the.world.is.flat-第63节

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60　percent　of　all　bachelor's　degrees　earned　in　China；　33　percent　in　South　Korea；　and　
41　percent　in　Taiwan。　By　contrast；　the　percentage　of　those　taking　a　bachelor's　degree　
in　science　
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and　engineering　in　the　United　States　remains　at　roughly　31　percent。　Factoring　out　
science　degrees；　the　number　of　Americans　who　graduate　with　just　engineering　degrees　
is　5　percent；　as　compared　to　25　percent　in　Russia　and　46　percent　in　China；　according　
to　a　2004　report　by　Trilogy　Publications；　which　represents　the　national　U。S。　
engineering　professional　association。　
The　United　States　has　always　depended　on　the　inventiveness　of　its　people　in　order　
to　compete　in　the　world　marketplace；　said　the　NSB。　〃Preparation　of　the　S&E　workforce　
is　a　vital　arena　for　national　competitiveness。　＇But＇　even　if　action　is　taken　today　
to　change　these　trends；　the　reversal　is　10　to　20　years　away。〃　The　students　entering　
the　science　and　engineering　workforce　with　advanced　degrees　in　2004　decided　to　take　
the　necessary　math　courses　to　enable　this　career　path　when　they　were　in　middle　school；　
up　to　fourteen　years　ago；　the　NSB　noted。　The　students　making　that　same　decision　in　
middle　school　today　won't　complete　advanced　training　for　science　and　engineering　
occupations　until　2018　or　2020。　〃If　action　is　not　taken　now　to　change　these　trends；　
we　could　reach　2020　and　find　that　the　ability　of　U。S。　research　and　education　
institutions　to　regenerate　has　been　damaged　and　that　their　preeminence　has　been　lost　
to　other　areas　of　the　world；〃　the　science　board　said。　
These　shortages　could　not　be　happening　at　a　worse　time…just　when　the　world　is　going　
flat。　〃The　number　of　jobs　requiring　science　and　engineering　skills　in　the　U。S。　labor　
force；〃　the　NSB　said；　〃is　growing　almost　5　percent　per　year。　In　comparison；　the　rest　
of　the　labor　force　is　growing　at　just　over　1　percent。　Before　September　11；　2001；　the　
Bureau　of　Labor　Statistics　（BLS）　projected　that　science　and　engineering　occupations　
would　increase　at　three　times　the　rate　of　all　occupations。〃　Unfortunately；　the　NSB　
reported；　the　average　age　of　the　science　and　engineering　workforce　is　rising。　
〃Many　of　those　who　entered　the　expanding　S&E　workforce　in　the　1960s　and　1970s　（the　
baby　boom　generation）　are　expected　to　retire　in　the　next　twenty　years；　and　their　
children　are　not　choosing　science　and　engineering　careers　in　the　same　numbers　as　their　
parents；〃　the　NSB　report　said。　〃The　percentage　of　women；　for　example；　choosing　math　
and　computer　science　careers　fell　4　percentage　points　between　1993　and　1999。〃　
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The　2002　NSB　indicators　showed　that　the　number　of　science　and　engineering　Ph。D。's　
awarded　in　the　United　States　dropped　from　29；000　in　1998　to　27；000　in　1999。　The　total　
number　of　engineering　undergraduates　in　America　fell　about　12　percent　between　the　


mid…1980s　and　1998。　
Nevertheless；　America's　science　and　engineering　labor　force　grew　at　a　rate　well　above　
that　of　America's　production　of　science　and　engineering　degrees；　because　a　large　
number　of　foreign…born　S&E　graduates　migrated　to　the　United　States。　The　proportion　
of　foreign…born　students　in　S&E　fields　and　workers　in　S&E　occupations　continued　to　
rise　steadily　in　the　1990s。　The　NSB　said　that　persons　born　outside　the　United　States　
accounted　for　14　percent　of　all　S&E　occupations　in　1990。　Between　1990　and　2000；　the　
proportion　of　foreign…born　people　with　bachelor's　degrees　in　S&E　occupations　rose　
from　11　to　17　percent；　the　proportion　of　foreign…born　with　master's　degrees　rose　from　
19　to　29　percent；　and　the　proportion　of　foreign…born　with　Ph。D。's　in　the　S&E　labor　
force　rose　from　24　to　38　percent。　By　attracting　scientists　and　engineers　born　and　
trained　in　other　countries　we　have　maintained　the　growth　of　the　S&Elabor　force　without　
a　commensurate　increase　in　support　for　the　long…term　costs　of　training　and　attracting　
native　U。S　citizens　to　these　fields；　the　NSB　said。　
But　now；　the　simultaneous　flattening　and　wiring　of　the　world　have　made　it　much　easier　
for　foreigners　to　innovate　without　having　to　emigrate。　They　can　now　do　world…class　
work　for　world…class　companies　at　very　decent　wages　without　ever　having　to　leave　home。　
As　Allan　E。　Goodman；　president　of　the　Institute　of　International　Education；　put　it；　
〃When　the　world　was　round；　they　could　not　go　back　home；　because　there　was　no　lab　to　
go　back　to　and　no　Internet　to　connect　to。　But　now　all　those　things　are　there；　so　they　
are　going　back。　Now　they　are　saying；　'I　feel　more　comfortable　back　home。　I　can　live　
more　comfortably　back　home　than　in　New　York　City　and　I　can　do　good　work；　so　why　not　
go　back？'〃　This　trend　started　even　before　the　visa　hassles　brought　on　by　9/11；　said　
Goodman。　〃The　brain　gain　started　to　go　to　brain　drain　around　the　year　2000。〃　
As　the　NSB　study　noted；　〃Since　the　1980s　other　countries　have　increased　investment　
in　S&E　education　and　the　S&E　workforce　at　higher　rates　than　the　United　States　has。　
Between　1993　and　1997；　the　OECD　countries　＇Organization　for　Economic　Co…operation　
and　Development；　

