Posted on 08/03/2003 7:42:08 AM PDT by RockyMtnMan
Michael Emmons thought he knew how to keep a job as a software programmer.
"You have to continue to keep yourself up to speed," he said. "If you don't, you'll get washed out."
Up to speed or not, Emmons wound up being "washed out" anyway. Last summer, he moved his family from California to Florida for the Siemens Co., makers of electronics and equipment for industries. Not long after, Emmons and 19 other programmers were replaced by cheaper foreign workers.
Adding insult to injury, Emmons and the others had to train their replacements.
"It was the most demoralizing thing I've ever been through," he told ABCNEWS. "After spending all this time in this industry and working to keep my skills up-to-date, I had to now teach foreign workers how to do my job so they could lay me off."
Just as millions of American manufacturing jobs were lost in the 1980s and 1990s, today white-collar American jobs are disappearing. Foreign nationals on special work visas are filling some positions but most jobs are simply contracted out overseas.
"The train has left the station, the cows have left the barn, the toothpaste is out of the tube," said John McCarthy, director of research at Forrester Research, who has studied the exodus of white-collar jobs overseas. "However you want to talk about it, you're not going to turn the tide on this in the same way we couldn't turn the tide on the manufacturing shift."
India Calling
Almost 500,000 white-collar American jobs have already found their way offshore, to the Philippines, Malaysia and China. Russia and Eastern Europe are expected to be next. But no country has captured more American jobs than India.
In Bangalore, India, reservation agents are booking flights for Delta; Indian accountants are preparing tax returns for Ernst & Young; and Indian software engineers are developing new products for Oracle.
They are all working at a fraction of the cost these companies would pay American workers.
For example, American computer programmers earn about $60,000, while their Indian counterparts only make $6,000.
"It's about cost savings," said Atul Vashistha, CEO of NeoIT, a California-based consulting company that advises American firms interested in "offshoring" jobs previously held by Americans. "They need to significantly reduce their cost of doing business and that's why they're coming to us right now."
Vivek Pal, an Indian contractor for technology consulting group Wipro, whose clients include Microsoft, GE, JP Morgan Chase, and Best Buy, is hiring 2,000 Indian workers quarterly to keep up with demand. Pal knows American workers resent the "offshoring" trend but says all Americans will benefit in the long run.
"Globalization — whether it's for products or services — may feel like it hurts, but at the end of the day, it creates economic value all around," said Pal.
At the end of the day, Emmons has a different view: "If you sit at a desk, beware," he said. "Your job is going overseas."
Oh, I agree; and, regretfully, it seems those are going to be our two choices.
| Agamemnon was the son of Atreus and the brother of Menelaus. He was the king of either Mycenae (in Homer) or of Argos (in some later accounts), and was the leader of the Greek forces during the Trojan War. He married Clytemnestra and had several children by her, including Orestes, Electra, and Iphigenia.
When the Greeks sailed for Troy, their fleet was trapped by unfavorable winds at Aulis. The seer Calchas revealed that their misfortune was due to Agamemnon, who had boasted that he equalled Artemis in hunting; the winds would only change if Agamemnon's daughter Iphigenia was sacrificed. Agamemnon reluctantly agreed to the sacrifice, but Artemis herself whisked Iphigenia away from the altar and substituted a deer in her place. During the seige of Troy, Agamemnon offended the greatest of the Greek warriors, Achilles, when he took the girl Briseis from him. Achilles' anger with Agamemnon furnished the mainspring of the plot in the Iliad. After the sack of Troy, Agamemnon acquired Cassandra, the daughter of King Priam, as his concubine, and took her home with him to Greece. Agamemnon had an unhappy homecoming. He was either blown off course and landed in the country of Aegisthos, or he came home to his own land to find Aegisthus waiting for him. In either case, Aegisthus had become the lover of Clytemnestra, and the two together murdered Agamemnon and Cassandra shortly after their arrival. Aegisthus and Clytemnestra then ruled Agamemnon's kingdom, but were eventually killed by Agamemnon's son, Orestes (or by Orestes and Electra in some accounts). The homecoming of Agamemnon and its aftermath were favorite subjects for Greek tragedy. |
Exactly. It's the interdependant middle class that is being attacked and weakened by this trend. We're all going to lose; not just the people who've lost their jobs this week.
A "doom and gloomer" is now a generalized slam at anyone who dares question, criticize or makes a negative comment about problems in the economy, finance, jobs, etc. There is an obvious effort going on at promoting group think. I know that you aren't a doom and gloomer but that is the label you are going to be stuck with unless you either keep your mouth shut about your concerns or cheerlead party politics.
Richard W.
As withany loyal bushbot, I normally don't agree with your takes, but I always wonder at the ferocity
of some of your detractors.
You flatter yourself too much. Also, I am not much impressed with a self-employed self-appointed CEO who only makes 6 figures. When you get it up to around 10 give me a call.
I've recently moved up to miscreant. Next month, I hope to be a full fledged "enemy of the state". :-)
Richard W.
Wait; I thought it was 'miscreant', then 'troublemaker', and then 'enemy of the state'.
Are you planning to skip a grade? :)
Way to go, arete, way to go!!
BTW, the way this "outsourcing" thing is going, it looks as if the Demos have found something that might stick.
Read somewhere (Time mag??) that 4 out of 5 Corporations contemplating doing this "don't give a D#mn" about "public backlash."
Looks like a hobby horse made to order for Demos, and the fat is being put into the fire by AOL-TW.
Sounds to me as if you have experienced those particular personality problems much more than Laz ever has. Laz has always had a great sense of humor and has been unafraid to express his agreement or disagreement with issues. You, on the other hand, sound very argry and unhappy.
Richard W.
It is more complex than mere greed. People buy the cheapest product that has the best performance for the price. Modern technology makes it easier to use the cheapest labor in this equation. Why do think that most every product you now see has a label on it where the made in line contains something other than USA?
About the only thing that we have as an asset that remains unchallenged by other countries is our agriculture, but you see it maimed by environmental regulation, consolidation, conversion, etc. How much arable land have you seen converted into subdivisions, malls and the like? We have already "destroyed" many assets by environmental controls. Etc, etc. Greed may be involved, but I think we have imposed this problem on ourselves. We do not need any more Democrats screwing things up with Republican help. And I am a Republican. Get our judges confirmed. The ones that could not be considered activists. Get rid of unnecessary taxation, get rid of unnecessary environmental rules, get rid of unnecessary minimum wages, hiring rules, quit intruding into the mechanisms of business and they will be less likely to go elsewhere for workers.
Yeah, party politics sure does close an awful lot of minds while also bringing out the worst in many people. I guess the attacks go with the territory.
Richard W.
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