States Offshoring Human Services Jobs

There is a cruel irony that a majority of states are offshoring jobs involved in operating food stamps, family assistance and unemployment insurance. The federal Government Accountability Office issued a report last week finding that 43 out of 50 states offshore jobs administering at least one federal aid program. These offshoring programs are justified as saving taxpayer money, but it is a short-sighted policy that doesn't concentrate on using public funds to employ the poor and unemployed. Two states—New Jersey and Arizona—have prohibited offshoring in state contracts, but most states don't even require disclsoure when public money sends jobs overseas.