Outsourcing: what do you think?

[tfcmasta97]

Seems like this topic has recieved a lot of press lately, or atleast I have noticed it a lot more than before.

What do people think about it?

 

[polm]

is "inevitable" a choice ?

 

[Miramonti]

Its good for the economy. If companies make more money, they will invest more into other (or the same) areas of the business and our economy, and also compete better domestically and internationally. The labor force must adapt.

Capitalism was never about security, but about $$, innovation, and competition. While jobs is of course a byproduct, it isn't a priority concern of businesses like may be in socialist economies.

 

[ntdz]

yeah, its inevitable, it's neither good or bad in my opinion. There are pluses and minuses to it, and it's obviously bad that people lose their job, but other jobs will be made in their place when the company profits more.

 

[PatboyX]

like most americans, indifferent until it effects me.

 

[irwincur]

As long as the profits flow back here, great. And they do. That is why it works.

Now it hurts the HS dropout who counted on having a $30/hr union job picking his ass. But, it helps the guy who worked through college to get a decent job as R&D, services, and leadership will be based here. The fact is, evolve or die. If you are not willing to do the necessary work, I DO NOT feel bad for you. Work is not a right, it is somthing that you need to try to get. Unions have put this stupid idea into peoples heads that they can be lazy yet still make loads of money.

Do I care? No, because it is the fault of Unions for pricing themselves out of the labor market. Now all of their drones are crying because they were duped by their leaders and their corrupt liberal politcal allies. The cycle will repeat in all of the new markets. Within 50 years, the world will be much more difficult for industry.

 

[Stunt]

You are comparing apples and oranges...
you can't blame unions for causing outsourcing...it is american companies lobbying for free trade and the ability to outsource.

It is simple math. Why pay someone $240 a day here when they can be bought for $5 a day in china.
Lets say the unions didnt step in...maybe $160 a day...you are never going to beat the $5 no matter how you cut it.

Not the unions causing this...it is american companies and poor nations giving massive tax breaks and credits to start business there.

 

[tallest1]

*pulls out lawnchair, dons flame-protective jacket*

 

[DragonMasterAlex]

Originally posted by: tfcmasta97
Seems like this topic has recieved a lot of press lately, or atleast I have noticed it a lot more than before.

What do people think about it?

As with all things, good in moderation, bad in excess. Whatever else one might say, it *isn't* a black and white, cut and dry issue.

Jason

 

[DragonMasterAlex]

Originally posted by: irwincur
As long as the profits flow back here, great. And they do. That is why it works.

Now it hurts the HS dropout who counted on having a $30/hr union job picking his ass. But, it helps the guy who worked through college to get a decent job as R&D, services, and leadership will be based here. The fact is, evolve or die. If you are not willing to do the necessary work, I DO NOT feel bad for you. Work is not a right, it is somthing that you need to try to get. Unions have put this stupid idea into peoples heads that they can be lazy yet still make loads of money.

Do I care? No, because it is the fault of Unions for pricing themselves out of the labor market. Now all of their drones are crying because they were duped by their leaders and their corrupt liberal politcal allies. The cycle will repeat in all of the new markets. Within 50 years, the world will be much more difficult for industry.

I think I love you, man...but I just don't have the time to stand here with y'all and argue this pointless issue

Have fun though!

Jason

 

[Stunt]

As not to turn this into a debate over american unions...i will address the OP:
Outsourcing is a good thing. Trade makes everyone better off.

Personally i feel spoiled living in the standards that canada and the US enjoy. I did not choose to live in this lifestyle or country. I am greatful i am, but i'd like to see the wealth dispersed to other nations and allow people better opportunities and living conditions.

As we outsource, we are creating infrastructure for these nations...look at SK and Taiwan...China, India will be similar in our lifetimes. Then they can outsource, it has been human nature to outsource (colinies, slavery, etc), we want things cheaper...companies will do whatever it takes to get the price lower.

Through outsourcing, we can devote funds to other areas of research and begin new projects which can better mankind. By having citizens invest in increased labour cost, they are only hurting themselves.

Now, there is one problem with this approach, and that is the US has few resources. Can it sustain itself with little manufacturing and extraction. In my opinion yes, with good education systems and good government incentives in R&D. Both questionable if the US can do this over the long term. Canada on the other hand has a lot of resources to fall back on and doesnt really need assembly manufacturing (conditons are ideal for production manufacturing, like making alloyed steels - lots of electricity needed, we have electricity and the ore).

So...outsourcing all comes down to an economy based on services, knowledge and R&D...if you can't accept that...you are against outsourcing, if you can see this...you are NOT against outsourcing.

If ppl really cared, they'd look at the tags.

 

[Whitecloak]

Helps India.

 

[Engineer]

Sucks to see US jobs lost to it.

Sucks more to see US government spending taxpayer money to foreign companies especially for homeland security stuff.

