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The Offshoring of America's Top Jobs
CAREERPLANNER.COM ^ | Michael T. Robinson

Posted on 02/23/2008 3:44:22 PM PST by Momaw Nadon

The Offshoring of America's Top Jobs

Many of America's top jobs are moving offshore. Which jobs are most likely to be hit by "offshoring" and what can you do to protect and safeguard your career?

Jobs that are most likely to be moved offshore have these Characteristics:

Jobs that are unlikely to move offshore have these Characteristics?

What can you do to protect and safeguard your Job?

Going, Going Gone
Our list of secure jobs and high risk Jobs

The list below shows four categories of jobs:

  1. Safe / No Risk: Most of these jobs are safe from offshoring due to the need for being physically close to the customer.
  2. Moderate Risk: These jobs might be starting to move offshore. There is no trend yet, but the nature of the work fits the pattern of a job that can be moved out of the US.
  3. High Risk: Many of these jobs have already started to move offshore. The nature of these jobs matches those that can be moved easily and managed remotely.

  4. Extreme Risk: You would have to be blind to not see that many of these jobs have already moved. The trend towards offshoring has been visible for more than a few years.
Finally, there is good news. The list of jobs that are safe from offshoring is much longer than the lists of jobs that are expected to be hit by offshoring.

Risk of Job Offshoring List


TOPICS: Business/Economy; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: automation; career; china; h1b; india; it; jobs; mexico; offshoring; risk; tech
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To: squidly

I agree. In-sourcing has, at times, even exceeded outsourcing.

But, here’s the rub. There is a percentage of the population, for whatever reason, that will never be qualified for those types of jobs that are being in-sourced.

The jobs that are left are, for the most part, those that require more education than many are willing to obtain, or that don’t have the capacity to learn above certain levels; Or they are menial jobs, such as retail, fast food, unskilled labor, etc.

We do need to be creative, and find ways to keep jobs for all Americans, regardless of education levels, that will allow them to be productive, contributing citizens. By no means am I suggesting social programs that share in the costs, either.

Manufacturing is a good example. We need more manufacturing in this Country. I believe we have the ability to compete, heads up, with Countries like China and India. We simply need to be more creative and determined to do it.

If we don’t, the alternative is huge government social programs to support these folks and their children.


61 posted on 02/23/2008 8:31:32 PM PST by papasmurf (I'm not worried anymore. I read Obama's "Blueprint for Change".)
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To: Momaw Nadon
Do you have any other examples of IT jobs that may be safe?

Any job combining IT skills with deep and specific knowledge of a given business area should not only survive, but thrive. Business intelligence is the best area, though it requires a broad skill-set and is hard for newcomers to get into.

But if you're pure IT, better pack your bags for Bangalore or Shanghai if you want to keep working.

62 posted on 02/23/2008 8:36:55 PM PST by Mr. Jeeves ("Wise men don't need to debate; men who need to debate are not wise." -- Tao Te Ching)
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To: Momaw Nadon

It really depends on your income requirements and your ability to be flexible. Any position in IT, now, needs to have two or three main skill sets, and a smattering of three to five more.

What are your interests?


63 posted on 02/23/2008 8:39:17 PM PST by papasmurf (I'm not worried anymore. I read Obama's "Blueprint for Change".)
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To: bvw
ah no. the current trend is to keep the entry level IT jobs here in the US due to language issues - Dell and HP recently pulled those jobs back to the US (help desk/customer service). I am in the midst of watching my retail company (selling products only in the US) outsource hundreds of IT jobs to India. They opened a 'branch' there - these jobs are solid middle class jobs paying anywhere from 45k to 100K+.

The IT jobs that are staying here are mostly H1B visa people - trained by those they replaced.

Lots of underemployed IT people around. I wouldn't want my kids in IT. Too bad, it's soon to be a lost ability.

64 posted on 02/23/2008 8:42:24 PM PST by american colleen
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To: papasmurf

You hit in on it. Any IT professional must have a solid “knowledge portfolio.”

Knowledge of Oracle, MySql, C++, Java and Microsoft .NET are the “blue-chip” skills. But you must also keep up with emerging technologies, like Ruby on Rails, or Functional languages like Erlang or Scala, that may or may not take off, but could provide a nice return. I always go to the Manning and OReilly web sites to see what are the upcoming titles for their books, that gives a good hint as to what is “hot” out there.


65 posted on 02/23/2008 8:50:42 PM PST by dfwgator (11+7+15=3 Heismans)
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To: Momaw Nadon
"What kind of tech support? Is it over the phone?"

There's always a need for some in house tech support - desktop services for instance - where you have to actually do hands on support to install, set up and fix pc's and servers, etc. The drawback is that you don't need a lot of people to do that.

Another option would be a company who does installs and support for say, Wal-Mart or Target, supermarket chains, etc. - that would be a company like NCR or NETS.

66 posted on 02/23/2008 8:57:33 PM PST by american colleen
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To: LaurenD
Read Guns, Germs and Steel [wiki] (if you have not already).
67 posted on 02/23/2008 9:07:16 PM PST by stainlessbanner
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To: driftdiver

Banking is a global business anyway. Most other project mgmt will stay local at many levels. The company I work for has hired 4 project mgrs in the last 2 years and is hiring 2 more this year in IT. They’ve added 3 construction project mgrs as well.