a　group　of　40　nations　with　highly　developed　market　economies＇　increased　their　number　
of　S&E　research　jobs　23　percent；　more　than　twice　the　11　percent　increase　in　S&E　
research　jobs　in　the　United　States。〃　
In　addition；　it　said；　visas　for　students　and　S&E　workers　have　been　issued　more　slowly　
since　the　events　of　September　11；　owing　to　both　increased　security　restrictions　and　
a　drop　in　applications。　The　U。S。　State　Department　issued　20　percent　fewer　visas　for　
foreign　students　in　2001　than　in　2000；　and　the　rate　fell　farther　in　subsequent　years。　
While　university　presidents　told　me　in　2004　that　the　situation　was　getting　better；　
and　that　the　Department　of　Homeland　Security　was　trying　to　both　speed　up　and　simplify　
its　visa　procedures　for　foreign　students　and　scientists；　a　lot　of　damage　has　been　
done；　and　the　situation　for　foreign　students　or　scientists　wanting　to　work　in　any　
areas　deemed　to　have　national　security　implications　is　becoming　a　real　problem。　No　
wonder　New　York　Times　education　writer　Sam　Dillon　reported　on　December　21；　2004；　that　
〃foreign　applications　to　American　graduate　schools　declined　28　percent　this　year。　
Actual　foreign　graduate　student　enrollments　dropped　6　percent。　Enrollments　of　all　


foreign　students；　in　undergraduate；　graduate　and　postdoctoral　programs；　fell　for　the　
first　time　in　three　decades　in　an　annual　census　released　this　fall。　Meanwhile；　
university　enrollments　have　been　surging　in　England；　Germany　and　other　countries。　。　。　
Chinese　applications　to　American　graduate　schools　fell　45　percent　this　year；　while　
several　European　countries　announced　surges　in　Chinese　enrollment。〃　
Dirty　Little　Secret　#2：　The　Ambition　Gap　
The　second　dirty　little　secret；　which　several　prominent　American　CEOs　told　me　only　
in　a　whisper；　goes　like　this：　When　they　send　jobs　abroad；　they　not　only　save　75　percent　
on　wages；　they　get　a　100　percent　increase　in　productivity。　Part　of　that　is　
understandable。　When　you　take　a　low…wage；　low…prestige　job　in　America；　like　a　call　
center　operator；　and　bring　it　over　to　India；　where　it　becomes　a　high…wage；　
high…prestige　job；　
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you　end　up　with　workers　who　are　paid　less　but　motivated　more。　〃The　dirty　little　secret　
is　that　not　only　is　＇outsourcing＇　cheaper　and　efficient；〃　the　American　CEO　of　a　
London…headquartered　multinational　told　me；　〃but　the　quality　and　productivity　＇boost＇　
is　huge。〃　In　addition　to　the　wage　compression；　he　said；　one　Bangalore　Indian　retrained　
will　do　the　work　of　two　or　three　Europeans；　and　the　Bangalore　employees　don't　take　
six　weeks　of　holidays。　〃When　you　think　it's　only　about　wages；〃　he　added；　〃you　can　
still　hold　your　dignity；　but　the　fact　that　they　work　better　is　awful。〃　
A　short　time　after　returning　from　India；　I　was　approached　in　an　airport　by　a　young　
man　who　wanted　to　talk　about　some　columns　I　had　written　from　there。　We　had　a　nice　
chat；　I　asked　him　for　his　card；　and　we　struck　up　an　e…mail　friendship。　His　name　is　
Mike　Arguello；　and　he　is　an　IT　systems　architect　living　in　San　Antonio。　He　does　
high…end　IT　systems　design　and　does　not　feel　threatened　by　foreign　competition。　He　
also　teaches　computer　science。　When　I　asked　him　what　we　needed　to　do　in　America　to　
get　our　edge　back；　he　sent　me　this　e…mail：　
I　taught　at　a　local　university。　It　was　disheartening　to　see　the　poor　work　ethic　of　
many　of　my　students。　Of　the　students　I　taught　over　six　semesters；　I'd　only　consider　
hiring　two　of　them。　The　rest　lacked　the　creativity；　problem…solving　abilities　and　
passion　for　learning。　As　you　well　know；　India's　biggest　advantage　over　the　Chinese　
and　Russians　is　that　they　speak　English。　But　it　would　be　wrong　to　assume　the　top　Indian　
developers　are　better　than　their　American　counterparts。　The　advantage　they　have　is　
the　number　of　bodies　they　can　throw　at　a　problem。　The　Indians　that　I　work　with　are　
the　cream　of　the　crop。　They　are　educated　by　the　equivalents　of　MIT　back　in　India　and　
there　are　plenty　of　them。　If　you　were　to　follow　me　in　my　daily　meetings　it　would　become　
very　obvious　that　a　great　deal　of　my　time　is　spent　working　with　Indians。　Most　managers　
are　probably　still　under　the　impression　that　all　Indians　are　doing　is　lower…end