It's not about replacing cheap manufacturing workers anymore, it's about replacing expensive workers and workers that couldn't be outsourced before. From truck drivers to radiologists, and even computer programmers themselves.
Actually we are still killing off manufacturing jobs in the USA and sending them to cheap labor markets, but you are quite right, the next phase will extend the mix of labor activities that are being outsourced. Want to see a doctor or get an expensive procedure -- hop a plane for India. Programmers have been hit by both outsourcing to India and China as well as importing workers via the H1 visa program.
There are supposed to be controls to prevent the abuse of this H1 program, but whom ever is minding those controls sure thinks whatever business wants must be legit. We've had similar programs to bring in highly skilled workers for a long time and for much of that time the bulk of the workers came from places like England, Poland, Germany and the rest of western Europe as well as Japan and a smattering of other places. It can only be a coincidence that the overwhelming majority of H1 visas these days are going to two locations: India and China.
Obviously the rest of western Europe have been converted into places with only stupid people so in order to get smart people the companies need to go to India and China. I assure you that the fact the the wage expectations of skilled workers from India and China are at the low end of the spectrum have no bearing on the companies desire they come from those locations.
Trump gets a bunch of H1 visas to staff his Mar-a-Lago resort -- apparently he staffs his resort with scientists and engineers.
Brian
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