Some economic experts are already declaring that the United States recession is nearing its end. That the country is going to turn back to normal. There will be more jobs to answer the problem of the thousands of people that was laid off for the past year or two.
But a healthy U.S. economy definitely will have ripple of effects on other nations.
For us here in the Philippines where the call center industry is among the top industries that employ a great number of people, the U.S. economic recovery might be a double-edged blade.
The good thing that might come out of it is that there will be more companies that might need further BPO services.
But the not-so-good thing about it is that with a healthy economy, the Obama administration will have enough reason to be more strict in bringing back the jobs that was sent to foreign lands. These jobs, if and when they’re returned to U.S. soil, will prove disastrous to countries like the Philippines and India where the call center industry has thrived.
I am not an economist and I am not a bad person, too. So I truly wish that the U.S. economy will go back normal and in the process create enough jobs for all the workers that were laid off for the past year or two.
But I also wish that the call center industry in the Philippines will continue even well after the U.S. economy has already bounced back.
These are wishful thinking that I wholeheartedly wish will both come true.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I read a few years back that some U.S. legislators want to scrap out outsourcing and bring call center work back to the U.S. I don’t know what happened to the idea. But it gives me the heebie jeebies just thinking about it. I hate to see our unemployment rates shoot up
Actually I believe the policies that President Obama and the US Congress are putting into place or want to put into place will actually drive US companies to try to find ways to reduce cost which will lead to more outsourcing.
Of course they don’t want this to happen but it will and they are naive to believe the companies will accept higher taxes without trying to find ways to bring down cost in other areas.
We just posted an article of why doing business in the Philippine is so beneficial on our Call Center Best Practices site.
It’s not yet here but I believe a healthier US economy is a good thing for “provider” countries may it be in the service industry like BPO or actual manufacturing.
I’m making it too simple but an improved economy means more production needs and hence more jobs abound. When more jobs, especially high value-creation jobs are available, the operational “commoditized” work can be more easily justified to be brought off-shore to reduce costs and focus the work-force in the higher-value work.
Really, the biggest challenge to countries which rely on outsourcing is within. The recent spate of underground earthquakes highlighted that cost is not always the determinant factor over reliability of services.
Also, political (read, policy) instability is another major roadblock. This is one reason why countries like Singapore and Malaysia which generally have higher labor costs still enjoy a healthy following.
Hoping that the Philippines can rise up to the occasion.