Letter: Bain's outsourcing a reaction to American workforce shortages

Published: Thursday, July 19 2012 12:00 a.m. MDT

Mitt Romney gives an interview during the 1990s, when he was head of Bain Capital. His cautious, devil's advocate approach defined the investment firm, which focused on leveraged buyouts.

Chuck Wing, Deseret Morning News

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Summary

On the issue of outsourcing, a game of political "gotcha" isn't really helping anyone.

The timing of the Bain outsourcing is important, as well as the fact that it happened. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, there was an honest labor shortage in the U.S., and many firms began to outsource because there were not qualified, potential recruits in the U.S. This is what was going on at Bain and several other firms from 1999 to 2002.

The problem is that when the dot-com bubble burst, too many firms kept outsourcing because labor from overseas companies was, and still is, a bargain. The real question that should be asked is: How did America lose it's competitive advantage and what can we do now to fix it? Using this as a game of political "gotcha" isn't really helping anyone.

Ben Hunt

New Haven

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Blue

Salt Lake City, UT

U.S. corporations sent their jobs to India, Mexico and China because labor costs in those countries are dirt-cheap and there are no health-safety protections for workers. Period. The notion that there was ever a "labor shortage" in the US More..

7:30 a.m. July 19, 2012
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Esquire

Springville, UT

This letter is political rationalization, for sure. And the Bain outsourcing extended well beyond the period you state. Your argument is duplicitous political rhetoric.

7:22 a.m. July 19, 2012
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Furry1993

Clearfield, UT

Given the unemployment situation, and the quality of people who are looking for jobs, I hardly think that a "workforce shortage" exists.

6:50 a.m. July 19, 2012
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