[sarcasm]

"It smacks of retaliation that 'if you don't open up, we will impose restrictions,' " Sinha told reporters last week.

[300winmag]

Companies such as MphasiS are the biggest beneficiaries of a movement among many of the largest corporations in the United States to shift certain white-collar work to low-cost India, where local companies are adding thousands of skilled, English-speaking employees every quarter to meet the increased demand.

After having used Dell's offshored customer support, I can state that these people are certainly not skilled in either conversational English nor PC technical support. Very strong accents, and entirely script-driven. They also tend to be rude when you try to break out of their scripts.

Our organization has over 7500 Dell systems. It was sometimes difficult working with their American tech support, but even the smallest problem was agony with the Indians. However, Dell didn't seem to mind burning up hours of satellite time on one call, or sending three parts out before the one I really wanted arrived. At least, not until their corporate customers started to really complain.

American companies desperate for instant cash savings see offshored tech support as employing PhDs with perfect English, and instinctive knowledge of the product. In reality, they're getting people who work for one-tenth the pay, but do one-tenth the productive work. But that doesn't show up on this year's balance sheet.

I have not yet had a single encounter with an offshore tech support that I'd rate as good as even a medicore American operation. The unspoken ground rules behind all this controversy is that Americans are overpaid, someone else working for one-tenth the cost is world-class, and clients won't notice the extra grief they have to put up with.

[.45MAN]

We need public disclosure of companies outsourcing and the number of jobs that are sent overseas.. I have run into problems understanding these people. I would rather talk to a computer..

[ColdSteelTalon]

Well when enough white collar workers are losing their jobs maybe America will wake up and vote both parties out of office.

[vikingchick]

The good news it that since the Indians and Chinese have all gone back to their home countries taking our jobs with them, the high-priced homes they owned in the Bay Area sit a-waiting for some dumb American to pay a bunch of money for it.

Sit tight, my friends. Wait for the housing prices to hit rock bottom.

[Clock King]

The U.S. has to realize that by outsourcing, its companies remain competitive and save jobs

Incredible doublespeak. Whose jobs?

[Glenn]

"That is not the way to go," said Yashwant Sinha, the external affairs minister.

Damn. They are pretty smart.

We've been duped again.

[AndrewB]

Next time someone with a thick Indian accent calls and says his name is Tim Johnson (or other American sounding name) from AT&T Call Center (or other corporate giant), ask him what city he is calling from. The reaction is interesting; they are obviously forbidden to tell the truth about their name or location.

[lewislynn]

President Bush distanced himself on Thursday from one of his top economic advisers who said the outsourcing of U.S. jobs to workers overseas may benefit the economy.

"The U.S. has to realize that by outsourcing, its companies remain competitive and save jobs," Sinha said.

Why would Bush "distance himself" from such a good thing for the country? I guess outsourcing is the reason why all those jobs are now available...It was "outsourcing" that made this country great. < /sarcasm >

[philetus]

MphasiS, based in Bombay, has 6,000 employees, and its operations are spread across the cities of Bangalore and Pune. More recently, it has expanded to Shanghai, China and Tijuana, Mexico.

Now, a U.S. company can outsource it's customer service to India and customers can end up talking to customer service reps in Tijuana.

[MissAmericanPie]

"where local companies are adding thousands of skilled, English-mangling employees"

[StolarStorm]

It's really their own damn fault. They are a victim of their rapid success. If job transfers had simply been slowed down, American workers would have had more time to acclimate to the new economic model, and pressure on the politicians would be much less. India and Indian firms shouldn't have been so arrogant and aggressive.

[StolarStorm]

"Blake's remarks rankled India's government. "That is not the way to go," said Yashwant Sinha, the external affairs minister. "It smacks of retaliation that 'if you don't open up, we will impose restrictions,' " Sinha told reporters last week.""

What friggin hypocrites.

[Ciexyz]

Go get 'em. Otherwise our home towns will look like Wheeling WV, where the downtown area is largely deserted except for artisan centers for the tourists who then go to Oglebay Park or the music hall for country music. No industry, no jobs.

[GOPJ]

And when is the media going to ask Mrs. Ketchup to close3 those 57 overseas plants...syriacus

[Lael]

Well when enough white collar workers are losing their jobs maybe America will wake up and vote both parties out of office.

Both Parties MUST GO!!!

2008?? 2012??

I would URGE Ralph Nader to run...he has been the ONLY one talking about this issue for years!!

[Pentagram]

"It smacks of retaliation that 'if you don't open up, we will impose restrictions,'

That sounds like a good idea. It doesn't go far enough, but at least it would be a start!

[Lael]

"We are concerned that this is federal legislation and that it is sponsored by a Republican," said Kiran Karnik, president of the software association. "Republicans are traditionally free-marketers."

Even REPUBLICANS know this has the potential to overturn the Governing structure here.

Look, National Security is Bush's forte`, Homeland Security [defined as being able to pay the MORTGAGE!! ] is the DEMOCRATS!!!

[maui_hawaii]

"We are concerned that this is federal legislation and that it is sponsored by a Republican," said Kiran Karnik, president of the software association. "Republicans are traditionally free-marketers."

Maybe because he doesn't want to lose his seat in Congress to someone else...