US lobbyists fighting against outsourcing

Alarmed by a report that 1.7 million US jobs may be lost to other countries, particularly to India, American workers, trade unions, local governments and legislators are fighting back to keep jobs at home and prevent outsourcing to countries where skilled workers are cheaper, media reported on Tuesday.

The Wall Street Journal, quoting a report by Forrester Research, said American workers may lose $120 billion in wages by 2015, multinational firms are feeling the first ripple of the backlash but are bracing for the worst.

"It is the perfect storm right now," said Harris Miller, president of the Information Technology Association of America, a trade group representing 500 technology concerns.

Many companies, slashing their US payrolls to take advantage of cheaper labour overseas, the Journal said, noting that according to Forrester, loss of office support jobs lost by 2015 are estimated at 1.7 million jobs.

The computer sector is expected to lose 0.47 million jobs, business 0.35 million management 0.29 million, sales 0.23 million, architecture 0.18 million and legal 0.08 million.

Under the heading 'States Fight Exodus of Jobs; Lawmakers, Unions Seek to Block Outsourcing Overseas,' the paper said, "Legislation aimed at keeping jobs in the US is pending in at least five States -- New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Missouri and Washington State.

The bills employ a variety of methods, including blocking companies from using foreign workers on State contracts and requiring foreign call-centre employees to identify where they are located.

By one estimate, 'several million' US jobs are expected to move offshore in the next 12 years, particularly to India.