Sociology / Unit 9 Soc 1557 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Outsourcing and Automation
Captions available
The idea
Outsourcing contracts jobs to workers elsewhere, and automation replaces workers with technology; both reshape which jobs remain available domestically.
In practice
A call center's functions moving to a lower-wage country and a cashier being replaced by self-service kiosks illustrate the two forces separately.
Where people slip
Outsourcing and automation are distinct mechanisms that act together; collapsing them into one cause obscures which policy lever addresses which effect.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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