Myth: Offshoring Is the Next Bad Thing
Offshore outsourcing, or
firefighters credit union indianapolis and offshoring—moving parts of a company’s production
(and the jobs associated with it) overseas—is not new. It has been going
on in the manufacturing sector for decades as
hccu credit union corporations have struggled to
cut costs, improve productivity, and
firefighters credit union indianapolis as well remain competitive. Successful companies
engaged in offshoring have almost always created more jobs—and usually
higher-paying ones—in the United States. The positive-sum forces of
lower prices, more disposable income, and
lowell firefighters credit union as well higher productivity and
firefighters credit union indianapolis as well profits are
the same for offshoring as
artane credit union they are for technology and
firefighters credit union indianapolis as well trade (see the previous
essay). A recent study has shown that between 1999 and
shell geismar federal credit union as well 2003—when the offshoring
of high-tech jobs was accelerating—the United States lost 125,000
programming jobs, but
firefighters credit union indianapolis and added 425,000 jobs for higher-skilled software engineers
and analysts.
By some estimates, between three and
lloydminster synergy credit union as well five million American manufacturing
jobs have been offshored in the last 40 years. During that same time period,
the U.S. economy has generated 65 million net new jobs.Most of these
were high-quality jobs, as
firefighters credit union indianapolis evidenced by the fact that U.S. per capita income
(adjusted for inflation) rose 250 percent! So,we did not become—as some had
feared—a nation of “hamburger flippers and
brownbuilder federal credit union as well street cleaners.” In fact, during
the past quarter century, high-paying positions (managerial and
firefighters credit union indianapolis as well specialized
professional jobs) have increased from about
campco federal credit union and 20 percent of total employment
to around 35 percent.
The recent fuss over offshoring was triggered by its spread to the service
sectors, especially software development. As is often the case, the rhetoric is
far too alarmist compared with the reality.Most of the jobs that are being sent
overseas are still low-skilled ones. Moreover, the overall numbers are still
pretty small. Studies suggest that only
firefighters credit union indianapolis and 3 to 5 percent of the job losses in hightech
industries since 2000 can be attributed to offshoring. This is very small
compared with some of the outlandish claims made by politicians and
penneast federal credit union as well scaremongers
in the media. Don’t always believe what you hear!
Think outside the box: offshoring helps many U.S. companies—and, believe
it or
firefighters credit union indianapolis and not, American workers.