Noone gave a shit about blue collar...

But now the white collar will see what God this nation truly serves... I hope you can afford 12 masters degrees to find a job in the future. :D

San Jose, Calif.-Area High-Tech Workers Nervously Eye Work Flowing Overseas

San Jose Mercury News, Calif. - November 10, 2003

Nov. 10--When Natasha Humphries went to Bangalore, India, in December to train Indian contract workers to do quality-assurance testing for her employer, Palm, she realized that her own job coordinating that work could be done by local workers there, as well. "I'm fairly intuitive -- I saw the writing on the wall," said the 30-year-old Santa Clara resident.

Humphries was indeed laid off in August. Her former employer, now known as palmOne, says her layoff was not directly related to its outsourcing in India. Humphries, however, disagrees. And in unemployment, she has become an activist.

"I am not angry with companies for trying to conserve costs, but at the same time, we do have to acknowledge that it's going to create more problems for us domestically if we don't create more jobs for U.S. citizens," said Humphries in an interview last month before she testified in front of a congressional committee examining the effect of white-collar jobs moving overseas.

With the American economy finally gathering steam but employment growth still uncertain, the offshoring of U.S. tech and service jobs has become a hot-button issue. It has challenged the economic futures of white-collar workers and stirred the globalization debate like never before.

On one side are American workers in Silicon Valley and elsewhere who feel anger, fear and profound uncertainty as white-collar tech jobs quickly move to lower-cost countries like India and China. Offshoring has sparked a small backlash of grass-roots protests from New York to California and spurred protectionist legislation in eight states. The issue promises to become a contentious election-year topic.

On the other side are business executives and economists who argue that the offshoring of jobs is unstoppable and ultimately healthy for the United States, spurring this country to shed certain jobs and create more sophisticated ones in order to stay atop the ladder of innovation. The shift of tech work overseas is just the latest chapter in decades of globalization, they argue.

"I think overall, long term, the U.S. economy can take it. But there's going to be a huge amount of restructuring pain," said Rafiq Dossani, senior research scholar at Stanford University and co-author of a major offshoring study.

Such forecasts are of little comfort to the tens of thousands of tech workers -- many of them in the valley -- who have seen their companies create jobs in India, China and other countries even as they lay off workers here.

While not every job created overseas is the result of a layoff in the United States, it's clear that demand for technical talent in India is taking off -- to the point that companies are recruiting in Silicon Valley for positions in India. About 40 tech companies did just that last week at a job fair in Santa Clara. About 750 job hunters attended, most of Indian origin, according to Karthik Sundaram, managing editor of siliconindia magazine, which organized the fair.

Yet some American workers see a direct connection between the job boom overseas and their own unemployment.

Humphries, for instance, said that she was let go after a lower-paid worker in India filled in for her during a 10-day vacation. She is now helping lead TechsUnite SV, a local group protesting the movement of U.S. jobs overseas.

But Milpitas-based palmOne says both the layoff and the outsourcing were part of a larger business restructuring, and the specific work Humphries used to do is still being done in Silicon Valley.

Whether or not she was directly replaced by an Indian worker, Humphries embodies the worker angst now sweeping the tech workforce in the United States.

"What Humphries represents -- having had to train her own successor -- that's like digging your own grave," said Rep. Don Manzullo, R-Ill., chairman of the House Small Business Committee, who has proposed a new wave of "Buy American" legislation to limit federal agencies from outsourcing government jobs overseas.

Worries over being displaced have spurred some American workers into action. In one local protest this fall, about 40 offshoring opponents and unemployed workers took to a street corner in Concord, waving signs with slogans such as "Will Code for Food."

One programmer at the protest said she has watched her employer, Kaiser Permanente, shift jobs to a contractor in India. "They say they're freeing us up to do more exciting jobs and sending more mundane work to Indian companies," said the programmer, who asked that her name not be printed. "Nobody believes them."

Kaiser Vice President Mary Henderson acknowledged the company has transferred about 200 information-technology jobs to Indian companies, paying between $25 and $30 an hour instead of $80 to $100 an hour in the United States. No Kaiser employees have been laid off because of the shift to foreign contractors, Henderson added, but some Kaiser workers have been moved to other positions and had to train Indian workers to do their old jobs.

