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Originally Posted by Joe Faux
Should we be concerned about the loss of jobs?
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Yes and no. Losses of jobs can wreak havoc in local economies and on Wall Street. Some areas are largely dependent on large firms and companies that employ thousands of their local populace. A mass layoff can all but devastate a local economy. On the other hand, there are other jobs out there and many of them pay decently. However, they're usually a far cry from what people have been doing. Plumbers and electricians, for example. When's the last time you heard of a waterworks firm sending their plumbing positions offshore? The layoffs can set back people and communities, but how far back depends on the individuals' situations.
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Originally Posted by Joe Faux
Does this free up people to pursue even more education and technically challenging fields?
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Sure, if they can afford to pay for it without a job. Folks should be constantly educating themselves anyway, especially if they work in a technical field. Mix two or more aspects of the same career line. Give them more reason to keep you once they have you. [/quote]
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Originally Posted by Joe Faux
Is this the natural course of events as “globalization” takes effect?
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It's not going to stop anytime soon, if that's what you mean.
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Originally Posted by Joe Faux
Will these fields eventually become too saturated with lower-paid workers to make it a worthwhile career track?
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I really couldn't say because I don't know the world of the wireless communication worker well enough. But I'd figure one could still make a decent career out of it, provided they stay one step ahead of everything. For example, there will still be a need for technicians here in the US for the things that people overseas can't do. A person in India can't make physical repairs here if a board shorts or if a hurricane damages a dish. So if one aspect of a job is threatened, get a leg up on another aspect of the same job and get there early, so you won't be one of hundreds coming in at the last minute. Smoother transition that way.
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Originally Posted by Joe Faux
Should the government force companies to stop or limit offshoring?
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I don't know if they could really get companies to stop, but I do think they could get companies to limit their offshoring. I think there should be limits on it, as the loss of these jobs takes away from the prosperity of this country. Someone laid off from a goodpaying technical job could fairly easily find a job at a retail store, but that would be a dramatic cut in pay and could completely throw off this person's financial situation. They may not make enough to cover the standard expenses. They may have to move to a smaller house or apartment and sell the car for a used/cheaper one just to pay off debt or make ends meet. Prosperity in this country is generally measured by what you can afford and if people are forced to be able to afford less and less, then we become less prosperous. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if companies offered options for other positions or if other companies in the same field did reachouts for the skilled people who are losing their jobs.
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Originally Posted by Joe Faux
Should I do what I can to help a third world country out?
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Do what you feel is right, but being forced out of a job shouldn't be part of it. If you feel helping out people in a third world country is worth your job, you should have the option to quit and open up your job to someone else, not be outsourced.