Apr 1, 2006

Insourcing 101

There's no doubt that American workers have suffered from globalization and the outsourcing of jobs overseas. But globalization isn't all bad. During the past few years, many U.S. states have experienced a jump in the number of residents employed by foreign firms. Here's a sampling of the data.

 

Jobs coming and going

  • 5.3 million
    Number of people employed by U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies in 2003
  • 134,000
    Approximate number of U.S. jobs outsourced in 2003

Top foreign employers in U.S.

Country Number of U.S. Employees
United Kingdom 995,800
Germany 673,800
Japan 599,000
Netherlands 502,700
France 451,800
Switzerland 431,100
Canada 394,100
Sweden 220,900
Italy 89,400
Australia 58,800

States with the most workers employed by foreign companies

Gained foreign jobs since 2000

  • Maryland: +54%
  • Florida: +31%
  • Wisconsin: +21%
  • Massachusetts: +20%
  • Missouri: +18%
  • Connecticut: +17%
  • New York: +17%
  • California: +15%
  • Illinois: +14%
  • New Jersey: +11%
  • Texas: +10%
  • Virginia: +10%
  • South Carolina: +9%
  • Georgia: +6%
  • Pennsylvania: +6%

Lost foreign jobs since 2000

  • Tennessee: -1%
  • Michigan: -2%
  • North Carolina: -2%
  • Indiana: -4%
  • Ohio: -7%

Darren Dahl is a contributing editor at Inc. Magazine, which he has written for since 2004. He also works as a collaborative writer and editor and has partnered with several high-profile authors. Dahl lives in Asheville, NC.