Cynthia Chin-Lee of Palo Alto began looking for work after she was laid off in the summer of 2002 from her job as a documentation manager at software firm i2. After several months, she landed a full-time position as a technical writer with software firm Remedy in Mountain View. Still, Chin-Lee said she feels "bewilderment and worry" as she sees more technical writing jobs move overseas. "It does make me think, maybe I need to develop some other skills."

What's making the loss of jobs all the more scary for tech workers is the speed with which companies can now send jobs overseas because of today's sophisticated communications technology. "Thousands of jobs can literally be moved to India overnight. Last week, three of my friends' jobs moved there. That's just the experience of one person," said Arvinder Loomba, professor of operations and international supply chain management at San Jose State University.

Indeed, say economists and historians, tech jobs seem to be moving to India faster than manufacturing jobs moved overseas in decades past. "What that means is there could be much less adjustment time," said Martin Kenney, professor of Human and Community Development at the University of California-Davis, who co-authored the offshoring study with Dossani.

Some lawmakers are feeling a need to respond to the trend. With union support, legislation has been proposed in eight states to limit offshoring. None of the bills has yet become law.

In New Jersey, a bill to outlaw offshoring of state jobs passed the state Senate unanimously after legislators discovered that welfare recipients were calling Mumbai, India, when they had questions about their food-stamp payments. The bill was defeated by the full legislature after technology trade groups lobbied against it. But the state did move about 10 welfare department jobs back to New Jersey -- at a cost of more than $1 million a job.

While cases like New Jersey's may be an exception, many executives, economists and academics say that offshoring jobs ultimately helps American companies compete in a global economy, especially in tight economic times. And companies say that to stay competitive, they have no choice but to hire the low-cost labor available.

"In business, there are only two levers: the cost side and the revenue side. Since the economy is not improving, you redirect your cost. There's no other way," said Ajit Gupta, chief executive and co-founder of Santa Clara-based Speedera Networks.

In fact, India's National Association of Software and Service Companies, the country's largest technology trade group, offers numerous studies to U.S. lawmakers arguing that offshoring is a "win-win" for both India and the United States, saving U.S. companies money to reinvest at home.

"The development of software has to continue somewhere for the betterment of everyone, and if U.S companies cannot afford to do it, then it wouldn't happen at all if not for here in India," said Nishith Desai, whose Mumbai law firm is the leading legal adviser to U.S. companies moving jobs to India.

Yet for all their talk of competitiveness and long-term strategy, corporations are sensitive to the negative imagery of hiring overseas workers while laying off Americans. They have begun shunning the dreaded "O" words -- "offshoring" and "outsourcing" -- using instead gentler-sounding, more generic terms like "sourcing," "multishoring" and "partnerships."

"We don't even use the term 'outsourcing." We believe it has a negative historical reference," said David Sanders, senior vice president of BearingPoint, a global consulting firm in McLean, Va. "We simply call it 'sourcing." We find the best source for particular work, no matter what country."

Most economists, executives and academics say they're hopeful that, as it has in the past, the United States will more than survive the latest wave of offshoring.

"It has always been the trend that as soon as technology products and services become commodities, then they face competition from overseas producers," said Steve Cochrane, senior economist at Economy.com. "The American economy and the global economy have been going through this transformation ever since the 1960s, at least."

William Miller, professor emeritus at Stanford University and chairman of Borland Software, said he believes the valley's workforce will change even more as the latest offshoring trend plays out. Williams pointed to the example of software employment in the valley, which made up about 5 percent of tech employment locally in 1975, and grew to its current 40 percent, as markets changed. In the future, the bulk of workers will have to move on to new technologies and higher-level jobs, he said.

Silicon Valley has long been vulnerable to competition from less expensive places -- both inside and outside the United States. The key to the valley's future, experts say, is in a new wave of innovation, maybe in nanotechnology, biotech or something else.

While new jobs are likely to emerge, the transition could be difficult for many workers, especially those who are too old to easily switch to another profession but too young to retire on savings.

Chris Parkes, for instance, is hedging his bets. The 45-year-old Moraga resident cashed in his 401(k) to pay living expenses after he lost his job as an electronics engineer in October 2001. After almost a year of fruitless job hunting, which he attributes at least partly to companies sending work overseas, Parkes decided to follow in his mother's and grandmother's footsteps and become a nurse. He is taking out loans to pay for his training.

