Over the past few decades, the global economy has become increasingly interconnected. This huge integration of economies around the globe resulted from the removal of restrictions on trade and finance. As companies cross borders with increasing ease, new anxieties surface, particularly those regarding this change's impact on American jobs. More recently, a new trend in the U.S. economy has prompted people to pay attention anew to globalization. The movement of white-collar U.S. jobs, particularly in the high technology and services sectors, to other countries has come under great scrutiny and criticism. Known as "offshore outsourcing." Sen. Kerry proposed policies aimed at slowing the movement of U.S. jobs overseas. President Bush supported training individuals in industries with the most growth such as the math and science areas. This trend has proven highly contentious and becoming one of the most crucial economic issues in the 2004 presidential campaign.
             President Bush called for "stronger math and science preparation" in his State of the Union address in January. "I propose increasing our support for America's fine community colleges, so they can train workers for the industries that are creating the most new jobs," he said. AFP/Getty Images/Luke Frazza
             Since 2001, the U.S. has shed more than 750,000 jobs in the high-tech sector, according to the study by the American Electronics Association, an industry trade group (Facts 3).
             Another survey predicts that one out of every 20 information technology (IT) jobs will be relocated overseas by the end of 2004 (Facts 3). Since taking office, President Bush (R) has presided over a labor market that has lost 2.2 million jobs. Critics are pointing at offshore outsourcing as one of the prime culprits for the decline in jobs. I believe outsourcing has contributed greatly to the global economy and it should be encouraged. Outsourcing allows companies to...