Washington, Feb 25: Outsourcing continues to be a hot topic in the United States with politicians railing against it and the phenomenon grabbing media headlines even as economists say that the practice is of benefit to the US in the long run.
The US media is replete with stories on the phenomenon, charting how American jobs are being affected, but how Indians, especially English-speaking professionals are benefitting and American companies are cutting costs.
A newspaper wrote how 12-hour shifts and seven-day workweeks exhausted accountants at Rucci, Bardaro & Barrett. But most painful for employee Chris Barrett was the annual "Easter parade" layoffs of seasonal workers and interns after April 15.
According to the paper, Barrett will send about 150 of his 600 clients' tax returns this year to India, where recent college graduates will prepare Americans' 1040 forms. Barrett won't hire or fire any extra employees, and the average turnaround time for completing returns was already shrinking.
Speaking on the benefits of outsourcing, Barret said, "We're always looking for ways to reduce the pressure. It frees us up to provide financial and estate planning, which we didn't have time for when we were too busy filling out returns." Bureau Report