Parkes eventually found an engineering job with a state agency, but he is continuing his nursing training just in case.

The changes taking place in the U.S. economy leave Parkes, like many workers, uneasy at best about the future: He sees U.S. workers being left behind by globalization.

"I think people identify our economy with the corporation: If we can get the corporation to do well, that's good for the citizens," he said. "That's not true with the way things are in a global economy. The corporation can save money by having the work done elsewhere."

By Aaron Davis and Margaret Steen

----- To see more of the San Jose Mercury News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.mercurynews.com.

© 2003, San Jose Mercury News, Calif. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

Workplace Forecasts

Partner's Report The Monthly Update for CPA Firm Owners - February 10, 2004

Originally Published:20040201.

Predictions about workplace and workforce trends for this year, from Robert Herman and Joyce Gioia of The Herman Group (www.hermangroup.com):

* If the gains in the economy prove real, employees will feel more secure and this will stimulate unprecedented churning in the labor marketplace, threatening corporate stability and client service. This will be especially true for employers who have taken their workers for granted in recent years.

* Related to the above factor will be a severe shortage in skilled labor, resulting in a "sellers' market." Corporations will become more aggressive about attracting and retaining top talent.

* Economic issues and shortages of skilled labor in the U.S. will force even more jobs to other countries. But jobs will return to the U.S. if employers are dissatisfied with the way the work is done abroad.

* Retirees will move into jobs in other fields, start their own businesses, and engage in other activities to remain active and productive.

* Corporate development programs will reach out to new employees and existing staff.

* Leadership development will take on new importance as employers discover serious inadequacies in their programs. Proof of leadership skills will be required before managers move up.

* Work arrangements will continue to expand beyond the traditional ones, as flexible hours, working from home, and using technology to work at remote locations grow in popularity.

* More workers will become independent contractors, selling their services on a project, contract, or set-term basis. This will stimulate specialized staffing firms to emerge and electronic communities to connect workers with employers.

Source: AccountingWeb (www. accountingweb.com)

© 2004 Partner's Report The Monthly Update for CPA Firm Owners. via ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved

CLASS WAR! CLASS WAR!!! CLASS WAR!!!!

It's kinda like how entrance requirements to universities are getting more and more rediculous. THEY are weeding out the regular folks, to create a race of superhuman Aryan/Chinese hybrids....

Ahohoho.... What a sinister plot indeed.

Not to mention the exorbitant costs of college these days.

I'm going to start a roving band of pirates so if anyone cares to join me.... :D

i'm blue collar all the way

Yes, the common man is fucked.

Shit on by the rich and hated by the poor.

Then again... every group is hated by the

other two groups. Oh well, fuck it. Loans,

grants and aid programs, I suppose. That

or live paycheck to paycheck and be self-

suffiecient. Either way you're gonna die

and in 100 years no one will remember

you. Fuck it, have fun.

Originally posted by johnny

i'm blue collar all the way

i bet johnny's hot.

Haha...

Blue colla bruvah!

I keep picturing johnny as like the son of the Fonz.

It's INSANE how many white collar jobs are being lost in Kentucky.

Probably almost 1000 in the past few months.

CLASS WAR MOTHERFUCKER@!

Serious? Damn that's alot. We've lost a TON of jobs during this administration. Literally MILLIONS!

I haven't really felt the immediate effects being in the military....

http://free.freespeech.org/americanstateterrorism/policestate/plcstgraphics/Resist-nwo.gif'>

Originally posted by 26SidedCube

Either way you're gonna die

and in 100 years no one will remember

you. Fuck it, have fun.

cynical, but correct.

^^^^Nyaaahh... Your falling right into their hands. Splurging your life away on meaningless crap. You are their best customer. This is like paying for your own death.

For any of yall who suffer from this pandemic job shortage...

Here's some tips to help you find that job you are looking for.

Job-hunting trends for 2004-Career Expert Cites Tactics That are 'In' and 'Out' When Looking for Work

Canada NewsWire - January 28, 2004

TORONTO, Jan 28, 2004 (Canada NewsWire via COMTEX) -- Just as tastes in clothing and music change over time, so do the preferences of hiring managers, notes Tracey Turner, executive director of The Creative Group, a specialized staffing firm placing creative, advertising, marketing and web professionals. According to Turner, candidates who understand the current mindset of employers have an edge in the job hunt.

