Outsourcing backwards

News of U.S. tech workers moving to India for jobs has been around for some time, and you can’t blame them. While the U.S. tech market is rife with massive layoffs, India seems to be in a state of constant growth, and the lower cost of living allows programmers and project managers to live like investment bankers in New Delhi or Bangalore.  

But here’s a twist I didn’t expect: The BBC is reporting that the jobs in India are starting to pay wages competitive with jobs in the U.S., and Indian firms are starting to go after U.S. talent.

Home-grown Indian companies are now not afraid to poach the best talent from their international competitors, matching their salaries and perks in India.

And these aren’t just C-level executives.

Infosys Technologies, based in the southern city of Bangalore, has begun to hire Americans at grassroots management level and in software development units.

Of course, the higher costs are now pushing Indian companies to seek their own outsourcing alternatives. In July, India’s Aditya Birla Group acquired Minacs Worldwide, one of Canada’s largest outsourcing management companies. Indian firms are finding that outsourcing their work to Canada cuts telecom costs and reduces the language barrier for providing services to the U.S.

For years there’s been debate over whether or not the Silicon Valley model could be exported to other regions. Looks like we now have our answer.

BONUS: No conversation about outsourcing is complete without a link to Conan O’Brien’s brilliant 2004 sketch on the subject.