After almost 14 years of living and working abroad outsourcing to places like Romania, India and the Philippines, and co-founding Clark Outsourcing, I’m so excited to see America become an outsourcing destination for many Australian and European companies. And I’m even more excited to see that Forbes considers my home state of North Carolina to have the best business climate in the entire U.S. two years in a row!
$7.25 USD Minimum Wages
North Carolina still has one of the lowest minimum wages in the country at $7.25/hr. That being said, this is for an entry level employee, intern or student, while a more skilled position will cost you just a bit more to fill.
Just as important as hiring, is firing. You can fire an employee in America just as easy as saying those two words that made Trump famous, “You’re Fired!”. The labor laws are written to make sure that the employee’s job security lays in their performance and not in some bureaucratic labor laws that do more harm than good.
To give you an idea of the going wages, here’s an example of the average monthly salaries for some commonly outsourced positions…
- Accounting- $1,800 to $2,800
- Encoder- $1,440 to $2,000
- Telephone Agent- $1,440 to $2,500
- Web, Graphics/Video- $2,100 to $3,750
- Office Manager- $2,100 to $2,900
- Software Developer- $2,500 to $5,900
- Copywriter- $1,440 or $.10 per word
- Rendering & AutoCAD- $2,900 to $5,000
- Sales Agent- Commission Only*
While these rates may be much higher than what we pay in our Philippines facility, they are still almost half price of what the same position would cost in Australia, NZ, UK and other parts of the world!
Why North Carolina?
In addition to lower wages and the lowest corporate tax in the country at 3%, North Carolina also boasts some of the nation’s most highly rated Universities. Duke, UNC, Wake Forest and NC State aren’t just famous for their sports teams that pump out more all-stars than any other state but also for providing a steady supply of educated graduates into the workforce. They seem to want to stay also. Whether the graduates are from North Carolina or came from elsewhere, they always seem to prefer living here and launching their careers locally. Candidates will often turn down higher paid job offers to work in New York or California not only because the higher cost of living but also the quality of life that North Carolina has to offer with its pristine beaches and beautiful mountains.
Startup Hotspot
The low wages and surplus labor pool has turned North Carolina into a hotbed of corporate activity including IT hubs and startup incubation. Charlotte is set to overtake Atlanta as the fastest growing major city in the South and is now the home of Bank of America’s corporate headquarters. The Raleigh/Durham area has their world famous Research Triangle Park where many cutting edge technologies are developed. And Wilmington, NC with its beautiful beaches, attracts the best talent the state has to offer. Its no wonder why IBM, Lowe’s, Bank of America and 52 other major firms all have corporate offices here!
Price to Quality Ratio
A wise businessman once told me, “Cheap can be expensive.” and after outsourcing to underdeveloped countries for well over a decade, I fully understand what he was talking about. Some jobs just require a higher level of responsibility, accountability and the ability to think on one’s feet. You can say what you want about the Americans you might have seen on TV but at the end of the day, we’re the kinda people you can count on to get the job done! Hiring an American means the training curve will be lessened and you can have confidence that the work will be carried out diligently, without constant oversight.
Most work can be outsourced to our Philippines office but in that same sense, most of our clients (if not all) can also benefit from having a few key roles outsourced to an American in our new US based facility in North Carolina.
The Political Climate
No matter where in the world you are, I’m sure you’ve seen American politics in the news and of course all the funny online memes but no matter which side of the fence you are on, everyone can agree, America is Open for Business! We’ve experienced very bullish growth in our markets, have become the largest energy producer in the world, record number of companies are relocating here, record job creation, all time low unemployment among women and minorities and lots of deregulation to clear the way for more economic growth. No matter if you love or hate Trump, one thing’s for sure, this is a historical opportunity to do business in America and hire hard working Americans!
Do you have a project for me?
I am a serial entrepreneur and outsourcing consultant with over 16 years in India, Romania and the Philippines. If you are currently outsourcing, hiring remote workers or interested in expanding your business, I’d love to hear more about it.