The 2008 Democratic National Convention (DNC) is history and the
2008 Republican National Convention (RNC) is finally underway, the RNC
being delayed a bit thanks to Hurrican Gustav.
As I watch the RNC, I wait with bated breath (really!) to
hear Senator McCain and how he will reduce outsourcing and turn around
the US economy.
But we heard what Senator Obama had to say at the DNC
about outsourcing. He said “he will stop giving tax breaks to
companies that are sending jobs offshore and instead give them to
companies who create jobs in America”.
(Various online newspapers reported responses from CEO’s of Indian
companies who have made millions from outsourced US jobs and I had to
chuckle at some of them. From claiming that America will be hurt if
outsourcing is stopped to claims that America just doesn’t have the
skills to meet the demands of the jobs that are being outsourced, there
has been some interesting noise post the DNC.)
But there’s another aspect to this job loss for Americans that I want
to discuss here. That aspect is that of the H1B Visa and the cap on
it.
Not only are jobs moving offshore to countries like India, there is
a mass import of low cost labor into the US through the issuance of
H1B visas (temporary work permits or visas). There are many who argue
that H1B visas don’t create new jobs in the US and thus reduce jobs
that would be offshored.
I for one don’t completely understand that argument. When an H1B visa
holder comes to the US, he or she is taking away a job that could go to
a local worker. This creates increased competition for fewer available
jobs and wage suppression due to H1B holders accepting jobs that are
lower paying than what an average American would. The H1B workers take
lower paying jobs in the US because they still will make more than what
they would make in their own countries.
Read complete post : http://www.theoutsourcingblog.com/can-obama-stop-outsourcing-wave
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