Just three years ago, there was a chorus from companies selling that there wasn’t enough good labor here in the USA to satisfy their needs. Some were saying it was related to the age of our working population.

It was bullshit then and it is bullshit now.

I can’t help but feel insulted whenever I hear a large corporation pushing for imported labor when there are too many people I personally know, who if given the opportunity, would give their all and it would be far more then enough. Capable people that want to climb the ladder – they either haven’t been given the same tools others have to start with or have been suddenly displaced and are falling behind.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m just arguing for some compassion. For some bootstraps for people to pull themselves up by.

Of course, as this NYTimes story spells out, we’d rather settle for a couple extra bucks right now then invest in our workforce, invest in our children, invest in our future. Screw giving people bootstraps. Screw giving people boots.

Related:

Dr. Norman Matloff: Testimony to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee: Debunking the Myth of a Desperate Software Labor Shortage

NYTimes: Good Economy. Bad Job Market. Huh?

NYTimes:
As Factory Jobs Disappear, Workers Have Few Options

CIO Magazine: Backlash (check out the comments folks!)

CIO Magazine: The Radicalization of Mike Emmons

CIO Magazine: No Americans Need Apply

Metafilter: Well…now what?

Salon: Welcome to the machine?

Salon: White-collar sweatshops

Economist: Mayhem in May via rc3.org.