Outsourcing has impacts on India

By: EDGAR TOWERS - Commentary: | Wednesday, November 22, 2006 8:39 PM PST ∞

When we call for telephone support we speak with very cordial people who thank you for every statement you make. These people are generally very young and primarily live in India. They call themselves "Mary," "Susan," "John" and other Western names.

The social impact on India, although at first seen as an economic miracle, is now tearing away at the Indian social and moral structure. These kids make $300 more a month than a physician who went to school for seven years. These kids, who cannot make as much money in any other field, have now become the primary support for their families and significant integrators of the 300 million-member Indian middle class. During the day, their light hours, besides resting and enjoying a social life, they are obligated to watch U.S. cable news, read Internet news and commentary so that they may share sports events as "John" speaks with a real John in the United States. The all-night work and social gathering has caused a greater promiscuity among the young Indians, but their families and parents rely on this income and are forced to ignore the spiral.

The 5 million young men and women who took over the equivalent number of U.S. jobs are paid $500 per month. To begin with, they attend a three-month accent learning school and learn the various accents within the U.S. They work all night long because of the time difference, making or receiving an average of 268 calls per night. The call centers have both ingoing and outgoing calls. So if you call for help on just about anything, you reach "Mary," "Susan," "John" or one of the many others. Working with a U.S. company's approval, they perform outgoing telemarketing functions and call you to sell mortgages, insurance and other business, even though you are on the "no call list." They are not violating Indian laws. Contrary to their cultural practices, they are screamed at and sworn at all night long by the real Johns who reject their telemarketing calls.

The social detrimental impact on the U.S. is the loss of the 5 million jobs and future related functions and technologies in this business sector alone. Since more than 80 percent of U.S. companies have 20 or fewer employees, outsourcing lower jobs has a greater impact on our society and it is a shortsighted, if not fully stupid, lack of concern and planning by our government.

But now even the Indians are being outsourced as Eastern Europe becomes the next outsource call centers.

-- Oceanside resident Edgar Towers has worked in international business for more than 25 years, including ventures in Europe and India.