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Canadian jobs at risk in new economy - Kevin Marron, Globe and Mail

Canadian jobs are at risk as the virtual economy provides new opportunities to highly skilled, poorly paid workers from abroad.

Bob Fortier illustrates this concern with an example culled from his e-mail inbox. A Romanian computer engineer wants to do contract work for a Canadian company. His usual fee is $150 a month, but to prove his worth, he'll start off working for free.

This is typical of the hundreds of messages that the president of the Canadian Telework Association has received from people in developing countries looking for work in Canada.

"I'm continually hearing from highly educated and skilled workers overseas who are willing to work for a few dollars a day", Mr. Fortier says.  "All this is so new that it is difficult for anyone to figure out what the implications are."

And, with improved telecommunications and collaboration tools, there will soon be few barriers to prevent such workers from competing with Canadians for jobs in Canada, without ever leaving their home countries, he says.

What could be a threat to some people, however, is an advantage to others. E-lance business and technical writer Tracey Phillips, for example, says she enjoys a competitive advantage when bidding for contracts in the United States because the US dollars she earns are worth more to her at home in London, Ont.

But the difference between Canadian and US earnings palls in comparison with the typical pay of North American high-tech workers versus skilled workers in developing countries.

"Canadian brains may be draining over the wire to the US, but the reverse is also true, that we import really cheap brains form overseas," he says. "This could have serious ramifications for our culture and our economy. If we don't start preparing for this, as nation we could be in for a very rough ride and the balance of power could shift."