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N.J. Could Lose a Half Million Jobs to Offshoring
A think tank's new report, commissioned by CWA, says that nearly a half million of New Jersey's white collar jobs - customer service, software creation, data entry and even such fields as architecture and health care support - ultimately could be lost to low-wage workers overseas.
"These are high-paying jobs and the people who have them thought their education would keep them safe," Jon Shure, head of the New Jersey Public Policy Perspective, told the Newark Star-Ledger. "But the technology is such that a lot of this work can be done anyplace, and employers are shopping the world to find the cheapest labor."
The analysis found the average wage for jobs vulnerable to offshoring is $47,389. CWA is among the leaders in fighting to keep good jobs in New Jersey, pushing for pending bills that would require state contract work to be performed in the United States and another that would give customers the right to know where call center workers are located, an issue pending at the federal level as well as in a bill introduced by Senator John Kerry.
"The movement of jobs (overseas) causes the loss of jobs for our members as well as having an impact on the economy," CWA Area Director Pat Niven told the Asbury Park Press.
The report says offshoring will affect New Jersey's economy immediately and in the long term. "Now is the time to take action," the report concludes. "It is not enough to say that the market will take care of itself. People affected by offshoring will not go through this transition unscathed. The offshoring practice calls for government action as part of the overall need to create an economy with benefits attainable by all."
While the report was commissioned at the request of District 1 and focuses on just one state, CWA President Morton Bahr said its findings apply to the entire country.
"As long as corporations put quick profits over sustainable business practices that build both customer and employee loyalty, and therefore growth, outsourcing will continue to be one of the biggest challenges to job and wage security for America's working families," he said. "Through legislation such as Senator Kerry's national 'right to know' bill, CWA will keep pressure on both state and federal lawmakers to level the playing field."
"These are high-paying jobs and the people who have them thought their education would keep them safe," Jon Shure, head of the New Jersey Public Policy Perspective, told the Newark Star-Ledger. "But the technology is such that a lot of this work can be done anyplace, and employers are shopping the world to find the cheapest labor."
The analysis found the average wage for jobs vulnerable to offshoring is $47,389. CWA is among the leaders in fighting to keep good jobs in New Jersey, pushing for pending bills that would require state contract work to be performed in the United States and another that would give customers the right to know where call center workers are located, an issue pending at the federal level as well as in a bill introduced by Senator John Kerry.
"The movement of jobs (overseas) causes the loss of jobs for our members as well as having an impact on the economy," CWA Area Director Pat Niven told the Asbury Park Press.
The report says offshoring will affect New Jersey's economy immediately and in the long term. "Now is the time to take action," the report concludes. "It is not enough to say that the market will take care of itself. People affected by offshoring will not go through this transition unscathed. The offshoring practice calls for government action as part of the overall need to create an economy with benefits attainable by all."
While the report was commissioned at the request of District 1 and focuses on just one state, CWA President Morton Bahr said its findings apply to the entire country.
"As long as corporations put quick profits over sustainable business practices that build both customer and employee loyalty, and therefore growth, outsourcing will continue to be one of the biggest challenges to job and wage security for America's working families," he said. "Through legislation such as Senator Kerry's national 'right to know' bill, CWA will keep pressure on both state and federal lawmakers to level the playing field."