The Fear of Losing on Both Sides: America and Outsourcing
America is known throughout the world as the land of opportunity. The United States is the dream country for some people in other parts of the world. Some countries around the world see the US as a role model. America is also known as the mecca for all kinds of business. To cut costs, many companies have been known to manufacture in other places like Mexico, India, and other countries for cheaper labor. This way of doing business allows consumers to pay less for goods and services. This also helps increase a company’s profit margin while maintaining a symbiotic relationship with the participating country.
During Donald Trump’s campaign, many Americans voiced their opinions about companies doing business outside the US. Some are very angry that jobs they have relied on for years are being outsourced to other countries. Others expressed frustration at not being able to find a steady job to support their family, live comfortably after finishing school, and pay off student loans. In order to find a solution to this global problem, it is important that we listen to each other’s concerns and find common ground that we can all benefit from.
Throughout the presidential election, Trump promised to keep and bring jobs back to America from abroad. According to Patrick Gillespie in “This Mexican Mother’s Big Fear: Trump Will Take My Job,” Trump’s promise to the American people is what terrified Hilda Roldan from miles away in Mexico. She is a mother of four children and depends on her job to take care of her family. Roldan works 60 hours a week at a textile factory in Puebla, Mexico and looks forward to the $42 she earns to care for her two sons and daughters. She has been working in this plant for 10 years making and folding t-shirts (Gillespie).
She is deeply scared that Trump might take the job she relies on to feed her family. According to data from the Department of Labor, the United States has lost more than 100,000 American workers in the textile industry. Experts believe that most of these jobs are not coming back. Returning Roldan’s work to the United States will definitely hurt consumers’ pocketbooks because workers receive more compensation in the United States (Gillespie).
Furthermore, in a world where people want a better life, people will go where there is a high demand for work, which could mean more immigrants crossing borders illegally to find work. Some people will not hesitate to do so in order to care for their loved ones. And this will only add to the current illegal immigration problems that the US is still finding ways to address. In the end, we all want the same thing, which includes a comfortable life, well-paying jobs, and equal opportunities.
It is very important to find ways for companies to reduce costs without excluding American workers from the labor market. A company like Wal-Mart relies on foreign manufacturing to cut costs in order to remain competitive. However, blaming foreign workers for stealing American jobs is not the right approach. Foreign workers help create more jobs, which helps the economy as a whole.
It is imperative that we find common ground where Americans are happy to work at home while welcoming foreign workers who will definitely help improve the job market. America is the country where anything is possible. Therefore, when we come together without pointing fingers and treat each other as we want to be treated, we can definitely find a solution that can make our children and many generations happy.