Cheaper Overseas Labor

This cluster discusses how companies exploit cheaper foreign labor through offshoring, outsourcing, and H-1B visas to cut costs and boost profits, often at the expense of higher-wage domestic (especially US) workers.

➡️ Stable 0.7x Career & Jobs
5,305
Comments
20
Years Active
5
Top Authors
#9416
Topic ID

Activity Over Time

2007
1
2008
33
2009
49
2010
74
2011
84
2012
103
2013
155
2014
133
2015
200
2016
310
2017
490
2018
251
2019
368
2020
496
2021
439
2022
477
2023
505
2024
467
2025
616
2026
54

Keywords

US LOT AI HIRE PH Act.pdf WHOLE senate.gov USA MX overseas cheaper labor workers hire salary hiring countries jobs lower

Sample Comments

croes May 5, 2025 View on HN

Seems like other countries have cheaper workforce.

cfarm May 17, 2019 View on HN

Why is it that labor is cheaper elsewhere?

OCASM Feb 6, 2019 View on HN

You invest all that just so that big firms hire people from overseas at a lower wage.

segmondy Mar 1, 2013 View on HN

They are cheaper. Many people are willing to work for cheaper if that means that a company will file for them to stay in the US. Companies exploit this.

coliveira Jan 14, 2025 View on HN

The problem was never the cost of labor. US tech is already highly profitable and they can pay the full salary if they wish to. But their desire is basically to get a free card to pay lower salaries by any means, so they can send more of those profits to shareholders. The US is essentially a fighting arena between shareholders and workers. The profit is there, it is just a matter of how business want to keep always more of the spoils to themselves.

TitaRusell Jan 12, 2026 View on HN

What is unfair about lower labor costs?

nprateem Jan 11, 2025 View on HN

Only if they stop making it cheaper to hire from offshore

Erratic6576 Dec 9, 2023 View on HN

It’s still cheaper than hiring American workers

internet_user Nov 18, 2020 View on HN

Why not hire even cheaper, outside of America?

beretguy Feb 13, 2024 View on HN

Or they are switching to cheaper labor overseas.