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May 01, 2006
Arbitrage, or Sabotage?
Mike Pauletich pointed me to an interesting article in HR Management. The headline sums up the payoff well: The Great Global Talent Race: One World, One Workforce.
The article's use of the term "labor arbitrage" caught Mike's eye. What struck mine was the larger premise. Friedman (et al.) not withstanding, is it really a global workforce? Is there really a global war for talent? I often wonder whether we're seeing a war for talent or against wages.
An original thought? Hardly. But it does raise some compelling questions. Some, like "to what extent is the increased cost per man-hour in a country like India an unbooked benefit in a country like South Africa or the inverse side of a trade surplus with the United States' job market" are beyond me. Others, like "to what extent is it possible to have one internal brand experience for one employee class in many markets at different pay rates" are incredibly important to answer--and to get exactly right. That's our job, and I think we do it quite well. But it seems to me that the most important question individuals who work at agencies such as ours--and anyone else involved in the movement of talent--must honestly answer is this: "does the work you do create sufficient social benefit to offset the social dislocation it causes?"
It's a tough question. It's easy to imagine the effect of jobs entering or leaving a community, but can one net out the effect on the larger political and social sphere--or the smaller personal sphere? I don't know, but I suspect the answer is "no." So what is the responsibility of the community--this community (and this blogger, as a member of it)--to the workforce?
I don't have an answer, but I'd be interested in your thoughts.
Posted by davidkippen at May 1, 2006 12:50 AM