"Today's managers are risk-averse; they simply cannot afford to make hiring mistakes. As a result, they're interested in applicants with a documented record of success," says Turner. "For job candidates this means being able to show, not just tell, what they can do. Words hold very little weight right now; employers want proof of a professional's abilities."

Turner says that more information is better than less when applying for jobs. "Employers are willing to spend added time reviewing resumes and cover letters, so these materials can be more detailed than in the past. Candidates also should be prepared for a lengthier interview process, including meetings with potential peers."

Adds Turner, "Professionals must ensure their resumes reflect their achievements in former positions and illustrate all of the skills they bring to the table, since companies may be hiring one person to fill what was once several different roles."

Following are job-hunting tactics that Turner says are "in" and "out" for 2004:

Out In

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Using terms such as "team player" Citing specific examples that and "results-driven" demonstrate these sought-after traits

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

One-page resumes for people with Two- to three-page resumes that seven or more years of experience highlight quantifiable achievements

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Functional resumes organized Resumes that list work experience around skills and experience in reverse chronological order

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trying to camouflage employment Explaining gaps in the cover letter, gaps noting current activities (part-time or temporary work, volunteering, etc.)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Relying on want ads for job leads Sending resumes to a "target list" of companies you want to work for

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Networking only within your Networking within and outside of industry your industry, as well as online

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vague or embellished answers to Real-life examples that illustrate standard interview questions the points you're making

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

References with impressive titles A variety of well-informed who don't know you very well references, including former peers

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Telling the interviewer you want Offering to assume the role on a the job trial basis

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Pursuing temporary-to-hire positions can be a wise move, as a growing number of employers want to ensure a candidate is a fit before extending an offer of full-time employment," says Wendy Fox, division director for The Creative Group.

The Creative Group has offices in major markets across the United States and in Canada, and offers online job search services at www.creativegroup.com.

VIEW ADDITIONAL COMPANY-SPECIFIC INFORMATION: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/orgDisp....cgi?okey=40453

CONTACT: For further information: Wendy Fox, (416) 365-2010 x253,

wendy.gillis(at)creativegroup.com

Copyright © 2004 CNW, All Rights Reserved

Good luck. Basically it's saying that employers want to be able to stick a quarter in your mouth and have you lay golden eggs.

Originally posted by johnny

i'm blue collar all the way

Originally posted by villain

^^^^Nyaaahh... Your falling right into their hands. Splurging your life away on meaningless crap. You are their best customer. This is like paying for your own death.

who are you addressing this to?

just dont buy shit thats imported the only exception for me would be xbox games

There was a time in America when it was realistic to come from nothing, work hard, get an education, and land a successful job. Now you can come from nothing, work hard, get an education and all the credentials along with it to get that high-paying job only to find out that job no longer exists since the big American corporations exported those same jobs overseas. And ironically for the exact reason that it would be "high paying" for you, these corporations would rather save the expenses. Once again the big man wins and the little man loses.

http://www.kak.ru/images/archive/13-14/dom/DOMnovember07.jpg'>

Originally posted by metallix

who are you addressing this to?

I was refering to gfresh and 26 with their mammonistic views.

My fellow americans... I gather you here today to say that the only way we can compete economically is by putting out quality instead of quantity. Just as the japanese did throughout the 80's when competing with the juggernaut american economy. We are going to have to start our own little companies and make our products with tender loving care so that it shows when people buy our products. It would be hard, and the rewards are small but it may be our only viable alternative in the face of all this cheap mass production and labor.

Thank you, and have a good night.

that's not just happeneing in america folks, it's happeneing all over the world.

get the fuck outta iraq and go kick some indian ass. we need jobs, fuck oil

HAHAHAHAAH!!!!!

I was waitin for someone to say that! I didn't think it would sound so funny when they did though!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!:D

Originally posted by villain

Humphries was indeed laid off in August. Her former employer, now known as palmOne, says her layoff was not directly related to its outsourcing in India.

yo palm, what crews you down wit?

