Why outsourcing is good for the U.S.

The article, What’s Really Happening with Jobs and Outsourcing?, by Alison Acosta Fraser, is a lecture that gives a fundamental look at why many Americans view outsourcing jobs to other countries negatively. She starts by using economic statistics to show how well the U.S. is doing with economic growth and questions why there is so much bad news about job growth. One reason she says is “Most forecasts were optimistically looking for February jobs growth of 150,000. Instead, we saw relatively flat growth of 21,000 payroll jobs” which was reported in the media. The truth about job growth is not at all negative. In fact, in the United States, “The Bureau of Labor Statistics collects this information by conducting two different surveys: the payroll survey and the household survey.” The payroll numbers are negative because they do not include the self-employed contractors and consultants, which are changing the work forces image, along with the agricultural industry as well. She gives a little hesitation about the positive household survey figures which suggest that the numbers are not as accurate, possible due to the test group. Fraser does a great job of explaining the differences between the two surveys as well as the faults of each and says that “Even the most persnickety economists begrudgingly admit that perhaps the truth is somewhere between the negative payroll and the positive household numbers.” Fraser is trying to relay the message that outsourcing is good for the American economy, through this article, with facts like other countries outsource to the U.S. and that outsourcing solves serious issues like poverty through re-distribution of wealth which in turn promotes democracy. I would have to agree with Mrs. Fraser’s article especially when she concludes that “Instead of increasing the minimum wage, extending unemployment, or increasing other regulations to prevent outsourcing, we should focus on policies that create jobs like lowering the burden of regulation, attacking frivolous lawsuits through tort reform, and implementing pro-growth tax policies.”