Not Just India And China Vying For U.S. Tech Jobs

[OhioChick]

Oct 24, 2007 01:39 PM

Touring the exhibit hall at OutsourceWorld New York this morning, I was struck by the number of booths touting services from vendors in countries beyond the usual suspects. Outsourcing, and IT jobs, are truly going global.

Offshore outsourcing and India have been virtually synonymous for some time now. And, of late, China has become a more prominent player in the conversation. But it's not just the big two vying for IT work originating in the U.S., and the jobs that go with it.

At OutsourceWorld, a conference that's operating in conjunction with Interop this week at New York's Javits Center, the vendor booths added up to a virtual United Nations of offshoring.

Beyond India and China, there were vendors from Brazil, Australia, Costa Rica, Canada, and Hungary. And even tiny Mauritius was represented.

It's a nice travelogue, but here's what this really adds up to: The outsourcing of U.S. tech jobs is going to continue for the foreseeable future.

With the rising rupee and 15% annual wage inflation, there are signs that India is becoming expensive and oversold. But the fact is, there's plenty of other countries lining up to pick up the slack.

Nations in Eastern Europe, South America, and other parts of Asia are all investing the necessary resources in education and infrastructure required to become major players in the flat world.

A question worth asking the 2008 presidential candidates is this: What will you do to ensure that America keeps up?


http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2007/10/not_just_india.html

[Ilsa]

1. Well, W says devaluing the $ will keep us competitive. We're cheap labor now. nt