Since 2011, job outsourcing has become an important part of how American companies produce goods. Outsourcing a job occurs when you obtain goods or services from a foreign supplier instead of a domestic supplier. Many companies in America pay people in other countries to produce goods instead of producing them here in the country because it seems cheaper. This practice, originally intended as a solution to the rising prices of consumer goods, has also become a problem. Although outsourcing takes jobs away from people here in the United States, it helps us by lowering the prices of consumer goods. Many large and small companies outsource work. Large companies such as General Electric, Caterpillar, Microsoft, Wal-Mart, Chevron, Cisco, Intel, Stanley Works, Merck, United Technologies and Oracle outsource jobs and have recently reduced their workforce by 2.9 million people and hired 2.4 million abroad in the last decade. (Jilani) Many of these large companies outsource jobs because people in China, Korea, Indonesia, and many other countries will work for much lower wages than workers in the United States, which in return makes the work cheaper for consumers Americans. Big companies aren't the only ones to blame for our supply. While they can do this on a large scale and take away most of our U.S. jobs, small businesses also outsource jobs. Gene Marks, a Huffington Post writer and self-proclaimed “outsourcing addict,” says, “Outsourcing is a quick high and a way to feel…profitable.” Owns a small business and uses outsourcing for a variety of reasons. It may be no secret that sending jobs overseas results in cheaper production than goods in the United States, but why? Gene Marks, it's because... middle of paper... m taking jobs away from our communities should help us in the long run. Manufacturing workers in the United States want to be paid more money than corporate owners want to pay. This forces owners to send labor overseas for lower production costs, which has positives and negatives. The real question, however, remains unanswered: whether outsourcing is good or bad. The real question remains: When we outsource jobs to foreign countries, are we selling more than just our jobs to other countries? Works Cited Hargreaves, Steve. CNN Money: The case of outsourced jobs. September 14, 2012. November 13, 2013.Jilani, Zaid. GRAPHIC: Major “American” companies have outsourced more than 2.4 million American jobs over the past decade. April 19, 2011. November 11, 2013.Marks, Gene. Huffington Post: Hi, I'm an outsourcing freak. August 13, 2012. November 11 2013.