EMPLOYABILITY: THE KEY TO SURVIVAL

In a recent address to the nation, the US president Mr. Barack Obama, while referring to the rising unemployment, called upon young Americans to take on folks in Bangalore and Beijing, meaning that they should work harder to challenge the competition brought forth by the fast developing Asian economic giants. He did not mean to take on the challengers physically, but to improve ones own educational and performance levels to make Americans more competitive.

The secret behind America’s growth as a global economic and military power is that it brought into the country the best brains and talents from all over the world, regardless of the race, color or religious faith and provided them opportunity in excel in their own field. Today, you find more immigrant settlers contributing to the national development than Native Americans.

What caused the current recession in the US was that it was caught napping while developing Asian economies were preparing to capitalize on the opportunities that came along with globalization. In the past, the US has remained an imposing global power unchallenged almost for half a century since the end of the Second World War, and this resulted in complacency in every walk of life with the assumption that all good things will always remain for ever. The collapse of Berlin wall and the break up of the former Soviet Union that followed re-doubled the belief that they were untouchable.

However, the arrival of fiber optic cable changed the scenario and enabled high speed communication between countries resulting in thousands of jobs being outsourced to developing nations that helped to cut down costs considerably. The Americans were caught off guard when companies started shifting their backroom jobs to Asian destinations where cheap, but highly skilled labor force was available. India, China and other South Asian countries were quick to encash the opportunity.

Mumbai has a similar status like the US in that what made it the commercial capital of the country is the contribution from people all over the country. If TATAs, Birlas, Ambanis, Hindujas and Ruias invested in manufacturing, the Kapoors, Khans and Bachans contributed to the film industry. Mumbai could not have built so many high rise buildings without Andra workers and the middle class would have starved without Udupi restaurants. Other people played supportive roles in making the Mumbai of today.

The local Mumbaikar, unfortunately, was not fast enough to adapt to the changing situation and outsiders who were more adaptable grabbed the opportunity. Politicians have been demanding jobs for local people and earn cheap popularity, even resorting to violent means, but, surely, this is not a winning strategy in the long run. Intimidating potential employers in the name of regional politics will only result in the flight of jobs out of the state. Empowering the local people by creating more opportunities to horn their skills will be the only viable solution in this era of globalization.