Outsourcing

[quickesst]

Is it good or bad? Who does it help? Who does it hurt? I would appreciate perhaps a one or two word answer to these three questions. Little thing I'm trying to figure out, and your answers would help. Thanks.
quickesst

[MSgt213]

1. Outsourcing can mean more then one thing. Which do you mean.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

2. It helps: Owners of companies who decrease their expenses by hiring

cheaper labor overseas.

It hurts: Americans who used to do those jobs, at a wage consistent with American standard of living, but lost their job due to it being outsourced.


If you are an 56 year old assembly line autoworker who lost their GM job because GM decided it would be cheaper to build their car in a plant in China, with Chinese workers, I don't know how this could be considered a good thing for that individual EVEN IF the outsourcing "allowed GM to stay in business" rather than simply maximize profits. It hurts the laid off worker with the outsourced job, period.

[mcscajun]

3. Do you mean outsourcing or offshoring?

Outsourcing is nothing terribly new and may still keep jobs in a region or country. Displaced workers may find work with the company doing the outsourced tasks.

Offshoring is outsourcing done internationally, and you can't easily follow the work, if indeed you would be allowed to do so, or considered for it. It's a great way to displace older, higher paid employees, with willing, younger, cheaper labor. :sarcasm:

One or two word answers aren't easy to come by when you're talking about complex issues, and you haven't defined your terms.

You can expect lots of answers here, including a call for you to Google and Wiki your questions.

I've seen outsourcing as a big management mistake and a pain in the ass, but I, like many others, have had my financial ass handed to me by offshoring. I'm not one to ask for positive things to be said about it.

[Hoping4Change]

4. Helps business. Hurts workers. Business gets to fire its

workers and hire cheaper labour.

[quickesst]

6. thanks,,

I should have been clearer. I suppose I'm talking about off-shoring. The kind that displaces, say, a computer programmer, and replaces him thousands of miles away with, say, an Indian programmer working for a lot less. Also, take into consideration you're talking to a barely high-school educated construction worker. I mask my ignorance by claiming to be a "big-picture" type.B-) Thanks.
quickesst

[area51]

5. Bad for Americans

I assume you mean offshoring. If you like higher taxes to compensate for fewer people in America having jobs (thus fewer people paying taxes), you'll love offshoring.

[FloridaPat]

7. I've been out of work most of the last 3 years because of

outsourcing computer programming jobs overseas. The few jobs I've had between 25-75% of the people are foreignors who are bringing down the salaries. Admittedly the salaries were great. But now there are few jobs.

[RagAss]

8. I'm a programmer as well. Twenty years in the field.

They are just starting the offshoring of our jobs at work and it's just a matter of time before the shoe drops on me. The first sign of the decision to offshore is to ask the analysts and programers to begin documenting the processes that you maintain. This documentation will serve as a manual for the Indian who is taking your life from you. If you are asked to do this be very sure to be "accurate" and "detailed" in your documentation.....peace

[union_maid]

10. Good for corporations, death for American middle class

My husband's job of twenty years was sent to India. He knew it was coming, kept his skills fresh, but by the time the axe fell fresh skills didn't matter. What mattered was IT labor had become a buyer's market. He did get a new job. For just a bit over half what he was making. We hope it lasts a long time, because those retirement savings we're now being blamed for not having are mostly gone. We were prepared, now we're told that we're idiots for not having a nest egg. You really can't win anymore.

[brentspeak]

9. If it means Americans lose jobs, then it's EXTREMELY bad

Bad for the person who lost his/her job, bad for that person's family, bad for the nation.

[Deja Q]

11. And good for the countries we're offshoring to.

Pity a lot of them don't like us...

[OneBlueSky]

12. as long as we are ruled by entities (corporations) that . . .

exist solely to make a profit, our problems will never be solved . . .

[rman]

13. Good for big corporations, bad for workers

The whole point of outsourcing is for (big) corporations to make more profits by reducing labor costs. They already have done everything else to increase "efficiency" - and not to increase the value of the corporation, not to make ever more profits, is seen as bad business performance.

The lower the wages, the fewer the benefits etc, the better it is for corporations. Needles to say it is to the disadvantage of those who depend for their survival on wages and benefits.

What's "good for the economy" is not necessary good for people - contrary to what the Right Wing, neo-liberals and neo-libertarians would have us believe.

[quickesst]

14. Time to fess up....

I posted this thread to get a feel and comparison on two topics. I'm sitting at home on unemployed workers benifits. The prospects for a job coming up for my company is not looking real good.(been off for over a month)Now, the reason there is no work is in great part due to illegal immigrants working for the contractors for less, saving them money, and putting me, an American citizen, on the sidelines.(fact) Now, the question. If someone loses their job, and the person who takes it is poor, lives in a poor country, works for far less money, and just trying to make a better life for their families, it's everyone's fault except the person who lost the job, but if I lose my job under the same circumstances, and speak out about it, I'm a racist. The only difference is outsourced jobs leave the country and go to poor people. In my world, the poor people are coming to the jobs. Why am I a racist, and the guy who lost his job to say, an Indian, is not. Sorry for the mild deception, but I didn't think I would get the answers I did if the reason were present in your mind. I'm just sitting here trying to figure out exactly what I have done to be tagged, yes tagged, as a racist when I'm out of a job, and that job is being done by someone who is in the country illegally. At least outsourced jobs are taken legally. Now you can flame me for being a masoud agent.(or a racist if you are so inclined) "By deception shall I do threads".:evilfrown: Before you answer, and I realize it may be a stretch, put yourself in a blue-collar's shoes. Thanks.
quickesst

on edit: Not trying to be an ass, but with your comments, maybe I can figure out if I'm wrong, and that my job and livelihood is a small price to pay to give a non-citizen a chance for a better life.

[rman]

15. It is a matter of framing the topic;

As long as the discussion is limited to how immigrants and foreign workers hurt US/western workers, there is an opportunity for your opponents to say you are being racist.

A better alternative to outsourcing of jobs to cheap labour countries and insourcing of cheap labor, is to globalize Workers' Rights (Living Wage etc) - instead of globalizing the rights of corporations to exploit labor everywhere.

Basically it is the self-serving policies being pushed by big corporations that hurt workers everywhere.

[brentspeak]

16. I totally agree with you

"Insourcing" due to an unlimited supply of immigrants -- made legal immigrants just through a stroke of a pen -- will kill the U.S. just as much as outsourcing will.