Outsourcing labor to foreign countries
Where do people hire unskilled laborers? Not in the United States, at least according to Professor Gokce Soydemir of California State University, Stanislaus.
“There are more than 70 percent unskilled workers in the valley,” said Foster Farms Endowed Professor of Business Economics Soydemir, noting that this statistic is indicative of a “mismatch” in the national economy with more American companies outsourcing labor to foreign countries.
“We need to ensure our labor force matches the need,” explained Soydemir.
Soydemir compiles a Business Forecast Report by utilizing data from January 2001 through August 2014 to assess past, current, and future business developments in the San Joaquin Valley relative to state and national trends.
The need to motive and educate Valley residents was also a topic of conversation at the Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Trends breakfast last month when CEO of PMZ Real Estate Mike Zagaris who, in sensing a shift towards a knowledge-based economy, vocalized concerns about the region’s ability to cope with impending change.
“There is nowhere in America where people are less prepared for change in the 21st century than here,” said Zagaris. “If you don’t have a degree or the skills commensurate with the economy’s needs you won’t have a job.”
