Not really. Initially the H1 and L1 visas facilitated the temporary and some permanent import of skilled workers. This was pre-Y2K era on-site work. The work was largely low-end--maintenance, debugging, some nominal systems integration. Physical presence was vital. Now with learning and (Indian) government spending on (physical and educational) infrastructure and availability of modern communications, a lot of the work can be done off-shore in India at much lower cost. There is considerable efficiency, despite some examples to the contrary, as hundreds of engineers can be obtained rather quickly and hundreds quickly mobilized to complete a project on tight. The modular approach combined with partitioning of projects allows considerable flexibility. And let's not forget Indian engineers are high on the learning curve. So in a dynamic sense we can expect them to get better as they handle more complex projects.
cheers, anthony xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Anthony P. D'Costa, Associate Professor Comparative International Development University of Washington Campus Box 358436 1900 Commerce Street Tacoma, WA 98402, USA Phone: (253) 692-4462 Fax : (253) 692-5718 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx On Sun, 28 Mar 2004, Devine, James wrote: > is it possible that a lot of the out-sourcing is a substitute for importing skilled > workers (under the special visas whose name I've forgotten) to do the work here? > Jim D. > > -----Original Message----- > From: joanna bujes [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Sun 3/28/2004 9:44 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Cc: > Subject: Re: [PEN-L] Job flight > > > > Some experts see benefits being derived from outsourcing. Exporting > routinized jobs such as programming can lower costs for companies and > give them the cash to invest in higher-skilled, more innovative jobs in > the United States. > > _________________ > > This is such a joke. I won't even comment about how they're going to > take their profits and invest them in "higher-skilled, more innovative > jobs in the U.S." > > More interesting is the thesis that outsourcing is profitable for > hi-tech companies. I wonder how they figure out that profit. The very > large hi tech company I work for has outsourced a number of projects to > India and China. I know first hand that the results of this off-shoring > were nothing short of disastrous. Because of communication problems and > inept management, the work done offshore had to be done over, about > three times so far. This not only cost more time-wise and money-wise, > but in the meantime, my company shipped products that looked like they > were done in somebody's garage (while charging "enterprise" prices) and, > I suspect, considerably tarnished their reputation and credibility. > > I am beginning to seriously question the "efficacy" and even the long > term "profitablity" of hi-tech outsourcing. > > Joanna > > >