Can Obama Keep IT Jobs in the U.S.?

Can Obama Keep IT Jobs in the U.S.?

‘The billions in spending included in the stimulus plan may be more effective than tax incentives in stemming the outsourcing of IT jobs.’ -

Corporate America’s drive to cut costs by moving jobs offshore has hit Robert Poulk hard. A veteran of the defense, aerospace, and computer industries, Poulk never had trouble finding work—until 2003. That year, his job as a senior troubleshooter for a major software manufacturer was moved offshore to Bangalore, India. During a yearlong period of unemployment, Poulk sent out five to seven résumés a week and got only four responses. Eventually, he was hired by a temp agency and assigned a job at his old company, which he asked not be identified, where he now works as a contractor for about 30% less money and no benefits.

Having tapped his savings to make mortgage payments during his period of unemployment, Poulk is now concerned he won’t have enough money for retirement. “I’m still waiting for the new prosperity that globalization was supposed to bring,” he says.

Poulk’s hopes, and those of other U.S. workers whose jobs have been shipped overseas, now rest with President Barack Obama, who has pledged to keep more jobs in the U.S. On Jan. 16, just days before his inauguration, Obama told workers in Ohio, “We’re not looking to create just any kind of jobs here; we’re looking to create good jobs that pay well and can’t be shipped overseas.”
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