The U.S. economy is recovering, but employment continues to lag. Experts blame some of the joblessness on the job-exporting phenomenon known as offshoring. Well-trained, low-wage workers in India, China and other developing countries make exporting American jobs attractive, along with the widespread availability of high-speed Internet connections. In addition, millions of foreign professionals have entered the U.S. work force using temporary visas, while millions more undocumented foreign workers from Mexico and Latin America have found low-wage jobs in the U.S. thanks to lax immigration and border-control policies. Offshoring proponents say paying lower wages reduces the cost of goods and raises profits, ultimately enabling U.S. companies to create better-paying jobs for Americans. Critics say offshoring simply eliminates good jobs.

Mary H. Cooper specializes in environmental, energy and defense issues. Before joining CQ Researcher as a staff writer in 1983, she was a reporter and Washington correspondent for the Rome daily newspaper l'Unita. She is the author of The Business of Drugs (CQ Press, 1990). She also is a contract translator-interpreter for the U.S. State Department. Cooper graduated from Hollins College in English.