Joe Lieberman: “on December 15, 2004, my office released a white paper entitled ``Data Dearth in Offshore Outsourcing: Policymaking…”

“on December 15, 2004, my office released a white paper entitled ``Data Dearth in Offshore Outsourcing: Policymaking Requires Facts.'' This white paper is closely linked to a previous white paper entitled ``Offshore Outsourcing and America's Competitive Edge: Losing Out in the High Technology R&D and Services Sectors.'' The latter was released by my office in May 2004. A key conclusion of the May paper was the absence of reliable data to measure and assess the offshore outsourcing phenomenon. We do not have good data on the offshoring problem, and the data we have are general in nature. Estimates vary widely on the number of jobs moving overseas, and the lack of reliable data contributes to incorrect conclusions about the impacts of offshore outsourcing, which can result in flawed policy responses. We need data to understand what we are facing so we can chart a sure and steady course for the future.”