Is Outsourcing Jobs Good for America

Is Outsourcing Jobs Good for America

American workers, at all levels, are the objects of a two-front attack. On one front their
jobs are being outsourced to foreign countries where pay scales are very low, and, on the other
front, people are being brought here from low-pay countries to do their work for less money as
explained   in the essay titled “Let Someone Else Do It, The Impulse Behind Everything” by
Cullen Murphy.
High end jobs, particularly those of programmers and engineers are being contracted out
by US companies to companies in other countries, such as India and China, with much lower
pay scales. The second front is also a factor, as people are being imported under special
temporary visa programs, mainly H-1B visas, to work harder for less pay. "The reality is that too
many H-1B visas are being used to facilitate the outsourcing of American to other countries”
(workpermit.com). I agree with Murphy that outsourcing is not going away but should be limited
and governed to protect American jobs.
The H-1B visa program was launched in 1990 to allow foreign scientists, engineers and
technologists to be employed for up to six years in the U.S., at the end of which they must obtain
permanent residency or return home. But this program is spinning out of control. According to
an article written by Workpermit.com, in 2006, the entire quota of regular United States H-1B
awarded to individuals, primarily from India, evaporated in one day. Petitions for the 65,000
standard H-1B's exceeded the available quota by more than a 2:1 ratio.

In addition, many US companies are establishing satellite operations abroad to do
manufacturing, design, and research. The two fronts neatly complement one another. People are
often brought here under the H-1B programs to acquire special expertise, and then returned to
their home countries to work on outsourced projects, thus stealing the knowhow that US
companies and Research Institutes strive...