It's India calling for US white collar exodus

NEW DELHI: The United States of America is currently facing a double whammy, thanks to the growing tide of "outsourcing" worldwide. While high-paying tech jobs are moving overseas - especially to India, US workers are being replaced by their less demanding (in terms of dollars) foreign counterparts.

Just as millions of American manufacturing jobs were lost in the 1980s and 1990s, it's now turn for the white-collar American jobs to disappear. Foreign nationals on special work visas are filling some positions but most jobs are simply contracted out overseas.

A US media report said that till now nearly half-a-million American tech jobs have already found their way offshore, and India has been the hottest spot for these migrants. The other destinations include Philippines, Malaysia and China.

A survey done by Gartner Inc. says that one out of 10 jobs in the US computer services and software industry could shift to lower-cost emerging markets by the end of 2004.

Research director at Forrester Research, John McCarthy, who has studied the exodus of white-collar jobs overseas, was quoted as saying in ABC TV, "The train has left the station, the cows have left the barn, the toothpaste is out of the tube... you're not going to turn the tide on this in the same way we couldn't turn the tide on the manufacturing shift."

After all, it's all about cost savings that matters. Indians are all working at a fraction of the cost paid to the American workers. For example, American computer programmers earn about $60,000, while their Indian counterparts only make $6,000.

California-based consulting company - NeoIT - that advises American firms interested in "offshoring" jobs previously held by Americans feels, "They need to significantly reduce their cost of doing business."

While, Wipro's Vivek Paul notes that American workers might resent the "offshoring" trend, but all Americans will benefit in the long run.

The satifaction that while we're sending them all the jobs of our middle class, that any of us who are still working will be subsidizing the construction of more colleges and general infrastructure in India through our tax dollars and foreign aid, while our children have to fight 6 foot sewer rats, roof cave-ins and asbestos poisoning just to make it through home-room attendance at school, only so they can graduate and find all our jobs have been sent to India. /RANT

What the hell is wrong with you?!? Don't you know that nobody is guaranteed a job? If you live in America you just suffer the sinking ship. We like the dirt cheap prices and quality from China. Fu#k you American workers. Eat dirt!

You forgot - You can just change careers, as many will tell you here. Just find a new career after 10, 15, 20 years honing your skills at your last job. Yea, that's right - overnight, shouldn't take more than a minute. And of course, just keep repeating all of the "global economy", "wake up and smell the capitalism", "just maintaining competitive edge", "they're all international companies now" mantras as you lose everything you ever worked for as I am right now. It'll give you a warm feeling for a moment while you are realizing that money really is the most important thing in life when you are out of it.

They're outsourcing senior management positions too, right? Didn't think so..

If you live in America you just suffer the sinking ship.

I just want to say that as a minor stockholder in some large corporations, I am outraged, OUTRAGED that CEO and other executive positions have not been outsourced to India and China!! It's a global economy, you know, and I bet some of these hard workers would bankrupt corporations and sell out US laborers for a mere million or so a year.

And why stop there? There are plenty of hard-working, qualified potential and cheap executives in places like Afghanistan and Ethiopia.

Geesh...get with the program.

(sarcasm, of course) <^._.^>

What can we do?!?

Write a handwritten note to the White House and your Congress critters about these issues. I suggest that you include asking for teh abolishment of OPIC, H1B visas and enforcvemnet of the L1 visa law. Also make it clear that perhaps it is time for teh USA to consider tariffs on software and computer services. You may not get anywhere alone but if you write and you get some friends to write eventually the polidiots may take notice.

Note I did not go into the violent alternative because that will manifest itself quite clearly if we do not get government action to remedy a problem with government policy.

And once elected, the Democrats will continue George's “giant sucking sound” trade policy, of course.

Yes they will, they're all talk, and will say whatever they have to in order to get elected. Once in office, they'll continue on with the same policies that are obviously failing.

"Free trade" deals with third world countries are nothing more than corporate welfare.

We just received a quotation from C.G. Smith (An Indian Company) for software validation at the rate of $25/hr.

So where's the savings?

You'd have a ton of new liabilities, namely distance, language, time zones, and culture. But you'd have no real savings. You'd be able to get a decent guy at 60k in todays market.

By the way, we chose an American Company whose price was about 40% higher and spoke a language we could understand.

BRAVO FOR YOU!

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