New threat to skilled U.S. workers

The Seattle Times ^ | Tuesday, April 17, 2007 | Froma Harrop

[spikeytx86]

For someone just starting out in the workforce with no formal education and minimal skills $9.50 an hour + benefits is too little?

Did I also mention our cost of living here is like 20% less then the national average?

[Age of Reason]

I predict that withing 15-20 years, it just won’t make any financial sense to move jobs to those countries.

I was listening to some pundit on off-shoring being interviewed on the radio.

He seemed somewhat sympathetic to the plight of American workers.

He freely admitted that globalism would create a lot of pain for the American worker for about a generation, then everything will be fine.

Oh brother.

Twenty years from now, the kids on this board will be in their forties--and then after decades of being victimized by outsourcing, you'll next be victimized by age discrimination.

[hopespringseternal]

The simple fact is that the economy is booming. (It’s all Bush’s fault.) Anyone who is willing and able has his pick of jobs.

Companies largely have chased anyone with a technical mind out of those fields. Even before outsourcing, companies have been needlessly firing technical professionals so that executives could get their "cost cutting" bonuses. As a result, a ton of people have left corporate jobs.

People got sick of being a highly educated migrant worker.

[CharlesWayneCT]

I don’t believe we have 40 million hi-tech jobs, or 40 million americans smart enough to do that kind of work.

OK, I guess that’s a bit snarky.....

[elmer fudd]

Here in the Pacific NW, I would consider it to be too little to reliably find and retain good starting workers. By a good starting worker I mean a clean cut, high school graduate with a good driving record and no criminal history who can pass a drug test and perform well in an interview. My employer was having a dificult time finding good people at $12/hr and had to raise the starting wage to $14 about a year ago.

[Clintonfatigued]

Free Trade at any cost strikes again.

[sten]

capitalism 101: if you have a position and cannot fill it, consider raising the rate offered.

i would guarantee that dominoes position would be gone in a week if you jacked the hourly rate to $20/hr. And if so... then the problem isn't finding people, but offering a proper price for the job. (label the position as 'up to $20/hr' and see what happens.. actual pay may vary)

[teawithmisswilliams]

The “Maestro” Greenspan is on board. His solution to growing income inequality in America is to lower educated and highly-skilled workers’ incomes with floods of H1-bs.

/Just don’t question his patriotism.

[TomasUSMC]

Do you know what the average hourly wage in the USA is?

[abigailsmybaby]

And they’re the only ones entitled to their jobs and the truck loads of money they are paid.

My dil has been looking for a job for 6 months, but no company is interested because she hasn’t worked for a couple of years. That doesn’t sound like desperation for employees to me.

[ClaireSolt]

The left is always talking about jobs for workers. Meanwhile the Indians became entrepreneurs and invented outsourcing. When more talented Americans start businesses and hustle for work instead of sitting back waiting for that high wage and benies, then they will be competitive. Most people do not work for big corps. That’s a red herring.

[Fraxinus]

Even before outsourcing, companies have been needlessly firing technical professionals so that executives could get their "cost cutting" bonuses. As a result, a ton of people have left corporate jobs.

The refusal of companies to show loyalty to their employees is starting to show, in many highly skilled fields those technicians are steering their children away from their field. If your field does not appear to be highly compensated or high status to incoming college students, those students will not get college level training in those fields, unless they have parents/other family telling them how great it is to be in that field.

[A. Pole]

My employer was having a dificult time finding good people at $12/hr and had to raise the starting wage to $14 about a year ago.

Is that good or bad?

[GingisK]

...good location in Chicago’s...

Anyone who thinks this even resembles a good location hasn't lived elsewhere.

[spikeytx86]

About $17 an hour, but that is an average of all wages from entry level to seasoned workers.

[spikeytx86]

But I am talking about here in Lubbock Texas. I guarantee you if this position was in the PNW it would be at least 15 or $16 an hour if not more. I know cingular for the same job for their c.center in Austin starts at $12.

[chimera]

Now if only we could figure out a way to outsource politicians...

I'd like to add some of these CEOs and their bloated salaries for failure to the list of those with a one-way ticket to Bangalore. Think of the savings their beloved corporations could reap if they did that.

[elmer fudd]

From my perspective it was very good. Considering my position I was already at the top of the wage heap, but when the wages go up $2/hr on the bottom rungs they also end up going up a little a few rungs up.

[spikeytx86]

I'm not saying Off-Shoring is a good thing, actually I am saying that the massive rush to exploit opportunities abroad is going to cause labor strife and wage inflation abroad to the point where it is not cost effective. In the end, this second gold rush will end just like the last one, with disappointment and a return to the real world. But I also think we will be stronger because of it. We are seeing a lot of people in there 40’s and 50’s returning to school and gaining cutting edge training and skills as well as a greater focus on higher education with young people and people working longer then ever before which in turn will also give our workforce greater experience then ever before. This will make us far more competitive then practically anyone.

[spikeytx86]

Do you think domino's or any pizza joint could more then double their payroll costs and not inflate there prices?

If this is possible, then all those Minimum Wage advocates are correct and we need a living wage of at least $11 per hour pronto!