House of Paine

stig it to em #23

 stig on out sourcing 


  better watch out 

mistah colleged up  geek 

hear dem dark foot steps?

==================


 the time for America 
to worry is now.

 Many of globalization's advocates
 continue to claim
 that the number of jobs
 outsourced is relatively small
. There is controversy
, of course, 
about the eventual size, 
with some claiming 
that as many as one job in two 
might eventually be outsourced,

 others contending 
that the potential
 is much more limited. 

Haircuts, like a host of other activities
 requiring detailed local knowledge
 cannot be outsourced.

But even if 
the eventual numbers are limited,
 there can be 
dramatic effects on workers 
and the distribution of income. 
Growth will be enhanced,
 but workers may be worse off
 - and not just those
 who lose their jobs.

 This has, indeed, already happened 
in some developed countries

: in the ten years
 that have passed
 since the signing
 of the North American
 Free Trade Agreement,
 average real wages
 in the US
 have actually declined.  

 America's highly trained
 engineers and computer specialists 
are unable to withstand 
the onslaught of outsourcing,
 what about those who are even less trained?
 Yes, America may be able to maintain 
a competitive advantage at the very top, 
the breakthrough research,
 the invention of the next laser.
 But a majority 
of even highly training engineers and scientists
 are involved in what is called 
"ordinary science,"
 the important, day-to-day improvements
 in technology 
that are the basis
 of long-term increases in productivity 
- and it is not clear
 that America has 
a long-term competitive advantage here.