Outsource’ability
As someone who is a beneficiary of outsourcing, I have surprisingly never wondered whether there is any way to identify which jobs can or cannot be outsourced. On second thought, maybe it’s not surprising: after all, I am the guy getting a job, not the guy losing his, so why would I be thinking about it? Until a Cambodia or a Vietnam “Bangalores” us… So it was kind of illuminating to see this analysis by a Princeton economist, Alan Blinder on the topic. Blinder points out that the trend started earlier in manufacturing, and so the manufacturing sector is now accustomed to competing with foreign labour. Unfortunately, that led to one of those “correlation is not causation” errors: many assumed that the possibility of outsourcing was based on highly educated (highly skilled) v/s less-educated (or less-skilled). This misconception is reflected in the thinking that upgrading one’s skills is the way to keep oneself employed. Blinder believes instead that the litmus test for outsource...