| As more companies transfer programming and | | | | consolation for people who have lost their |
| call- center jobs offshore, the topic of | | | | jobs. Still, moving some jobs offshore seems |
| offshore outsourcing is raging throughout the | | | | inevitable. There is no good alternative. All |
| information technology industry. I understand | | | | the emphasis on offshore jobs is obscuring an |
| the frustration of workers whose jobs have | | | | important trend: Information technology jobs |
| been removed and of customers who fail to get | | | | are changing dramatically. Though many IT |
| their technical-support questions answered. | | | | jobs are still out there, you won't find the |
| But one of the latest studies indicates that | | | | huge demand-or the huge salaries and generous |
| the trend may actually be creating more jobs. | | | | options-that we saw in the dot-com era. |
| Given our global economy, the globalization | | | | During that period, many companies had |
| of the IT industry is inevitable. Most big IT | | | | trouble filling open positions, which led to |
| companies do much of their business overseas | | | | higher wages. Now that we're back to normal, |
| and naturally want to have some of their | | | | wages have retreated too. Increased |
| employees in those markets. Lower wages in | | | | productivity also plays a key role in the new |
| some countries are also a huge incentive to | | | | IT job scene: IT support requires fewer |
| move operations, especially since high-speed | | | | people than it once did. Windows 2000, |
| communication removes many of the barriers to | | | | Windows XP, and Mac OS X are far from |
| dealing with U.S.-based colleagues and | | | | perfect, but there's no question that they |
| customers. Interestingly, figures say that | | | | are more stable than Windows 95 or 98, or Mac |
| rather than reducing the number of jobs in | | | | OS 8 or 9. As a result, companies need fewer |
| the U.S., offshoring is lowering costs for | | | | people to support them. (And if we can ever |
| everyone and actually creating jobs, thanks | | | | get spam and viruses under control, we'll |
| to a more efficient economy. It says that | | | | need even fewer support personnel.) |
| about 354,000 new jobs-both IT and | | | | Meanwhile, server consolidation and better |
| non-IT-were created in 2005 thanks to | | | | desktop management have been significant |
| offshore IT outsourcing, and by 2008 the | | | | trends for a long time, resulting in the need |
| number will reach over 589,000. According to | | | | for fewer IT jobs. These trends are also |
| a study, fewer than 5 percent of U.S. IT jobs | | | | reflected in job statistics. IT jobs won't |
| have moved offshore. But analysts predict | | | | disappear altogether, but we may need fewer |
| that by 2010 25 percent will be in developing | | | | of them. Perhaps the biggest transformation |
| countries. They urge companies to proceed | | | | taking place is in programming. The number of |
| carefully, as such moves could result in the | | | | computer science majors has dropped |
| loss of future talent, intellectual assets, | | | | significantly, a big concern because these |
| and organizational performance. Of course, | | | | are the people who would have their names on |
| the creation of new jobs isn't much | | | | the next great innovations. |