce garments for Target, Wal-Mart and other American retailers are complaining of dismal conditions - of 20-hour days, of not being paid for months and of being hit by supervisors and jailed when they complain.