Outsourcing, sending American jobs abroad to cut costs, has become a major issue in the upcoming presidential election. According to financier Sam Zell outsourcing is having a positive effect on the economy by making it more competitive and producing more entrepreneurship. There is evidence that many laid-off workers are starting their own businesses. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, last year the number of self-employed workers rose by 421,000, to 9.3 million, up 5 percent from 2002.
See "Outsourcing boon for U.S., Zell says", Greg Burns, Chicago Tribune, March 28, 2004