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Outsourcing Jobs to Foreign Countries

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Outsourcing jobs to Foreign Countries
Cedric Jones
Axia College
IT 105
Skills for Learning in an Information Age
Rebecca Baiges
February 18, 2007

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Outsourcing American Jobs to Foreign Countries hurts the American Workplace due to the shortage of jobs. Have you every felt like in today’s job market having just a high school diploma wasn’t sufficient enough when it came to competing in today’s job market? Now, high school graduates have to really think hard and way every option before making that life changing and final decision before graduating. Do I pursue a college degree or do I take a chance and enter the work force. That kid that really had it rough in high school and all he or she was trying to do is graduate and receive their diploma and take a break from school, now is faced with another challenge. Do they have enough skills to compete in today’s job market. It’s really sad to say, that in today’s job market you see more people with college degrees applying for jobs at Target, Sears, Wal-Mart, Kmart, and even J.C. Penny. It’s really sad to say that you see more people with college degrees flipping burgers and dipping fries at McDonald and Burger King. You would think with all that money that was spent to acquire a degree, you could have it your own way. You would think with a college degree you could set your own course, but those days have come and gone.

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Have you ever picked up the newspaper and evaluated the Help wanted section and asked yourself the big question, where have all the jobs gone? I know in the city that I live in, the Help wanted section has gotten smaller in the last 20 years since I’ve entered the workplace. It was a time when the Help wanted section was booming with a variety of jobs. It was a time where fast food restaurants and department stores where taking up majority of the Help wanted section. Unlike today, those jobs have no need to advertise in the Help wanted section. Jobs that where so accessible to come by, such as manufacturing jobs and custom service jobs are being outsourced to foreign countries at a rapid rate. A lot of the major companies are sending jobs out of the country left and right, claiming that the reason is to keep prices of the products that we purchase down. I beg to differ. Have you ever wonder where those expensive athletic shoes that you purchased for your child is being manufactured at? And have you ever wondered where that matching shirt and jeans that he so desperately needed to match the shoes where being manufactured at. . 4
I want to let you know that those expensive shoes and jeans aren’t made in the USA. Just take the time and look at the label and you would see where they are being manufactured at. It’s really sad the way big business is killing us with the high prices, as well, killing and taking advantage of that underage, underpaid employee over in some foreign country in order to fill their pockets and claim they are just trying to compete. My question is compete with who? I’m having it really hard trying to figure out why we are letting them continue to get away with sending jobs to foreign countries to be manufactured and in return send the product back to be sold in the USA and state they are trying to compete. The real reason is because of cheap labor. I feel with the big political argument that we are having about minimum wages and the constant complaint about the shortage of jobs that someone would do something about outsourcing. It’s sad how a lot of people are working two jobs because one job isn’t enough to pay for those expensive athletic shoes, or those designer jeans that are being manufactured outside of the USA. I think we need to take a stand and stop buying those products that are being manufactured outside of the USA. 5
I was glad to hear in the last presidential election that Outsourcing was one of the topic of debates. Finally someone is trying to deal with this overdue problem. This problem has been going on since the early 80’s. My question would be why wait so late to discuss this issue. Why wait so late to put this topic on your agenda. The reason I feel that it’s a big topic is because some big people are finally filling the effect of outsourcing. A lot of people are writing there congressman and senators complaining about the lack of jobs due to outsourcing. A lot of voters are looking to the politicians to help with this major problem. So our elective officials are beginning to take the citizens serious, especially what happen in the last election with the Democrats taking over. A message was sent that we need a change. A lot of people who where approaching retirement, to come to work one morning to find out that the company is closing was heart breaking. To make matter worst, you found out that your job was being transferred overseas was unbelievable. Could you imagine how those employees felt that asked their boss the reason why the company closed only to receive a watered down answer. 6
Now that person who invested 20 plus years into this company and was expecting to retire, now have to re-enter the workforce and compete. That’s a big challenge. So what do they do, instead of trying to find a job equivalent to the job that they once had, they turn to something lesser to survive and take care of there family. This is a problem that is happening all around the world. Not just in the small city, but it is happening in some of our big city also. In Columbus, Ohio, for example Buckeye Steel company closed it doors on the people that was once making 15 dollars an hour working a manufacturing job. In St. Louis, Missouri, A big shoe manufacturing company closed its doors on 500 people that manufactured boots. They closed the doors on the people stating that the company was heading in a new direction. At least they where telling the truth. The company was heading in a new direction, overseas to outsourcing. Something we take for granted every time we pick up the phone to make a call to our credit card companies, car rental companies, or to order something out of a catalogue. Have you ever wonder why there is a foreigner on the other end. It’s not by accident either, it’s because of outsourcing. 7
Those jobs that was once handle in the USA is now being handled overseas. Not only is it sickening to see all of our jobs being outsourced, but it’s even frustrating for me when the person on the other end can barely speak English, but he or she is selling a American product. Due to the advancement of technology, it’s so easy to transfer all of there calls overseas to a call center in some small building. Jane Sneddon Little, stated in a Article from Regional review that between 2001 and 2003, 143 million U.S. workers were separated from their jobs, 56 million due to involuntary layoffs and discharges, plus 87 million due to quits. She maid a bold statement that she believed that a lot of those jobs where really due to outsourcing. If we don’t do something about this major problem, I feel that we are going to lose many more jobs to outsourcing. The problem is not going to get better it’s going to get worst, especially when big business is profiting from it, and our government is giving incentive to company that ship jobs overseas. That’s the problem, we need to get angry with our government not with that foreign worker. They are trying to take care of their families just like we are trying to support ours. 8
It was once said that if you want to keep getting what you have been getting in the past, you keep on doing what you have been doing. But if you want to experience change you have to change. That’s what we need to do, we need to change our trade policies, especially NAFTA, that have been in effect for 10 years. If you ask me, every since they introduced NAFTA we have been loosing jobs at a rapid past. There is nothing wrong with admitting that you made a mistake, but our government is not admitting that there is nothing wrong. Just like we showed them in this past election by not focusing on any particular party, but focusing on the problem and letting them know with our voice and our vote that we aren’t going to accept this any more, we need to do the same thing with outsourcing. Just remember they have their jobs, they don’t have to compete in this cruel job market. Lest sound our voices and make things better, not just for one particular race or political group, but for everyone that want to work a decent paying job to support their families. With the war in Iraq and all the noise about supporting our troops, it’s really sad to say that those same hypocritical politicians that are all for our troops while they are serving in their war, are the same politicians that are going to turn their back on our veterans when they return back to the workforce. Turn their back and send their jobs overseas. Let support American made products.

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