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New threat to skilled U.S. workers
The Seattle Times ^ | Tuesday, April 17, 2007 | Froma Harrop

Posted on 04/17/2007 5:48:48 PM PDT by A. Pole

The master plan, it seems, is to move perhaps 40 million high-skill American jobs to other countries. U.S. workers have not been consulted.

Princeton economist Alan Blinder predicts that these choice jobs could be lost in a mere decade or two. We speak of computer programming, bookkeeping, graphic design and other careers once thought firmly planted in American soil. For perspective, 40 million is more than twice the total number of people now employed in manufacturing.

Blinder was taken aback when, sitting in at the business summit in Davos, Switzerland, he heard U.S. executives talk enthusiastically about all the professional jobs they could outsource to lower-wage countries. And he's a free trader.

[...]

Ron Hira has studied the dark side of the H-1B program. A professor of public policy at the Rochester Institute of Technology, he notes that the top applicants for visas are outsourcing companies, such as Wipro Technologies of India and Bermuda-based Accenture.

The companies bring recruits in from, say, India to learn about American business. After three years here, the workers go home better able to interact with their U.S. customers.

In other cases, companies ask their U.S. employees to train H-1B workers who then replace them at lower pay. "This is euphemistically called, 'knowledge transfer,' " Hira says. "I call it, 'knowledge extraction.' "

[...]

The companies fret that not enough young Americans are studying science and technology. Well, cutting the pay in those fields isn't much of an incentive, is it?

[...]

This vision for a competitive America seems to be a few rich U.S. executives commandeering armies of foreign workers. They don't have to train their domestic workforce. They don't have to raise pay to American standards.

[...]

(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: cheaplabor; duncanhunter; h1bvisa; immigration; jobs; outsourcing; unions; visa; visas; wages
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To: elmer fudd

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?


41 posted on 04/17/2007 7:08:05 PM PDT by spikeytx86 (Pray for Democrats for they have been brainwashed by their fruity little club.)
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To: spikeytx86; leadhead; A. Pole
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.

42 posted on 04/17/2007 7:15:13 PM PDT by Age of Reason
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To: spintreebob
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.

43 posted on 04/17/2007 7:20:24 PM PDT by hopespringseternal
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To: A. Pole

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.....


44 posted on 04/17/2007 7:22:05 PM PDT by CharlesWayneCT
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To: spikeytx86

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.


45 posted on 04/17/2007 7:23:24 PM PDT by elmer fudd (Fukoku kyohei)
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To: A. Pole

Free Trade at any cost strikes again.


46 posted on 04/17/2007 7:26:02 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued (If the GOP were to stop worshiping Free Trade as if it were a religion, they'd win every election)
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To: spikeytx86
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)

47 posted on 04/17/2007 7:33:38 PM PDT by sten
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To: A. Pole

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.


48 posted on 04/17/2007 7:33:55 PM PDT by teawithmisswilliams (Basta, already!)
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To: spikeytx86

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


49 posted on 04/17/2007 7:36:22 PM PDT by TomasUSMC ( FIGHT LIKE WW2, FINISH LIKE WW2. FIGHT LIKE NAM, FINISH LIKE NAM)
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To: Age of Reason

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.


50 posted on 04/17/2007 7:36:35 PM PDT by abigailsmybaby
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To: Clintonfatigued

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.


51 posted on 04/17/2007 7:42:53 PM PDT by ClaireSolt (Have you have gotten mixed up in a mish-masher?)
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To: hopespringseternal
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.

52 posted on 04/17/2007 7:44:53 PM PDT by Fraxinus (My opinion worth what you paid.)
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To: elmer fudd
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?

53 posted on 04/17/2007 7:59:10 PM PDT by A. Pole (Mike Norman: "the job of the [...] citizens is to invest, not toil away on a production line")
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To: spintreebob
...good location in Chicago’s...

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

54 posted on 04/17/2007 7:59:56 PM PDT by GingisK
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To: TomasUSMC
About $17 an hour, but that is an average of all wages from entry level to seasoned workers.
55 posted on 04/17/2007 8:46:54 PM PDT by spikeytx86 (Pray for Democrats for they have been brainwashed by their fruity little club.)
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To: elmer fudd
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.
56 posted on 04/17/2007 8:50:01 PM PDT by spikeytx86 (Pray for Democrats for they have been brainwashed by their fruity little club.)
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To: freeandfreezing
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.

57 posted on 04/17/2007 8:52:14 PM PDT by chimera
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To: A. Pole

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.


58 posted on 04/17/2007 8:54:55 PM PDT by elmer fudd (Fukoku kyohei)
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To: Age of Reason
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.
59 posted on 04/17/2007 8:58:59 PM PDT by spikeytx86 (Pray for Democrats for they have been brainwashed by their fruity little club.)
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To: sten
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!

60 posted on 04/17/2007 9:02:56 PM PDT by spikeytx86 (Pray for Democrats for they have been brainwashed by their fruity little club.)
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