Much has been written in recent years (especially election years) about corporations sending jobs overseas. China and India (A.K.A. “Chindia”) are usually the prime benefactors of outsourcing, and also the prime targets of scorn often drawn from the feelings by many that these jobs are “taken” from American workers. Yet, according to Business Week, China and India aren’t even in the top 5, and 2 are even in the U.S.!
The list:
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Winnipeg, Canada
- Boise, Idaho
- Indianapolis, Ind.
- Belfast, United Kingdom
- Cairo, Egypt
- Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Hangzhou, China
- Ahmedabad, India
- Iloilo City, Philippines
Very interesting… I recently saw a History Channel special on fast food drive-thrus where they showed the outsourcing of drive-thru window orders!
Operators in Seattle took orders from drive-thru customers at a Wendy’s in Baltimore. Apparently, by not distracting the order preparers at the drive-thru with actual ordering, the number of customers served increases substantially.
They noted that it’s highly unlikely such jobs would be outsourced overseas since local knowledge of the English language is essential for keeping the order times within the goal. So it doesn’t surprise me to see Boise and Indianapolis on the list!