| High tech U.S. computer jobs continue to be outsourced by companies to countries like India, where employees will work for lower wages. But some companies are attempting to outsource skilled jobs inside the United States border. VOA's Carol Pearson narrates. |
Thanks to advances in computer technology, outsourcing U.S. jobs to foreign countries with lower wages is becoming more common. It is estimated that by 2015 over three million U.S. service jobs will be moved to countries like India. But several companies are attempting to change that trend by moving high tech computer jobs to small rural cities in the Midwestern U.S. states.
Rural cities can compete with foreign countries thanks to high-speed computer lines and a lower cost of living.
Computer programmers like David La Reau are earning half their old salary, but he sees some advantages in moving from Seattle, Washington to Sebeka, Minnesota. "There is no traffic, any time; day or night you can cross Main Street. [You] almost don't have to look [for cars] cause there's nobody there."
Nick Debronsky is the CEO of CrossUSA, which has offices in Minnesota and North Dakota. He expects to add 75 employees to his workforce to maintain computer mainframes around the country. "We speak the language and we understand the business issues."
Some analysts believe more high tech jobs will move to rural areas. Robert Reich is a former U.S. Secretary of Labor. "We may be seeing the renaissance of small town America because if they are wired up, they can actually generate a lot of new jobs."
It may also prove more popular with the American public to move jobs to rural areas in the U.S. rather than overseas.