68 posted on 02/23/2008 9:07:45 PM PST by rb22982
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To: Momaw Nadon

Not really. There are lots of jobs but problem is technology is changing and what is “in” is also.


69 posted on 02/23/2008 9:09:01 PM PST by rb22982
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To: american colleen

I hate NCR. We used to use Agilysys but switched to NCR to ‘save a (few) bucks.’ Yes, NCR is always hiring. Just last week they fired 3 people on the team that deals with our company.


70 posted on 02/23/2008 9:18:21 PM PST by rb22982
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To: rb22982
I dont like NCR either... like most companies, they were a lot better 10 years ago. No matter who you deal with, it seems like you have to jump through hoops to get anything done. Didnt used to be like that :-(
71 posted on 02/23/2008 9:30:07 PM PST by american colleen
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To: TenthAmendmentChampion

I’m a firefighter and run a photography business. I think I’d be tough to offshore. I still need people to use my services, though.


72 posted on 02/23/2008 9:37:33 PM PST by Richard Kimball (Sure, they'd love to kill me, as long as they can do it without admitting I exist)
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To: american colleen

Yep, we have to kick, scream, crawl and practically baby sit NCR. During the Christmas season, which is our busiest time of the year like most retailers, we had several stores that had 2-3 weeks of a register being down without being fixed. Finally our corporate store support had to drive several new scales/register equipment to the stores ourselves even though NCR is contracted to have 4 hour response time and 2 day max if a part needs to be ordered. They have been awful since the first day we switched to them (about 3 1/2 years ago). Takes about 20 minutes for a store to reach them and frequently our seasoned Front End Managers are as or more knowledgeable than the level 1/2 techs.


73 posted on 02/23/2008 9:38:56 PM PST by rb22982
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To: rb22982
HA! same exact experience! TOLT is the worst I've come across, NETS is the best. HP guys are great but you have to deal with layers of offshored first contact guys to schedule an on site tech. Not an unusual experience to be on the phone for an hour just to schedule a replacement tape drive. Might save HP money in salaries (used to take 5 minutes when they were based in GA) but the user pays the cost in time wasted.

NCR 'services' our hundreds of always a problem self scan registers.

74 posted on 02/23/2008 9:48:59 PM PST by american colleen
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To: sgtyork; CapnJack; Momaw Nadon
No, don’t work with SAP, work with an American ERP company Oracle! ;-)

This is very sound advice. Also, Oracle contractors can get $100+ an hour for their work.

75 posted on 02/24/2008 1:15:18 AM PST by Caipirabob (Communists... Socialists... Democrats...Traitors... Who can tell the difference?)
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To: conservative cat

“However, just because they passed the PMP doesn’t mean they have the dynamics and the ability to deal with people to be great project managers.”

For now, but as more of the work is done elsewhere it becomes less necessary for local project managers.


76 posted on 02/24/2008 2:57:02 AM PST by driftdiver
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To: rb22982

“Banking is a global business anyway. “

Not really, they have made it one out of greed.


77 posted on 02/24/2008 2:59:56 AM PST by driftdiver
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To: TenthAmendmentChampion

Hi, 10th:

Fellow tech writer here! Based in Germany, working for co. recently removed from DJ30. Contact me!

About the article: What many readers perhaps don’t recognize is that, while the job title may not have changed, the actual nature of the job may have morphed almost beyond recognition. Q.v. an “auto mechanic” in the 1960’s vs. an “auto mechanic” in the 21st Century.

Regards,


78 posted on 02/24/2008 3:08:11 AM PST by alexander_busek
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To: RJR_fan

Hi, HJR_fan:

Fellow technical editor, here!

>>I’m a writer (technical), but have seen how vulnerable my job is to fluctuations in the fortunes of high tech. Still, as long as English is such a bizarre language, a shotgun wedding of germanic skeleton and romance flesh, it will be hard to find non-native supplanters.<<

Care to guess how often I’m forced to convert four-page, text-heavy Installation Instructions into “language-neutral” picture books, or at least “telegram-style” texts (LOTS of bullets, no definite or indefinite articles, only infinitive verbs, etc.).

Once the conversion of all that literature is completed, ANYONE will be able to maintain it (and create new textless docs).

Write me!

Regards,


79 posted on 02/24/2008 3:14:43 AM PST by alexander_busek
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To: Momaw Nadon

Consider changes in career. Certain seemingly negative developments can be a blessing in disguise. After the manufacturing automation company I worked for went belly-up in the Carolinas, due to our client base vastly shrinking due to offshoring - I took off elsewhere to get my job back.

However, I ended up playing music for a living doing classic rock gigs, a lifelong dream, for all the very well-paid engineers and execs from these previous clients - as well as from other companies, in this fast-growing region, where one can actually make a living being a musician. Full Disclosure: I live in Shanghai, and the above is said with a bit of sarcasm, but only just a bit. I do like what I do for a living.


80 posted on 02/24/2008 3:27:35 AM PST by guitfiddlist (When the 'Rats break out switchblades, it's no time to invoke Robert's Rules.)
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