Why is America losing jobs to foreign countries? Many of us believe it is due to the fact that outsourcing of American jobs saves businesses millions of dollars each year. American employees are paid on average $9.00 per hour whereas in a foreign country, a typical worker is paid $5.75 per hour before benefits if any.

I was reading an article in Careerbuilder section of the Los Angeles Times today and it said that we are losing jobs because Americans are lazy and unmotivated to work . . . NOT because of salary. Additionally, I was speaking with an executive with a major American corporation on this very subject a few months back. He told me he was sick and tired of employees calling in sick when they were not sick, taking excessively long lunches or break periods, complaining about this or that and threathening to seek legal action, whining about poor salaries, bad attitudes in the work place and NO work ethic.

This same executive said he has workers in Vietnam, Hong Kong, New Delhi (India) and Mexico who are working for $7.00 to $10.00 per hour (US dollars). They are punctual, polite, enthusiastic, hard working and complain very little even when they are told to complain or to make their complaints known.

In the not to distant future, the only jobs in America will be fast food restaurants or service type jobs (Janitorial, Maid service, housecleaning, gardening and construction). Everything in between will probably be outsourced. The only jobs available will be high end careers like medical doctors, lawyers, teachers or where a college degree and several years of experience is required.

For anyone to make such a sweeping generalization about Americans being too lazy to work is totally wrong.  I do not believe it and I do not care who says it.

The salaries here are not much better than the salaries in those other countries so that cannot be the main reason either.

Supervisors and managers have a duty and obligation to make absolutely sure that their subordinates are not lazy and working to the best of their abilities.  They have to "parent" their employees, give them guidelines and goals, and watch them very carefully.  Not all employees require this kind of close and in-your-face supervision but, unfortunately, many do.

We must have incentives for companies that hire Americans and penalties for those that don't.

This is disgraceful.  We are living in American and losing jobs to foreigners.  I never dreamed anything like this would happen.

Your excellent opening message, OC, has the makings of a good debate.  Bring it on, folks!!!!!!!

 

 

Bunzo

Workers making $7-$10 an hour in most of those countries you listed is equivalent to at least double that here in the US when cost of living is factored into the equation. All those CEOs and other execs never take the cost of living in the US into their considerations. Not to mention most of those employees working for $7-$10 an hour have landed one of the highest paying jobs in their country. In our country the average wage is $9 an hour. You can barely live on that wage as a single person. It's completely IMPOSSIBLE to live anywhere in the US on $9 an hour with a family and not receive some form of government aid and support. Another thing those CEOs need to realize is once they ship all the jobs oversees who is going to buy the goods their company produces?

Welcome to globalization!

 American workers are effectively competing for jobs with people throughout the globe...which means places like China, where workers earn far less. SO jobs in the manufacturing, farming, and the like are going overseas. Jobs that are not so easily outsourced overseas--education, law services, and the like, are relatively safe. It also means people from countries like India, Mexico, and the like are drawn to come to work in America.

On the flip side, it means cheaper trade goods, and more foreign investment in AMerica. It's a plus for consumers, but not workers.

I don't think American workers are lazy by any means. It's a matter of who you're comparing Americans to! In most of Europe, 4 weeks of vacation is average! American workers, by contrast, are often lucky to get two. We work hard, in many ways, for much less in many ways (no guaranteed health care, no child care, etc.). Now, if you compare Americans to factory workers in China that work 14 hours a day, sure, we're lazy. We demand more than some poor Columbian coffee farmer. But again, what is "lazy"?

Americans aren't lazy, just spoiled, survey says -

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3165/is_n4_v28/ai_12157461

This article, I believe, sums it up.

I agree 1000%!!!!

They are also whiny babies that blame everything on imaginary bullies, imaginary discrimination and imaginary racism.

Well, those are realities to deal with for many people and to talk or vent about injustice does no harm. It brings these issues into the open. Who says they blame 'everything' on it?

It's not just outsourcing that's taking our jobs away from us.  We're also losing our jobs to illegal immigrants.  

I wouldn't say that we, American Workers, are lazy this is a comparative statement and you would have to state who you are comparing to.  But I would say that in some respects the American worker has been spoiled in some respects, in others we have not.  Certainly the American worker does not have the Government protections that exist in most European countries; but on the other hand we do have many very strong unions in may sectors. 

Globalization has hurt the middle income families and the middle income earner, badly.  The H1B programs have hurt the tech industry, as has off-shoring.  Corporate greed has taken a big bite overall and using the "American workers are lazy" is certainly a well abused excuse. 

Illegal immigration hurts the American worker at the lower income level as it takes away jobs that could be done by Americans.  Obviously not great jobs but jobs none the less.  If the illegal immigrant weren't here than Americans would be doing them and would be paying taxes. 

I don't want to see government further embedded in corporate America.  I don't want to see the European model of socialization which is overall bad for business as it imperils free trade and economic growth; however, we do have to take back America for Americans.  We do have to return American jobs for Americans.  We do have to close the gap between the highest paid corporate executive and the lowest paid employee if we are to start to see economic growth in America again.  Otherwise you are right, we are heading for disaster.

Me thinks something is fishy here...

1) What executive deals directly with these grunts day to day?

2) Americans consistently rank as the hardest workers in the world.  Americans are usually tied with or just barely beat the Japanese.

In other words if you really talked to an executive he was full off BULL!

The real reason for offshoring is because it is CHEAPER!  I work in an industry that is busy offshoring like crazy.  I have offshore coworkers.  It is complete bull that Americans are lazy.  We do it because it is CHEAP.  Period!