Offshore Outsourcing: Global Economy Devalues U.S. Developers

any professional application developers in the United States believed the U.S. IT industry that hired them would always be in need of skilled programmers and, therefore, assumed that as long as they kept their skills up-to-date with emerging technologies this need would assure them job security. They were half right. U.S. companies are indeed searching for qualified IT labor, but they aren't necessarily looking within U.S. borders to find it.

Offshore outsourcing of application development and IT projects offers these companies significant cost savings by providing access to cheaper skilled IT labor in countries such as India and Russia. Moving this work overseas has meant job loss in the U.S. IT market, leaving many laid-off developers in the States feeling everything from disillusionment to outrage. However, their feelings aren't enough to stem the tide of offshore outsourcing. U.S. companies will not forego a 20-30 percent cost benefit to mollify their anxious or disgruntled IT employees—nor their former employees.