This is regarding columnist Steve Chapman’s “Outsourcing and trade are no threat to jobs,” on the Tribune’s Feb. 19 Commentary page.
Chapman, who I believe is a very good columnist, comments that outsourcing professional, technical and non-technical jobs to foreign countries has no real net effect on job creation and/or economic growth.
While this may indeed be true and the shareholders may love these moves, real people are hurt by this practice.
The four reasons stated below outline and help explain my position:
– Corporate savings from these moves do not result in lower prices for consumers, just more profit for corporations.
– Most individuals who must change careers as a result of outsourcing earn much less than previously earned.
– Disruption in a worker’s career is one of the most stressful changes in life, even if the worker ends up with a new position that is of equal pay.
– It is the government’s responsibility to protect its citizens from this practice. I fault our national leaders for not having an adequate long-term economic plan that protects the workers here. You don’t see this happening on a large scale in Western Europe or Japan.
