High outsourcing anxiety

In this political year, candidates and big-name journalists are busy stirring the pot of controversy over the outsourcing of computer and engineering jobs to Russia, China, India, and other countries where wages are a fraction of what they are here.

Certainly, the federal government needs to ensure that our tax policies do not unduly reward companies for sending technical jobs overseas. Beyond that, however, it would be a big mistake for this country to press for tough new restrictions on the free global exchange of service jobs. To do so would hurt the growth of developing countries, where rising incomes are essential to fuel future demand for US products.

Instead, the real answer for the US is to strengthen our technical leadership. As workers in developing countries learn to do the more routine computer and engineering tasks, the US must be the worldwide pioneer in tackling technology's most daunting and fascinating tasks. To name a few of them:

• Development of alternative energy resources so we are not vulnerable to ugly developments in the world's perennial powder keg—the Middle East.
• Increased progress in preserving our environment.
• Commercializing new drugs and drug delivery systems that spring from our increased knowledge of genetics.
• More progress in nanotechnology and electronics miniaturization, which will unleash a flood of useful new products.
• Renewed commitment to rebuilding our transportation infrastructure—including high-speed rail.
• Cost-effective exploration of space, both as a country and as part of international coalitions.
• Inventing and producing advanced security technology to fight terrorism at home and abroad.

To speed development of these cutting-edge technologies, which will create more technical jobs for Americans, our government must provide more generous tax incentives to foster essential R&D. We also must boost college financial aid to encourage more American students to pursue careers in engineering, science, and math.

Finally, engineers bear personal responsibility for protecting their jobs. Brian Muirhead, the NASA engineer who headed the Mars Pathfinder project, warns engineers not to be content with "cookbook" jobs that can be performed anywhere. Rather, he urges engineers to seek out creative engineering tasks where solutions remain vague. "Those aren't the jobs that companies send abroad," says Muirhead. He adds that engineers can enhance and protect their careers when they improve their skills in such areas as systems engineering, management, languages, team building, and communications. The antidote to outsourcing anxiety, then, is the same for engineers as it is for the nation as a whole: Stay ahead of the pack.

Contact Lawrence D. Maloney at lmaloney@reedbusiness.com.