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Sunday, April 20, 2008
Job outsourcing good or bad from a biblical perspective?
KDF suggested last week that we chat today about how the “U.S. continues to “outsource” jobs, benefiting no one in this country”. KDF quoted Jesus when he said to “pay unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, pay unto God which is his.” And then said: “it seems as though our Caesar now lives overseas”.
But does “outsourcing” really hurt America? Read a portion of an article from the National Center for Policy Analysis: “Contrary to popular belief, abundant evidence shows that American consumers, workers and businesses are benefiting from outsourcing”. Increase in Product Availability. An Institute for International Economics study by Catherine Mann notes that globalization of computer hardware manufacturing led to a 10 to 30 percent decline in prices, making such equipment more affordable and leading to a far greater increase in jobs in the long run. Stronger U.S. Job Demand. Mann believes globalization of Information Technology (IT) services “will yield even stronger job demand in the United States for workers with IT proficiency and skills.” Indeed, she notes that overall employment in job classifications most affected by IT service outsourcing is rising, not falling. Competitive Gains for Small Businesses. Researchers have also found that small firms and new startups gain more from outsourcing than large corporations. The latter have managerial structures that hinder their ability to take full advantage of outsourcing’s benefits. Smaller and younger companies can easily organize themselves to utilize outsourcing, thereby gaining sales and competing better in today’s global marketplace. Rising Standards of Living. Indians now doing jobs outsourced from America are seeing a rapid rise in their wages and standard of living. In the process, they are becoming more like Americans, which is translating into demand for American goods and lifestyles. Thus, according to the McKinsey Global Institute, for every $1 outsourced, the economic gain to the United States as a whole is $1.12 to $1.14; whereas the country to which a job is outsourced gains just 33 cents. {Bruce Bartlett/National Center for Policy Analysis}
So, sounds to me like “outsourcing” will be good for all nations as we progress forward. So- what biblical principles do you think speak to this issue? Anyone want to take a stab at this topic from a biblical perspective? Anyone agree or disagree with the above assessment?
