The Globalization of R&D and Innovation, Part 4

Opening Statement By Chairman David Wu

I want to thank everyone for attending this afternoon’s hearing on The Globalization of R&D and Innovation, Part 4: Implications for the Science and Engineering Workforce. This is the final hearing in a series that the S&T Committee launched in June to learn more about how the trend towards moving R&D jobs and facilities overseas is affecting our nation’s economy and competitiveness.

So far this year, we’ve heard from economists, university presidents, industry representatives, and scholars who’ve presented a variety of interesting—and sometimes contentious—views about the topic of globalization. Next month, the Committee staff will release a report summarizing the Committee’s findings and providing us with some ideas for next steps to address the challenges our witnesses have laid out.

Today’s hearing focuses on the impacts of globalization on the American science and engineering workforce. This can sometimes be a heated issue. No one wants to think about losing their job, and today’s science and engineering graduates face an uncertain future.

I’m sure everyone here today will agree that we must find a way to help our current and future science and engineering workers better understand the challenges and opportunities facing them in the twenty-first century. They want to know which jobs will stay in the U.S., which are likely to move overseas, and what types of new opportunities will be created through globalization.

Having to adjust to realities in the labor market is nothing new. The information age has made the workforce more efficient overall, but also rendered any number of jobs obsolete through automation or consolidation or offshoring.

Today, some science and engineering jobs are moving offshore, and workers here in the United States need to adjust. Sometimes, that means finding a new field or a new company. Other times, it simply means learning new skills to remain qualified for those positions that stay in the U.S.

The problem is that many workers are often surprised by changing job availability, whether those workers are experienced professionals approaching retirement or students contemplating a science or engineering career. That unpredictability hampers decision making at the individual worker level and at the government level. Our witnesses today will help answer some of these questions about the scope of offshoring, which workers offshoring is most likely to affect, and how current science and engineering workers are responding to the challenges and opportunities of globalization.

I’m also glad that we have a representative of industry with us today to help us understand the business perspective on these workforce issues. Businesses today often are not simply employers. They provide education and training, and influence the types of education that tomorrow’s innovative scientists and engineers receive at universities. I’m hoping to learn more about the types of skills that industry will expect in the next generation of workers so that we can make policy decisions that make students more competitive.

The U.S. science and engineering workforce is the best in the world. Today’s hearing will help us better understand how to match workers’ skills and abilities with employers’ needs, thereby ensuring it remains that way for years to come.

Witnesses

Panel

4 - Mr. Paul Kostek
Vice President for Career Activities IEEE-USA IEEE-USA
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2 - Dr. Charles W. McMillion
President & Chief Economist MBG Information Services MBG Information Services
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3 - Dr. Harold Salzman
Senior Research Associate The Urban Institute The Urban Institute
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1 - Dr. Michael S. Teitelbaum
Vice President Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
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5 - Mr. Henry Becker
President Qimonda North American Corp. Qimonda North American Corp.
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