Outsourced! (ATOM Study Guide)

Outsourced! explores the experiences of young people working in call centres in India and Australia. Never before have national borders been so porous. Technological advances mean a call-centre operator in India can now answer calls from consumers in the United States, Europe and Australia, as well as other developed countries.

To many observers, outsourcing represents a new frontier of globalization, pitting workers around the world against each other in the battle for jobs and the pursuit of lower operating costs and higher profits for business.

Over the past five years, India has emerged as the leader in this new global market that threatens white-collar office jobs in developed countries. Outsourced! portrays a defining moment for both India and Australia, where there are new career opportunities for Indian workers and uncertain futures for their Australian counterparts. The film profiles the lives of four young Indian women who work in outsourcing jobs at a company called Genpact. They see their work as an exciting opportunity and an important source of income for their families. They take their jobs seriously and believe their roles are an important step towards financial security and professional advancement. By way of contrast, the film also canvasses the experiences of four Australian call-centre workers who do not consider their jobs as careers. They are young, itinerant workers who, despite earning up to five times the wage of their Indian counterparts, do not regard their jobs as being long-term prospects.

Through the eyes of the Indian women, the documentary explores how the outsourcing industry is dramatically changing Indian culture, turning cities like Gurgaon, located on the outskirts of New Delhi, into technological boomtowns. However, in the sweeping global trend to outsource white-collar work, even India is not safe. Already it is vying with other developing countries, illustrating that in this new era of globalization, no country has an iron grip over job security.

Outsourced! is also available to purchase on DVD here. Outsourced! is also available to stream for 3-day rental and 1-year rental here.