Engineers Building a Better World

Global Outsourcing of Engineering Jobs:
Recent Trends and Possible Implications

1. Global Outsourcing - Recent Trends and Future Projections

In their article "Is Your Job Next" experts from Business Week have made an all-embracing picture of global outsourcing. Their visual prompts in the form of statistical tables and sidebars serve as an explanation of the main trends and their consequences to the white-collar workers and those conducting an engineering job search including U.S. engineers and scientists.

In the article you may observe some disturbing trends, namely the types of white-collar jobs American firms, companies, enterprises, etc. move abroad. Mostly, these jobs are moved to some developing countries, for instance, in Eastern Europe or Latin America. There are also outlined the reasons for this transfer. Mainly, we come across outsourcing because in developing countries there are a lot of skilful people searching for engineering jobs and who are ready to get a lower salary than their colleagues in the U.S., for example.

2. Global Outsourcing of Jobs Exacerbates U.S. Engineering Unemployment

Outsourcing has resulted in unprecedented levels of unemployment and engineering job search among engineers in general and electrical, electronics, computer and software engineers, in particular.

But what worries the government and IEEE-USA particularly, is that this unemployment does not seem to be temporary or have some cyclical character. The frenzy engineering job search we observe now is very likely to have long-term consequences. As a result, the general technological power of the U.S. may decrease.

These problems are really burning and complex. And outsourcing seems to be one of the main reasons for our current unemployment crisis as employers traditionally prefer to pay less for them same services even if they get them abroad and this may negatively influence their country.

3. Global Outsourcing Has Economic, Technological and Security Implications

For a long time the United States has been a leader of technological progress. But now realization and, consequently, the production of goods are transferred to other locations. This process will result in the reduction of innovations in software applications, less active development of data communications and data security applications.

With the shifting of more and more engineering jobs offshore, the will be fewer and fewer young people doing an engineering job search and eager to pursue an engineering career.

And last but not least, the data of paramount importance will be revealed to other countries with all the risks connected with it.

4. Global Outsourcing Has Costs As Well As Benefits

Very often global outsourcing is said to be an indispensable part of the U.S.'s survival and viability when the world economy is so competitive and technology-biased as it is nowadays.

But when speaking about the benefits of outsourcing, we sometimes forget what price we should pay. The consequences of outsourcing may be:

• The growth of unemployment and hectic engineering job search.
• Reductions in income taxes.
• Employers will pay less contributions to government sponsored unemployment insurance to those workers whose jobs have been shifted and who will be doing an engineering job search.
• The growing dependence on overseas sources of supply as well as some skilful workers demanded to maintain them.

5. Public Policy Alternatives

All in all, before we are able to handle the economic problems mentioned above, it's necessary to find out what the causes are. I.e., efforts of people from various fields of activity should be aimed at getting to know what outsourcing is.

The use of H-1B (specialty occupations) and L-1 (intra-company transfers) labor force has triggered the shifting of work abroad as temporary workers use any opportunity to make all their connections work for them to get the job they need.

The overuse of temporary work force from abroad resulted in the situation when more and more American engineers have to conduct an engineering job search.

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Engineers Building a Better World

Engineers working in the federal government have made a lasting impact on our world and helped expand the frontiers of space. Among their many achievements, these engineers have:

Helped develop the Internet and the World Wide Web.	Arrested a cholera epidemic in India and developed wastewater treatment systems in Third World countries.
Made it possible for humankind to travel in space and for spacecraft to explore the universe.	First used energy technology that keeps wheat from being damaged by insects.
Led a decade-long renovation of the Pentagon - the world's largest office building under one roof - that strengthened the building and saved lives on September 11, 2001.	Developed a radiation measurement instrument for understanding clouds and their impact on climate.
Planned and completed the reconstruction of damaged portions of the Pentagon within one year of the attack.	Helped build the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, and the Space Shuttle complex at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Developed purification systems that ensure the quality and safety of the water we drink.	Developed hydroelectric power and new methods of flood control on the nation's 5 rivers.

Find and Apply for Federal Jobs Online

USAJOBS at best jobs is a great place to begin your job search. Because it is administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the federal government's human resources agency, it has a frequently updated listing of all federal job openings. You can also build your resume and learn about the federal jobs that best match your inter

Studentjobs·gov was specifically designed by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management as a place for students to search for jobs, create a job seeker's profile and build an electronic resume.

Get the facts on applying for federal jobs and the benefits of government work at Monster Public Service (publicservice·monster·com), the Partnership for Public Service's online collaboration with leading global careers Web site Monster.

Engineering Careers in the Federal Government

Over 120,000 of the nation's 1.5 million engineers work in the federal government, making it the largest U.S. employer of engineers. Here are the ten federal agencies employing the most full-time, permanent engineers:

1. Department of Defense	77,523
2. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)	10,615
3. Department of Transportation	6,190
4. Department of Agriculture	3,668
5. Department of Energy	3,214
6. Department of the Interior	2,920
7. Environmental Protection Agency	2,149
8. Department of Veterans Affairs	1,797
9. Department of Commerce	1,515
10. Department of Justice	1,259

A Sampling of What Government Engineers Do

Engineers in the federal government work in just about every engineering field, from aerospace to civil engineering to mechanical engineering.

Here are the fields in which most work:

Government Engineers Earn More

On average, salaries for federal government engineers exceeded those for engineers in key engineering fields in 2000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

Median Engineering Earnings in 2000, All vs. Federal Government

How Do I Apply?

Applicants usually must submit a resume, a description of relevant knowledge, skills and abilities, and any supporting information called for in the job announcement.

The information currently on your resume may not be enough to satisfy government employers. OPM's "Applying for a Federal Job" booklet (www·opm·gov/forms/pdfimage/of0510·pdf) lists all the information you need to apply for federal employment.

One way to make sure you've got all your bases covered is to print yourself an "Optional Application for Federal Employment" form (www·opm·gov/forms/pdf_fill/of0612·pdf) that is the closest thing to a federal resume and can be used as part of your application for virtually any federal job.