WASHINGTON — You lost your job.
It's probably one of the most dreaded things you'll ever hear from your boss.
Then you find out that your white-collar position moved to the other side of the globe — to India. President Bush says he feels your pain and that education — not trade protectionism — is the answer to deal with the increasing globalized world in which we live and work.
Bush discussed the politically sensitive issue in New Delhi on Friday, wrapping up a three-day stay in India. The country's rapid growth has created anxiety among Americans, especially as they have seen call center jobs, back-office administrative work, software programming and other white collar jobs move there.
"It's painful for those who lose jobs," Bush said. "But the fundamental question is, how does a government or society react to that. And it's basically one of two ways. One is to say, losing jobs is painful, therefore, let's throw up protectionist walls. And the other is to say, losing jobs is painful, so let's make sure people are educated so they can find — fill the jobs of the 21st century," he said.
Last year, 11,375 U.S. workers were laid off because their jobs were moved overseas, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In many of those cases, Mexico and China were cited as the place where the jobs were going, a bureau official said.
In 2004, 16,197 workers were laid off because their job was moved overseas. The figures don't capture all layoffs — only the bigger ones, the official said.
For American companies seeking to compete on a global scale, India is a magnet — especially for white-collar, service-sector employees — because of the lure of lower-wage, highly educated workers who also are fluent in English, experts say.
India's outsourcing industry alone is expected to bring in $22 billion in revenue this fiscal year, much of that generated by U.S. companies.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,186791,00.html#ixzz1CpF7Ofyx
It's probably one of the most dreaded things you'll ever hear from your boss.
Then you find out that your white-collar position moved to the other side of the globe — to India. President Bush says he feels your pain and that education — not trade protectionism — is the answer to deal with the increasing globalized world in which we live and work.
Bush discussed the politically sensitive issue in New Delhi on Friday, wrapping up a three-day stay in India. The country's rapid growth has created anxiety among Americans, especially as they have seen call center jobs, back-office administrative work, software programming and other white collar jobs move there.
"It's painful for those who lose jobs," Bush said. "But the fundamental question is, how does a government or society react to that. And it's basically one of two ways. One is to say, losing jobs is painful, therefore, let's throw up protectionist walls. And the other is to say, losing jobs is painful, so let's make sure people are educated so they can find — fill the jobs of the 21st century," he said.
Last year, 11,375 U.S. workers were laid off because their jobs were moved overseas, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In many of those cases, Mexico and China were cited as the place where the jobs were going, a bureau official said.
In 2004, 16,197 workers were laid off because their job was moved overseas. The figures don't capture all layoffs — only the bigger ones, the official said.
For American companies seeking to compete on a global scale, India is a magnet — especially for white-collar, service-sector employees — because of the lure of lower-wage, highly educated workers who also are fluent in English, experts say.
India's outsourcing industry alone is expected to bring in $22 billion in revenue this fiscal year, much of that generated by U.S. companies.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,186791,00.html#ixzz1CpF7Ofyx