Increasing export of white-collar jobs is cause for concern

USA Today ^ | 08-10-03

[Agnes Heep]

The more I read articles like this, the more I get the impression I'm living in Zimbabwe.

[At _War_With_Liberals]

If Microsoft is on the list, it is disappointing. Everyday Americans from every part of society have supported MS by buying Billions of dollars of MS software.

Ethically, they should support American workers, IMO.

[You Dirty Rats]

Microsoft has worldwide sales. There are many more users of MS software outside the cointry than inside.

The article quoted Forrester research as saying 3.3 million jobs would be shifted overseas in the next 15 years. That's 220,000 per year. Big deal.

I'm not ready to push the panic button just yet.

[LibertyAndJusticeForAll]

Three Cheers for David Stixrood, president of Dallas-based Corp-Wireless!! He will not offshore jobs because he is concerned about America (last paragraph of article).

[StatesEnemy]

Meanwhile these "American" Companies enjoy the military security provided by the American people, and unfettered access to their wallets...

[CanadianFella]

More class-envy in disguise. Y'know, a job is something you earn, not something that your fellow Americans owe you.

[StatesEnemy]

A programmer will make $5,000, compared with $60,000 in the USA, she says.

Lessee... that's about $100 a week - or $2.50 per hour (assuming a 40hr week).

I guess my student loans will have to stay defaulted.

[StatesEnemy]

F-off

If a company is going to reap the bennies of operating in the "generally lawful" confines of the US, they damn sure owe something to the taxpayers who protect their wealth.

[LibertyAndJusticeForAll]

Exactly!

Any company that offshores is as foreign (and in some cases Communist) as its employees.

The safe haven of America that produced these companies should be yanked out from under them. They deserve nothing American.

[PokeyJoe]

Personally, I think Boeing should build it's next wide body airplane in Inida. It will lower the capital acquisition cost for the Air Force to purchase an RC-777.

Hell, maybe we should build nuclear carriers in India as well. We can buy three for the price of one.

[fortaydoos]

Has anyone ever suggested not patronizing the companies that do this offshoring? Is there a list of companies that do this? Just wondering - I am all for free trade, but am also all for informed consumers making choices that are best for them.

[StatesEnemy]

Good question...

I would be extremely interested in such a list.

[Major Matt Mason]

Jobs done by financial analysts, architectural drafters, telemarketers, accountants, claims adjusters, home loan processors and others at higher levels of the labor food chain are being farmed out to workers in other countries.

Hmmmm...I have an interview for a claims adjusting job tomorrow. I don't see how a job like that can be outsourced, since there has to be some up-close investigation performed. Unless they are referring to medical claims, which would not be the case.

[CanadianFella]

If a company is going to reap the bennies of operating in the "generally lawful" confines of the US, they damn sure owe something to the taxpayers who protect their wealth.

more socialist rhetoric on "Free" Republic. Nobody owes anyone anything, protection of property is a right not a privilege that you pay for.

[T. P. Pole]

I work for a company that is in the middle of doing this. I have just a few things to say.

When are they going to be sending the CEO and the rest of the leadership "team" over to India? Certianly if they go from 60K to 12K for a programmer, wouldn't the savings from 10 mil to 2 mil help the bottom line?

As for the bit about speaking english, I have yet to find one that speaks comprehendable english. I often end up conversing via email since I cannot understand them on the phone.

As for the programming skills, they can program like a robot. The problem is we need to keep a pile of folks here stateside to correct their programming. They do not seem to understand creativity yet.

One more thing. The reason they are so cheap is because companies do not have to pay for all the stupid liberal policies over there. No diversity. No OSHA. No ADA. No social security. No workman's comp. No environmentalism. No unions. If they had to pay for all those things, then that programmer would cost 60K over there, too.

We must get rid of the rats if we want to stay competitive.

[independentmind]

More class-envy in disguise. Y'know, a job is something you earn, not something that your fellow Americans owe you.

Really? I would suggest that in a democracy where every adult can vote, it might be wise to do everything possible to make sure that there are plenty of jobs to go around. Because if there aren't, the unemployed will simply vote to tax your earnings away from you.

[Barry Goldwater]

Check the jobs posted on monster.com in india. They pay about 1/2 of American wages, not 1/10th.

[FRgal4u]

even tho i am not for tax hikes, i do think it is ok to tax "american companies" extra which export us jobs overseas - say india..

think about it...these companies shift the high paying jobs overseas, reduce the economic vitality o the united states and they should pay up for that...if a company saves 30 million bucks a yr by shifting jobs overseas, that 30 million dollar benefit "must" be taxed extra in a windfall tax scheme - say 40% tax rate..

i am sicking tired to have my dell support answered by some hindis or pakis..or the new jersey state income tax questions answered by someone in ireland or have my questions of peanut allergies answered by some malays thru the p&g support line..

time for america to wake up...

[elfman2]

"Tens of thousands of jobs already have been shipped out, and analysts project that millions more will go -- just as the fragile economy attempts a rebound. "

The flow goes both ways, with the US draining the world's brightest to work here, we export more, stay competitive and provide jobs.

Americans are fatter and more care free than any people of any time. Our "unemployed poor" are richer than 90% of the world today, But there will be some here who claim to align with conservatives, but want to micro manage our ability to trade with someone overseas, calling for another inevitably corrupt bureaucracy to protect us.