So, Dr. Alan Blinder, an eminent American economist, Princeton professor and ardent freetrader for decades, is quoted on the front page of the Wall Street Journal as questioning the long-term effects of knowledge worker job foreign outsourcing on the US economy.
He estimates 40 million US jobs will be outsourced, causing long-term economic problems.
I don’t think the 400,000 (more) computer jobs to be given away caught his attention – but the economist and accountant jobs on the “hit list” finally struck a chord.
Alan: you may be a little slow, but you’re headed in the right direction. Now take a look at this link and try to find a mention of an American computer equipment manufacturer. Good luck. That’s the future for IT if we continue in the current outsourcing direction.
What can you do as an economist?
Next time an administration asks for economic policy advice:
- recommend that state and federal branches “Hire American”
- ensure that US college science education and DARPA are adequately funded
- abolish the H1B and L1B programs, which distort IT salaries in this country. H1B’s aren’t any better than local job candidates, in my experience, just cheaper and more compliant. If more engineers are needed, make them citizens. (But I bet employers wouldn’t like offering market wages.)
- create incentive for employers to train employees, such as conferences and classes. As a professor, you’d be appalled at the lack of continuing education in most jobs, especially IT and software development.
The US is not short of computer science, math and science graduates. It is short on grads who will work for peanuts because of outsourcing-related salary capping, or in dead-end careers.
IT outsourcing is less efficient and less accountable in the short term, and more expensive in the long-term. Plus we are just training our future competitors.
Dobbs: We’re on a ‘fast track’ to bad trade policy
AP: India high-tech industry out of workers
YouTube: PERM Fake Job Ads defraud Americans to secure green cards
USAToday.com: Law enforcement struggles to combat Chinese spying
cnet.com: Allow more green cards for foreign techies, Congress told