How can American workers compete in the Global Market?
If foreign workers are willing to work 16 hours per day, 7 days per week, with no insurance, no health coverage, no job security, no vacations, no safety, all for a bowl of rice per day and the privilege of not getting shot?
English. It is the language of business, more broadly it is the lingua franca. The global tongue.
The momentum (thanks to our economic, cultural, and geopolitical position) is stay heavily tilted towards English.
There’s a reason why our professional, innovating class of scientists, doctors, and engineers aren’t from here. Because you are exactly right, we cannot and are not competing with Korean students studying 16+ (and I’ve met several, plus is in play) hours a day.
But as long as we are proficient in English, we will still have a comparative advantage in what I call "parasitic" employment. That is, jobs that are only possible due to the innovation of people far more important and valuable than us (the scientists, engineers and the like).
Consider the following:
foreign students and immigrants account for 50% of the science researchers in the US, received 40% of the doctorates in science and engineering in 2006. By 2010 foreign students will receive 50% of all PHD’s in all disciplines. In the sciences that figure will be closer to 75%.
I’m too lazy to find the sources, but I wrote a paper 2 years ago on the future of English. As I recall, at present there are 600 million first language English users and 1.2 billion second + language English users. In 20 years the forecast was something like 4:1 ratio of non-native to native English speakers.
December 26th, 2009 at 10:20 am
Get out of it. The way it is set up now is of no benefit at all to the American Worker.
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December 26th, 2009 at 10:48 am
That won’t last forever. Eventually workers working under those conditions will get fed up and either unionize or revolt.
But unless we improve our education system, our standard of living will eventually fall behind that of most of the world.
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December 26th, 2009 at 11:25 am
It really doesn’t matter anymore. America can no longer compete in the Global market, or Global politics.
You guys won, get over it.
I HoPe Obama FAILS.
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December 26th, 2009 at 11:38 am
very true, a large amount of American minorities tend to think the government owes them something. So, they dont work and just leech off the system. Its pretty sad when laziness is rewarded more than hard work and sweat. Not all Americans are lazy, but a lot are. Also, the foreigners have to work hard b/c a lot of them are illegal and if they dont work hard they might be found out and sent back.
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December 26th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Globalism is the greatest threat to workers rights out there. Corporations are always looking for the cheapest producers with the most lax labor laws and environmental codes. It seems being a responsible work place is not part of the Corporate Code. The only true weapon American workers have is to withold their dollars from companies who will not operate in America. There is no reason we should support companies that provide no support for us. The only other option would be to get an education and attempt to find a job that cannot be outsourced
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December 26th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
Lift regulations, let the market place decide how much one’s labor is worth.
Allow employers and employees to negotiate.
Keep the government out of the employment business.
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December 26th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
We need to keep American jobs at home for American workers!
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December 26th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
Each of those overseas jobs should be highly taxed.
All companies that keep jobs in the US should get tax breaks on those jobs.
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December 26th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Try improving yourself. As in, get an education or build on the education that you already have.
Try improving yourself as a human by reaching out to others rather than passing them by. Tell them some good news for a "change".
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December 26th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
English. It is the language of business, more broadly it is the lingua franca. The global tongue.
The momentum (thanks to our economic, cultural, and geopolitical position) is stay heavily tilted towards English.
There’s a reason why our professional, innovating class of scientists, doctors, and engineers aren’t from here. Because you are exactly right, we cannot and are not competing with Korean students studying 16+ (and I’ve met several, plus is in play) hours a day.
But as long as we are proficient in English, we will still have a comparative advantage in what I call "parasitic" employment. That is, jobs that are only possible due to the innovation of people far more important and valuable than us (the scientists, engineers and the like).
Consider the following:
foreign students and immigrants account for 50% of the science researchers in the US, received 40% of the doctorates in science and engineering in 2006. By 2010 foreign students will receive 50% of all PHD’s in all disciplines. In the sciences that figure will be closer to 75%.
I’m too lazy to find the sources, but I wrote a paper 2 years ago on the future of English. As I recall, at present there are 600 million first language English users and 1.2 billion second + language English users. In 20 years the forecast was something like 4:1 ratio of non-native to native English speakers.
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from "The Post American World", p.198, attributed to "The Emerging Global Market: Part II-The supply of offshore talent" the McKinsey global institute.
December 26th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Globalism is of absolutely no benefit to American or European workers. It benefits only their gloating, bloating, smirking, exploiters, the owners and masters of what we call ‘the economy’.
It’s time to bring our work home and take our lives out of these monsters’ hands.
Les (nouveaux) aristocrates a la guillotine!
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