In his column, Rob Preston raises red herrings when discussing offshore outsourcing and H-1B visas (cheap labor).
Preston opines, "For one reason or another, the children of American computer scientists, mathematicians and engineers are choosing other careers." Can anyone really blame them? What bright prospect do students see in an industry that's being devastated by cheap labor from Third World nations with which they cannot compete? The economic ramifications are staggering and will eventually erode our nation's status as a world superpower.
The IT positions being lost are the higher-paying knowledge jobs that many former manufacturing workers had trained for after getting laid off as a result of NAFTA. Perhaps we could complete if our standard of living were on a par with that of Third World countries. My fear is that eventually it will be.
The issue of whether the United States is graduating sufficient math, science and engineering students from universities might be a valid concern for the future (15 to 20 years out), but it definitely doesn't apply to the current scenario. In fact, the cheap-labor policies are actually creating a self-fulfilling prophecy by discouraging enrollment in the technology field.
The unemployment rate among U.S. IT workers is nearly 9 percent. Many are degreed with decades of experience, yet can't find work in the United States. Education or experience is not an issue at present. Rather than fill jobs with qualified Americans, corporations are using the thousands of "purple squirrel" postings that flood the job boards to justify their claim that more cheap foreign labor is needed.
Last year, student enrollment in engineering programs was down 25 percent at Carnegie Mellon and as much as 40 percent at other U.S. universities. This is the direct effect of declining wages and opportunity. Who would even think of incurring $100,000 in student-loan debt for a low-wage job in technology? If students are smart, they'll go into fields like law or political science to grab more lucrative jobs.
Preston writes that U.S. tech employers "want access to a wider, deeper pool of highly motivated talent-and they're prepared to head offshore if their choices are limited in the States." This is fine. Let the offshoring corporations look for labor (and customers!) overseas in Third World nations, which often don't open their own markets to American products. U.S. consumers can show their displeasure by shunning the products and services of businesses that outsource American jobs offshore. After all, we live in a world of "free trade." The void left behind in the United States will be filled by some entrepreneurial small business that will hire American workers.
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