One in 10 U.S. Tech Jobs May Move Overseas, Report Says

Reuters ^ | July 29, 2003 | Eric Auchard

[just_living]

Good for business owners. If Americans have priced themselves out of the market, they deserve to be punished by the market. We need to get better or different skills that blow away our competition, or lower our prices. I am all for the market deciding what is right. And in this case our overfeed programmers are going to have to figure out how to make themselves attractive to our top corporations once again.

[CedarDave]

One out of 10 jobs in the U.S. computer services and software industry could shift to lower-cost emerging markets...

I wish it was the trial lawyers that were subjected to "offshore outsourcing".

[Monty22]

Yeah, this will teach those dirty Americans right for not wanting to live in mud huts and slave wages.

[Notforprophet]

Welcome to FR.

NFP

[Paul Ross]

I see another troll has re-surfaced under a new moniker, Viking Kitties ALERT!

[Paul Ross]

I see another troll has re-surfaced under a new moniker, Viking Kitties ALERT! Just registered today.

[RightWhale]

If Americans have priced themselves out of the market, they deserve to be punished by the market.

IT is not all programming. Most of these jobs would be data entry, keystrokes per minute. The economy is going global, though, and this is just the beginning. America is fine, though, just needing some adjustment to priorities, somethng that is well underway since WTC911.

[Zathras]

Follow the money!
The same people who conned people into the .com are now doing start-ups to outsource jobs to India.

This time, they are going directly to companies to finance their operations instead of VC's.

[just_living]

The only troll I'm into is made by Russ. I'm saying this. What's the point, what can we do about this? Nothing. These prgrammers started get huge salaries, and they priced themselves right out of the market. There is no fix to that, and I'm tired of hearing these guys complain as if there is. They should of invested some of that money. End of Story.

(Why did you post twice, new to the Internet, hit the button too many times. I only bring it up because I think it's rude of you to call people names.)

[dfwgator]

Your attitude is pretty much what the rest of the non-IT thinks. And as far as the rest of the world, they want to see our standard of living knocked down a peg a two. Face it, we are going to get little sympathy, don't expect it.

[samuel_adams_us]

If find it odd that these american companies enjoy the freedom provided to them by the armed forces of the United States which is paid for and comprised of members of the citizenry of the United States and yet they won't hire citizens of the United States. As far as I am concerned they are comitting treason and every corporatation founded and based in the United States who doesn't want to hire United States citizens while enjoying the freedom and security should move their HQ offshore and get the hell out of here.

[just_living]

"America is fine"
You said it, and that was kinda my point. We will figure it out, we always do. There is no sense in fighing market forces (it is nonsense actually). America is no good at legislating solutions to issues like this, we are good at coming up with whole new industries that will employ the clever people who were formally programmers.
My other point is that as a business owner am I supposed to feel some moral obligation to hiring overpriced Americans when I can get the same product cheaper by outsourcing? That makes no sense to me.

[CedarDave]

Hey, I don't know if he's being sarcastic or not, but what he says about being good for corporate business is true or else they wouldn't be doing it. And yes, new and better skills are needed, because I don't see government jumping in (nor should they necessarily) to cut short the job losses.

As for being a troll, I don't know. If he is, he is subtle about it. I have no problem discussing his premise.

[RightWhale]

as a business owner am I supposed to feel some moral obligation to hiring overpriced Americans when I can get the same product cheaper by outsourcing?

No. The business environment is evolving. A business must always look to find cheaper sources of office supplies without compromising quality, one example. Adapt or eventually take down the sign over the storefront. There is a moral obligation to succeed in business so long as it benefits the society that supports it. The society is becoming worldwide thanks to modern communications, so there is the community, it's worldwide.

[just_living]

No sarcasm Dave. What I am saying is that business has every right to do what is best for profits (some would argue that offshore programmers are not as good as Americans, they might be right, but I am operating under the premise that they are, or the wouldn't be accpeted by the market). The only solution here is to innovate. But we are Americans and we will.

[RaceBannon]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/954156/posts?page=342

[CedarDave]

A little severe maybe, but high tech was supposed to be the replacement for the manufacturing industries that went overseas earlier and now it too is departing. Solutions are not easy to come by and I don't know if our technical innovation is going to stay ahead of the rest of the world. The third world is becoming more technically educated while our young adults are dumbed down by public schools which are more worried about "self-esteem" than the 3-R's.

[just_living]

Sad to say, about our public schools you are right. Do you know why India is getting so many of our programming jobs? Good schools. That's right India is producing better educated (okay maybe not better, but competitively educated) graduates. How in the world does that happen?
HHTY!

[superloser]

My other point is that as a business owner am I supposed to feel some moral obligation to hiring overpriced Americans when I can get the same product cheaper by outsourcing?

Since most of your customers will be here, if they have no jobs, you have no customers, therefore no income and finally, no business.

No offense intended, but expand your horizons slightly and look at a bigger picture and you will see things beyond your nose that will affect you down the road.

Picture an economy dominated by people working at Wal-Mart for $5 an hour selling foreign-made goods.

Now picture your business operating in that setting where the vast majority of people are minimum-wage workers and your business is being taxed up the wazoo to cover "entitlements."

While I agree most union shops and fresh grads who think they can demand dot-com wages in a sagging economy need to think again -- look at the overall picture and you'll see that an economy that produces nothing will not survive.

On the flip side, if the American Consumer, who has been propping up the global economy stops consuming, well....we know where that will lead (1931) don't we?

Hence, I'm concerned about the overall picture as opposed to the minutia, but even that starts to add up after a while.