*if you know what you're doing.*

Well there is the rub, Rawmustard. Most non IT people don't have
a clue what they are doing, when it comes to IT. I was quite shocked
about 4 years ago, when a friend tried to get somebody local to
put a few webpages online for him and sell some stuff online. The
quotes were ridiculous!

So now just about every medium to large company, Govt dept etc, has
an IT dept and some people local. When the computers stop, the whole
company stops and ringing India is not going to fix it. Yes some
stuff can be subbed out to India etc, but as the net increases, that
still means a huge amount of jobs here. Just look at companies like
Atlassian, ARG etc and what they are doing here, with local people.

Or even local designing locally and flogging stuff on the small time,
like the Wally mob. The thing is, the net allows innovation to
flourish.

Yabby, not sure how IR works in the US, but here, unless you sign people up, it's simply not worth the hassle to employ for the odd job, unless of cause if you pay cash, which is often the case, but it's also illegal.

Even if you employ a person as a contractor, in most cases you have to pay super, as the law states that if you give clear instruction as to what has to be done, they are deemed not to be a contractor.

Now for this who think online provides the same number of jobs, pull the other one I say, as having been in retail all my life, there are huge costs savings in online selling. HUGE!

Plus there is far less waste, something else that creates Jonson, dealing with waste.

*Now for this who think online provides the same number of jobs, pull the other one I say, as having been in retail all my life, there are huge costs savings in online selling. HUGE!*

So Rehctub, what do you think that people do with the money that they
save?

""" The quotes were ridiculous! """

Perhaps the quotes reflect the cost of living in Australian cities, Yabby?

""" has an IT dept and some people local. """

That's the point though, Yabby. "Some people local". IOW, the heavy lifting is done in another country and we have a few burger flippers here to turn the power on and off. Hardly a great career doncha think?

""" The thing is, the net allows innovation to flourish. """

No argument there, Yabby, it's a great thing for sure. But in what country is the majority of employment going to occur as a result of all this new innovation? So far India and China have seen the most benefit due to running costs. Where's your pad come from, Yabby? and where was it programmed?

*Perhaps the quotes reflect the cost of living in Australian cities, Yabby?*

More like the Aussie way of doing business, Rawmustard. Ooh a customer, time to screw him for every cent! There is no need to charge thousands of dollars a page, for what even I could do some years ago, with a simple programme.

*the heavy lifting is done in another country *

Well clearly not, or there would not be 13'500 vacant IT jobs in Sydney alone on Seek, never mind the many who already have a job in
IT. Aussies clearly can't be bothered, when its easier to flip burgers.

*Where's your pad come from, Yabby? and where was it programmed?*

The Economist actually did an analysis on that. Most of the profits
from an Ipad, goes to the Americans. Parts come from Japan, USA,
Korea, Germany, Taiwan, assembly is in China. Software is American. Apps
are written around the world, wherever there is talent. Angry Birds
was written in Finland and earned them 600 million $. Even you can
create an App and market it through the Apple website.

For every negative you can find, as in the few posts above more positives exist.
Rechtub if it was not snags you sold,you may well have used the net, and even an over seas call service.
Have we the right to say no one should, how would the affect world trade, our business out comes? if we put fences up would others?
Australian firms, not all some, actually promise you will be answered by an Australian, as a sales point.
I note your admit-ion it is less costly to trade on line,this answers your own question to yabby, yes newspapers are in decline.
Yabby,s work site is working, just as I highlighted world ownership of I pads and portable computers, unbelievable but true numbers.
Australia is said to have a black market[cash]economy in the many billions.
And only this weekend, news that sale of second hand goods is in the same range, mostly on the net.
By the way, using the net a whole cut up carcase, beef, or sheep, can arrive at my door in 24 hours.