Forget about going to college to study graphic design or computer programming anymore! These are just two of the thousands of jobs that now face cutthroat, global competition, even from companies based in the U.S. Of course this comes as no shock.  We all watched companies like Dell outsource nearly all of its technical support to places like India.  But what I’m talking about here is different.

Something unprecedented is happening in the world’s workforce as a result of the widespread use of the internet and a growing trust in eCommerce.  The world’s workforce is very rapidly becoming globalized.

Everyday online, small companies and startups, with little or no capital, are hiring graphic designers in Romania and programmers in Pakistan.  In fact, there are several large freelance job websites that serve to support the hiring transactions between companies and contractors worldwide.

These workplace websites, for example, allow you to post a job for a programmer to complete a specific project.  Programmers all over the world then bid for this job against other programmers. Of course, when a graphic designer in Indonesia is bidding $10 to design a logo, while someone in the U.S. is bidding $100, which of these bids would the start-up company accept?

But it doesn’t stop there. You can hire accountants, virtual secretaries, online marketing specialists, the list goes on and on. And, for as little as $1.50 per hour.  But what business owner would have the conscience, much less the trust in a contractor on the other side of the world? If you are a starving start-up, fighting for survival, well….there are a lot of things you might do.

Other than manufacturing, where workers are required to physically be at the factory, you don’t need to move your company overseas anymore to take advantage of cheap labor advantages.  Just turn on your computer, log-in to one of those online workplace websites, and start searching.

This leads back to my original question, ‘What jobs will inevitably become globalized?’ In other words, which jobs already have, or soon will have, a “global wage?”  For example, what is the global wage for a graphic designer or programmer on the internet? Even overseas contractors with extensive experience are charging far less than a contractor in the U.S. with the same experience.

This is an intriguing consideration for young people planning to enter college in order to study a discipline or profession that they hope will someday provide them with a decent living.  I recommend aspiring students to spend some time digging around online to see if the profession or discipline they have their sights on, already has a “global wage.”

Back to the original question again but asked now in another way, ‘What jobs will have a global wage?’ Certainly creative and technical jobs, but what about accountants or attorneys?

Do you think I’m way off on this? Or do you agree with me to some extent? Either way, I’d like to hear from you on this, so please…..leave your comments in the space below.

Posted by Corey Curwick on September 11, 2010