How does offshore outsourcing affect the economic impact that EBT has on states?
The economic impact of call center outsourcing is minimal. The overwhelming amount of work required to develop and maintain an EBT system is performed in the U.S. Most EBT contractors have full-time staffs of between 150 and 300 people. These are highly paid professional positions–computer programmers, system engineers, project managers, and professional staff in the areas of marketing, accounting, and law–that are created to build and manage the EBT systems. In addition, all EBT contractors subcontract various assignments to other U.S.-based companies–including small, minority, women, disabled and veteran-owned businesses–for work performed on these projects. This EBT activity creates additional highly paid professional jobs. The net impact of EBT on a state or national job market, therefore, is overwhelmingly positive. This does not even include the cost savings to states and taxpayers associated with the conversion of paper food stamp programs to EBT.
