| There are a lot of misconceptions that surround jobs | | | | expected salary for such jobs, which offshore |
| being outsourced from American firms and whether or | | | | workers, in contrast, gladly accept. |
| not it's good or bad for their national cause. President | | | | The exclusion from the $5000 in tax breaks offered to |
| Obama, shouldering the daunting task of leading his | | | | American firms that keep from outsourcing and |
| nation out of the worst economic crisis since the Great | | | | offshoring is a small price to pay for major American |
| Depression, has decided to provide American firms | | | | firms such as Microsoft, who employ as much as |
| with incentives to limit outsourcing and offshoring | | | | 150,000 workers abroad. The reality that the reason |
| operations. | | | | these firms outsource high-end jobs not just for |
| Stop outsourcing jobs to Third World countries and | | | | cost-efficiency, but for quality performance and global |
| give them to Americans who need them instead; | | | | competitiveness, may be a hard pill to swallow for |
| sounds like a reasonable enough plan doesn't it? A | | | | Americans. The boost in BPO revenue in Third World |
| closer look at the facts, however, and Obama himself | | | | countries such as the Philippines is due to a shift |
| will admit that his plan is not in his nation's best interest. | | | | towards outsourcing more highly specialized jobs in an |
| The question of outsourcing and offshoring being good | | | | increasingly wide array of disciplines; otherwise known |
| or bad for American firms is something few can | | | | as Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO). |
| afford to ponder amidst their fight for survival. | | | | Loss of jobs due to outsourcing and offshoring |
| For many American firms under the credit crunch, if | | | | represents less than 1% of all American jobs lost per |
| the question is whether or not outsourcing and | | | | quarter. Practicality needs to be put ahead of any sort |
| offshoring will help them stay afloat, the answer is a | | | | of false sense of patriotism and, worse still, |
| resounding "yes". The only difference the recession | | | | discrimination towards fellow workforces in today's |
| has made to many of America's leading firms is that | | | | globalized economy. The success and rapid |
| outsourcing to highly skilled professionals at a low cost | | | | development of the BPO industry, regardless of it |
| is now more of a necessity than a luxury. Moreover, | | | | being good or bad for American firms, is a clear |
| the US simply does not have enough qualified | | | | indication that offshore workers can hack it just as |
| graduates in major BPO sectors such as IT to fill the | | | | well, if not better. |
| void; fewer still would agree to a fraction of the | | | | |