Shift of tech jobs abroad speeding up, report says

Boston Globe ^ | December 25, 2002 | Diane E. Lewis

[sarcasm]

Leading the way will be the information technology industry - the sector often credited with fueling the US economic boom of the 1990s - says the Cambridge firm's forecast.

Back-office accounting and customer-calling work are already being shipped abroad. But in the future, professional positions in technology, law, art, architecture, life sciences, and business management will be, too, says Forrester.

[sinkspur]

The profit they gain today will be cut off in the not-too distant future, when China can strangle our defense industry and Armed Forces.

China will be strangled if it jeopardizes its trade status with the West.

[sinkspur]

The profit they gain today will be cut off in the not-too distant future, when China can strangle our defense industry and Armed Forces.

China will be strangled if it jeopardizes its trade status with the West.

[sinkspur]

But what does corporate America care about fairness to American citizens.

Labor, environmental, and tax regulations are not imposed by corporations; they're imposed by the American government at the behest of the unions and goofy tree-huggers.

[doosee]

How? India must become a prosperous country before it can be open to free trade. It's on its way.

They have a long way to go before their per capita income approaches that of most western countries. Close to 1 billion people but a huge illiteracy problem and a cultural caste system that prevents all but the extremely intelligent from achieving higher education. I wouldn't rule out Muslim led Pakistan from nuking Indian cities someday and the Indians dont rule it out either. There is hope in India but it will take them 25 to 50 years to develop a prosperous society with an American style middle class.

[irv]

Sud said technology workers in remote sites have fewer interruptions or distractions, because the corporate office cannot introduce work unrelated to the project at hand.

In other words, getting as far away from upper management as possible increases efficiency. I could have told you that!

But I can't see the control freaks at corporate tolerating a trend like that for very long.

[A. Pole]

Labor, environmental, and tax regulations are not imposed by corporations; they're imposed by the American government at the behest of the unions and goofy tree-huggers.

Why don't you move to India together with your company? And one more thing, after you do it, you should not have access to the American market.

[irv]

What America should do is to impose a tariff on American corporatios who out source to countries not conforming to the same regulations as Americans do.

Raising the cost of doing business is never the answer to the adverse consequences of a high cost of doing business. What America should do is lower taxes and cut or eliminate regulation.

I was talking to a couple of Danes last week (People from Denmark, not very large dogs). They were on a shopping spree while they were here in the U.S., because everything costs so much over there. There is a 25% sales tax, in addition to value-added taxes driving prices up. The tax on cars is 180%. So mostly, they don't buy cars.

Note that none of these "outsourced" jobs are being exported to places like Denmark, where the high cost of living makes it very unattractive to hire workers.

We can be more like the Danes and watch our economy shrivel, or we can be more like the free market dynamo that made this country great in the first place, and not worry about exporting jobs (and money) anymore. Simple choice.

[Capt. Tom]

But what does corporate America care about fairness to American citizens. They just care about profits no matter where they come from.

When I was raising my kids I told them on a regular basis some of my observations of the real world one of them was:

"Big business will sell you poison if they thought they could make a profit."

[sinkspur]

Why don't you move to India together with your company? And one more thing, after you do it, you should not have access to the American market.

Why don't you have a very nice Christmas Day!

[sinkspur]

What America should do is to impose a tariff on American corporatios who out source to countries not conforming to the same regulations as Americans do.

That's exactly the wrong thing to do.

Eliminate taxes and regulations here. Don't worry about what other countries do, or don't do.

[meadsjn]

Note that none of these "outsourced" jobs are being exported to places like Denmark, where the high cost of living makes it very unattractive to hire workers.

We are witnessing "capitalism in suicide mode". The "globalization of trade" (labor actually) is bleeding personal wealth from wherever it exists in the world, alternating between less fortunate labor and consumer markets, Overall production and consumption will continue in a downward spiral, until most everyone is back to the simple concerns of food, clothing, and shelter.

The end result will be widespread acceptance of global socialization -- which will catapult some undesirable individual into power with promises of recapturing the glorious days of the past -- someone like Hillary -- or some other Adolph Hitler character on steroids.

[johnb838]

cultural caste system that prevents all but the extremely intelligent from achieving higher education.

That's bull. There is a misconception going around regarding India that if someone speaks lousy broken english they must be smart. I've met very very few competent Indian programmers -- or even Indians who are remotely computer literate.

I think that these companies that think technology people are interchangeable parts are going to bite the big one. Selling a project is one thing. Delivering it is quite another.

[Wolfie]

I never could understand why patriotism stops at the boardroom door. Ahh for the days when Pakistan and India were fixin' to go nuclear on each other.

[sinkspur]

Fine companies that outsource.

Only offshore? Lots of companies outsource to other American companies. And lots of those companies have subsidiaries offshore that do work for their American counterparts.

Your solution is unworkable, and will only encourage that the work be shifted to subsidiaries of American companies, which can then be easily imported back.

Promote instability and chaos in the third world.

This is the stupidest comment of the day so far.

Why don't we lower some of the economic barriers to competition that we've erected? Union contracts, environmental regulations and corporate taxes should be reformed first, before we start "promoting chaos in the third world."

Besides, how much more chaos would you like to see? There's plenty, it seems to me.

[sinkspur]

There is a misconception going around regarding India that if someone speaks lousy broken english they must be smart. I've met very very few competent Indian programmers -- or even Indians who are remotely computer literate.

You've met very people from India, period, it seems.

Dell uses Indian call centers for certain support issues, in which Indian representatives use better English than most Americans, 95% of them have college degrees, and they know their way around some very complicated call-center software.

If you call Delta airlines for a reservation, there's a 33% chance that you will be talking to an agent in Delhi.