Richmond is the new India!

I had to at least giggle a little when I saw that Microsoft was “outsourcing” its work to Richmond, BC. I mean, when I hear “outsourcing”, I think of India and small offices where people are cramped and answering phones that are ringing off the hook. That’s my vision of “outsourcing”.

Things are quickly changing though, as Canada, with its “lax” immigration laws, is becoming a place where American companies can come and settle their foreign workers. Recent case in point:

Microsoft is opening a new 700-employee software development centre in Richmond, which will be staffed by foreign workers. Sam Sullivan has already noted that this will help with out economy, as well as put us “on the map” in regards to technological innovation. However, what this also means, as many critics have pointed out, is that Microsoft is simply using Canadian cities to hire people who otherwise would not be able to work in the States. The Richmond move can be perceived as a pawn in the greater game of pressuring the U.S government to reduce their restrictions on foreign worker visas.

Things have been heated between Microsoft and the U.S government for a while. The H-1b visa, which allows tech companies to hire foreign workers (the point is to attract skilled workers to the country) was used by Microsoft to bring Indian workers into the U.S to train, and later send them back to India. As you might realize, that didn’t sit too well with the government.

And this is why they’re now in Richmond.

In all honesty, I find all of this a tad humourous…I don’t have a particular opinion yet, but…what does this mean for our local economy? Our relationship with monster tech companies like Microsoft? Are we playing or just being played?

Read the Tyee article here.