U.S. college grads see jobs being taken abroad

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ^ | 8/22/03 | ROWLAND NETHAWAY

[optimistically_conservative]

The future of American workers, if they are lucky enough to land a job, lies with multinational companies that rely heavily on foreign labor.

It's too late to worry about losing U.S. manufacturing jobs to Mexico as a result of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Mexico's workers now are in a panic over losing their NAFTA-generated manufacturing jobs to China, the world's new global manufacturing center.

America's white-collar workers should not feel too smug. They can be replaced by cheaper foreign workers. That process is under way.

Foreign colleges, particularly in India and other Asian nations, are turning out graduates who have dedicated their lives to achieving the highest attainable levels of academic learning with the goal of landing a job either in the United States or with a U.S. company. Their efforts are paying off.

Only the healthiest Americans will have missed the growing number of foreign doctors now helping staff the nation's hospitals.

America's high-tech industries are hiring more and more foreign workers to write computer programs, design electronics and run research and development projects. And these are jobs in the United States that normally would go to skilled American workers with college degrees.

More and more technical support jobs for American companies now are located overseas.

A recent USA Today article by Michelle Kessler and Stephanie Armour reported that jobs done by accountants, financial analysts, home loan processors, claims adjusters, architectural drafters and many others now are being done by inexpensive workers in foreign countries.

"These include high-paying, highly sought-after jobs that often require advanced degrees and years of study to attain," said the Kessler-Armour article. "But instead of paying six-figure salaries to trained workers in America, more companies are shelling out $10,000 to $20,000 to get cheaper employees an ocean away."

As if to confirm that observation, a recent news story in the Houston Chronicle by Wendy Lee reported that Renata Escovar, a Rice University economics graduate, was turned down for a waitressing job and Chisom Uluh, a University of Houston graduate with a communication degree, now is selling mattresses.

"Such experiences have become commonplace among college graduates facing the most dismal job market in nearly a decade," Lee wrote. She said many new college graduates now are selling clothes, serving food or taking other similar jobs they thought they had left behind once they earned they college diplomas.

Many lower-level service and manual labor jobs in the United States are being scooped up by both legal and illegal immigrants. Employer sanctions for hiring illegal immigrants are rarely enforced since there are no nationwide worker-identity standards.

The logic that moved American manufacturing jobs in textiles, furniture, sporting goods, stoves, refrigerators and much more to Mexico and other countries now is being applied to white collar jobs. Foreign workers are paid less, which is necessary for many businesses that compete in the global economy. To survive, all businesses must remain competitive and profitable.

As American manufacturing jobs became established in Mexico, wages for Mexican workers rose along with the nation's standard of living.

Since China joined the World Trade Organization, however, many U.S. multinational companies now hire Chinese workers who do the same jobs for several hundred percent less than Mexican workers.

Americans workers may soon be faced with the if-you-can't-beat-them-join-them choice in the brave, new multinational, global marketplace.

[College Repub]

This is a HORRIBLE market. I just graduated and was gettnig nowhere with resumes and cover letters in the past 2.5 months. I got a job offer last Thursday for a position. I'll be making 35-40 in a realted field. Not bad. All my friends have jobs too! Most of them got them through networking though. It's tough out there. But hard work and perserverence will pay off. IF you have a liberal arts degree it can be tougher. I had a B.S in Business Admin with a concentration in Marketing.

[lelio]

"But instead of paying six-figure salaries to trained workers in America, more companies are shelling out $10,000 to $20,000 to get cheaper employees an ocean away."

Ready for the onslaught of "This is just the liberal media talking up a minor economic blip"?

[College Repub]

ping to the post above this

[College Repub]

woops, wrong thread

[Edison]

What a lot of Americans don't know is that some of the jobs that went to Mexico after NAFTA are now being moved to China. Philips Electonics moved their TV assembly to Mexico and recently laid off the $80.00 a week employees to move the plant to China. Makes one wonder what they are paying "The Reds".

Wow, nobody uses that term anymore. Kind of fun pulling it out and using it in public.

Once the jobs were out of the US proper who would care if they moved again.

Edison

[Porterville]

It's all done through networking these days. I decided I want to work in public admin in the county. I'm finding that all jobs are given to people they already have in mind, like nephews and nieces; It makes me want to puke.

[Monty22]

Frankly that's nothing new.. It's always been 'who you know'.. Or 'who you sleep with'.

That's just reality.

[College Repub]

I was trying to reply to someone in the globalization thread that I was talking with a month ago (see my prior posts) but I had this thread open in another window and somehow the software posted to this thread. Anyway, yeah, it all IS networking. Which is fine if you have a network, which everyone should have after working 1-3 jobs. It's hard to get in with a good company with a good entry-level position with realistic room for plenty of advancement. Especially w/o networking. I consider myself very lucky.

[Porterville]

I'm against networking as a personal choice; I do not agree with the concept of owing someone for helping one get a job. Besides that, networking in the private sector is fine... what makes me angry is networking in police departments, hospitals, fire departments, prisons, county administration, and eductional institutions. A few families get to the top of these public tax funded institutions and often hook-up friends and family; when times are good outsiders have a good chance of landing a job, but when times are bad, the succulant spots are already filled before they are emptied... it makes me very angry.

[ETERNAL WARMING]

Want jobs? Then join me in a year long protest. Between now and Jan.1, stock up on items you will need for the coming year...shoes, shirts, gifts, etc. Beginning Jan.1, 2004 do not buy a SINGLE good of anykind other than food and household supplies. THAT will send the message. Drastic times call for drastic measures.

Or like the President said, "retrain." To what?, Mr. President. What can we train for that you and your Free Trade lunatics won't be giving away in the near future?

[Porterville]

We were talking about networking with other people... but anyway, Your not going to find many job openings in MIS, they are taken pretty fast and held onto tightly. Your best bet is to take that GI Bill and head to school. Take some hard core engineering or business classes and reap the harvest.

[College Repub]

Unless you know someone really high up, often all that networking can do you for is help get you an interview when you may not have otherwise. It's still up to you to impress each manager/interviewer.

[College Repub]

There are lots of phone/tech support positions out there. Not sure what they pay...

[Porterville]

That's not true. Many tax payed jobs are posted because they have to be by law. But, the job will already be filled even though they go through the motions of interviews (I got a job like this without networking). The world is and ugly place when it comes to money and power.

Also, state employees, their benefits, and their retirement plans (wich in CA is as high as 90% of sallary), takes away money from people just wanting to start at the entry level or the grunt troops between entry and middle management. Many High level state employees make nearly 150,000 dollars in a metropolitan area and they are retiring at 55 years of age.

[Porterville]

I think they pay like 10 bucks per hour. You know what you can make as a prison gaurd with a GED education level working 10-12 hour shifts in CA??? $5,500 dollars per month after the first 3 years. You know how much a teacher makes in an average town with a BA and a 2 year teaching certificate??? $3,000 bucks a month. But the Administrators make 50-100 grand.

[1rudeboy]

Waah. It must be true, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says so. Waah.

[tkathy]

The only way to fight this is with economic boycotts.