Quote from Thunderdog:
I have no idea how outsourcing will play itself out in the end. In fact, I doubt that many, if any, do. On the one hand, there is economic advantage in parceling out work at a lower cost. The producer and consumer obviously get to share in the benefits of lower cost. Also, the country that gets the jobs benefits. So, ostensibly, we have a win-win-win scenario. Or do we?
On the other hand, the country is giving away jobs - a source of wealth and prosperity. And it is no longer only lower end employment that is involved. So called "knowledge workers" are being edged out in favor of lower cost alternatives abroad.
True, we now live in a "global village" of sorts. But I can't help but get the feeling that the growing trend towards outsourcing is the macroeconomic equivalent of a "buy now, pay later" deal. Perhaps that widget won't seem so cheap in a couple of years when you lose your job due to outsourcing and can't make your monthly widget instalment.
While I believe in free trade, I wonder if outsourcing on a meaningful scale is just a little too modern a concept for me to comfortably digest. It reminds me of the Atkins diet: eat plenty of fat and be healthy. I just have difficulty dealing with that kind of counterintuitive logic. Maybe it's just me.