Sucks the most if I lose my job to it (a good possibility)

 

[wchou]

Its too bad that we aren't getting anything for free still. Outsourcing is nothing more then 3rd world country exploitation in the name of higher profits. We no longer bitch about low pay because 3rd world employee gets paid next to nothing or not even at all. Promising to cloth them and feem them is all that they ask for. Its like an experiment in the name of competition. Its like, do you want to work for us for less? If not, we're moving our arse out of this country and let ya all rot and die slowly with nothing to do except sleep, bitch, moan and little to eat.

Americans with no job = poverty, with any low paying job = prosperity?

3rd world country will soon have a higher standard of living then us because lazy sheeps in America deserves to be poorer? That is their philosophy, who ever works for them get most of the benefits. Why feed someone who does nothing but sit back and eat, get really fat and become a burden on society?

We are in deep trouble the more junk we buy from them the more we screw ourselves! let's put them out of business by not buying anything unnecessary. They are sucking us dry from our limited budget saved from previous employment. We can't spend what we don't have, that's what they are trying to do to us so that we will be overbroke and homeless, and to deprive us of any well paying jobs that now pays little if at all since their are mostly crappy job with crappy pay.

 

[TravisT]

It is very bad for our job market. I hope we find a way soon to give employers benefits that make it worthwhile to stay here. Either by taxing imported things so that "American made" can sell much cheaper, or some other method.

 

[rudder]

Originally posted by: ntdz
yeah, its inevitable, it's neither good or bad in my opinion. There are pluses and minuses to it, and it's obviously bad that people lose their job, but other jobs will be made in their place when the company profits more.

But what kinds of jobs will be made? Low tech service jobs? I think that is the biggest downside. There is so much outsourcing of software development that you would think that someone getting a degree in CS would be crazy. In the long run will that mean fewer U.S. graduates in CS and thusly less available national talent?

 

[joshw10]

Originally posted by: ntdz
yeah, its inevitable, it's neither good or bad in my opinion. There are pluses and minuses to it, and it's obviously bad that people lose their job, but other jobs will be made in their place when the company profits more.

I'm concerned with these added profits being used to increase the multi-million dollar salaries of the company executives instead of creating new lower level positions.

 

[tfcmasta97]

Does it really help the countries the jobs are moving into? Wouldnt this keep their wages down, and not allow them to move forward?

 

[ntdz]

Originally posted by: rudder

Originally posted by: ntdz
yeah, its inevitable, it's neither good or bad in my opinion. There are pluses and minuses to it, and it's obviously bad that people lose their job, but other jobs will be made in their place when the company profits more.

But what kinds of jobs will be made? Low tech service jobs? I think that is the biggest downside. There is so much outsourcing of software development that you would think that someone getting a degree in CS would be crazy. In the long run will that mean fewer U.S. graduates in CS and thusly less available national talent?

We really don't know what kind of jobs are made, I think there needs to be a study on it. I would hope they are equal or better, but who knows if they are or are not.

 

[Stunt]

Originally posted by: tfcmasta97
Does it really help the countries the jobs are moving into? Wouldnt this keep their wages down, and not allow them to move forward?

Actually they are quite happy to bring these companies in....they actually compete on tax breaks.
Even though the pay is low, what alternatives are there.

Sure they could be making things for themselves...but they do not have the money to buy the stuff they make. It is a natural progression...

for example. Say instead of making t-shirts for americans (low paying job), the chinese decide to make cars for chinese (better paying job)...who is going to buy the cars if nobody can afford it.

So first they make all the small things for americans...then the wages paid by americans will stimulate their own economy such that they can make things for themselves. The funny thing is...the chinese will not buy their things from americans, they will make their stuff and american's stuff.

win-win for them.

 

[rickn]

outsourcing currently seems bad, but like most things, everything comes full circle.

 

[ajf3]

The eventual, inevitable outcome of outsourcing and cheap global interconnectivity is that 1st world nations and 3rd world nations will normalize to something around a ~2.5 world standard.

Good for big multinational conglomorates (to a certain extent - until they start losing their 1st world customers with their current buying power), good for 3rd world peoples. bad for 1st world nations and their workforce.

Right now it's tech jobs (research, engineering, software, etc) and phone customer service... to a lesser degree you're already seeing it in financial, accounting, legal, and medical.

You don't really need to be "here" to perform most white collar functions.... and we'll need a lot less of the blue collar jobs that do need to be "here" since the white collars that spend the money won't have much to spend eventually.

I don't see a solution, or a way to prevent this from happening. However, I think the peeps who spout out retrain! re-educate! are very short sighted. When the US market will only bear 50% or less of the current number of white collar jobs that we have now, what would you suggest as a good field to retrain in?

 

[Drift3r]

Sounds like redistribution of wealth to me.