Originally posted by Mr. ABC

get the fuck outta iraq and go kick some indian ass. we need jobs, fuck oil

Yeah, boy, I’m a blue collar, too. When I actually work, that is.

Don’t talk shit about us Indians, though – I’ll civil engineer a way to kick your ass.

Originally posted by Weapon X

Don’t talk shit about us Indians, though – I’ll civil engineer a way to kick your ass.

no way, you're too busy dancing to bollywood tunes to civil engineer anything!

Touché.

its only going to get worse.

the elite has designed a program

to develop the under-developed countries

such as india and china

its called "deindustrialization"

I just caught a short thing about this on Venture. Its fascinating how this cult is emerging around lou dobbs. its strange to see obviously (somewhat) intelligent people getting sucked into it.

The outsorcing of call centre type jobs to places like india always amazes me. I've worked in a few call centers here, with co-workers who speak english as a second language, and to be honest, half of them I wouldn't have hired if I was the employer. All good people, but in a position where 100% of what you do is talk to the customer, having someone who is lacking (even slightly) in english skills can really agitate customers, and hurt your business. I wonder if any of these companies have felt any negative feedback from moving the centre overseas?

ese: We are not just talking about call center jobs. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ALL WHITE COLLAR JOBS! I just read an article today about how telecommunications firms (which are the hottest industry these days) are outsourcing even more core functions, rather than HR and IT. They are moving out sales, marketing.... the whole kit and kaboodle. I would post the article, but I read it earlier and i can't find it now. Maybe I'll find it soon.

But it's not just telecommunications either. We are also talking about things like your tax refund companies as well. Let's face it, it is cheaper and easier than ever to move all your paper pushing departments than moving a manufacturing section ever was. Everyone is jumping on this bandwagon too. There is no revenue so they are cutting costs.

Here is a different article not exactly related with what I'm talking about but relevant nonetheless.

OUTLOOK Frankfurt Car Show to reflect slump in auto industry

AFX News Limited - September 2, 2003

FRANKFURT (AFX) - The 60th IAA Frankfurt Car Show on Sept 11-21, the world's largest car show in terms of exhibitors, will showcase 60 models making their world premieres on a smaller exhibition space amid a continuing slump in the automotive industry.

With second quarter figures already released by manufacturers in August, analysts said they do not expect any major financial news during the 11-day event but would be keen to hear what car makers have to say about earnings prospects for the rest of the year.

"We've seen declining numbers in the past couple of years," said car analyst Fabian Kania of Hessische Landesbank (Helaba). "Everybody is hoping for a pickup and waiting for signs of a pick up."

"We'll carefully watch what every manufacturer will say on this issue," he added.

Analysts said of the 60 new car models, the two most important are Volkswagen AG's new Golf and its strongest competitor -- General Motors Corp's Astra, made by the US giant's Opel AG and Vauxhall units.

The Golf, which has sold a total of 22.4 mln units since its launch in 1974 making it the top seller in the industry's compact car segment, contributes about 16 pct of VW's group unit sales.

"I don't think there are big events on the financial calendar," said automotive analyst John Lawson of Schroeder Salomon Smith Barney. "We'll have relatively downbeat comments about the market punctuated by boasting about new products,"

The German Automotive Industry association VDA, the powerful car lobby group organizing the biennial event, declined to comment on whether it expects to make a profit from the fair this year but said it hopes to attract about 850,000 visitors by not raising its entrance fee.

Previously, entry tickets for the public and rental fees for display stands have been raised every year, but not this time.

"For some tickets, we are cutting it by 2-3 pct but on the whole prices are unchanged," said VDA spokesman Eckehart Rotter.

"We've tried to be competitive...and the prices reflect the market of the industry worldwide," Rotter said. "We've also asked hotels not to increase their rates."

The Frankfurt show is the largest motor trade fair in terms of exhibitors and space used though Tokyo and Paris -- which run longer than the 11-day Frankfurt event, boast higher visitor numbers.

About 1,000 companies, including 500 suppliers, are expected to set up their stands this year in Frankfurt.

This year's exhibition space in Frankfurt measures 215,000 square meters, compared with the 235,000 square meters in 2001 when the event drew only 812,000 visitors, largely due to the events of Sept 11, 2001.

marilyn.gerlach@afxnews.com

Copyright 2003 AFX News Limited. All Rights Reserved.