The best way to keep jobs within one's own respected country is lower the wages for each worker. It is unfair, but what if the worker is not human, or even alive. Have a factory of robotic workers, that are not even getting paid, is the best way to stay competitive.
Global company, ABB, has announced a concept robot that could possible replace assembly line workers. The bot, FRIDA, is a two arm robot with similar size and capabilities of a human. At the core of the bot, is ABB's IRC5 robot controller. The controller automatically performs operations the quickest it can, despite whatever roundabout way it was told to perform. It comes with what they call a "Flexpendant," a touchscreen that can load custom interfaces for controlling the robot in any way the user would like. FRIDA is billed as mountable wherever it is needed, and even has a handle for easy transport. Several prototypes are being tested at the moment. A great concept for replacing workers, but I am sure it will ultimately come with a hefty price tag. A $100,000 robot is much more costly than their $4,000 a year human counterparts.
Eavesdropper