October 13, 2011

Dear GSN Colleagues:

For over 8 years John Goyer, Vice President of the Coalition of Service Industries, has been sending you information relevant to our shared services interests. I am very happy to announce that Jane Drake-Brockman, founder of the Australian Services Roundtable, and a member of the Hong Kong Executive Committee of the Coalition of Service Industries and dedicated proponent of our cause, has joined John as co-coordinator of the GSN.  We all welcome your suggestions for announcements - conferences, events, new research, etc. - which we will be glad to disseminate to the 5,000 plus addresses on our network.

Bob Vastine

President, CSI

U.S. Business Groups Hail Passage of FTAs with Korea, Colombia, Panama

U.S. business groups, including the Coalition of Service Industries, enthusiastically welcomed the October 12 passage by the U.S. Congress of free trade agreements with Korea, Colombia, and Panama.   The agreements contain comprehensive provisions to open trade and investment in services with all three countries.  For background on the Korea agreement, click here. For background on the Colombia and Panama agreements, click here.  

Global Trade in Services: Fear, Facts, and Offshoring

A new book by Brad Jensen of the Petersen Institute, entitled "Global Trade in Services: Fear, Facts, and Offshoring" provides a comprehensive discussion of questions such as:  Which services are tradable? Which services will become tradable tomorrow? How many jobs are in tradable services? Which service jobs are likely to face competition from low- wage, labor-abundant countries such as India?  One reason that answers to these and other questions about services are hard to come by is the lack of detailed official statistical data on services in general and trade in services in particular.

This book draws a more detailed picture of U.S. services in the national and global economies. It attempts to provide the most comprehensive fact base on services to date, a framework for interpreting the facts, and answers to the many questions that trade in the service sector raises. The book includes a series of policy recommendations to promote increased U.S. access to foreign market services, and addresses fears concerning off-shoring of U.S. services activities, finding that they are greatly overstated.  Extracts of the book are available by clicking here .   

Malaysia's 2012 Budget Outlines Service Sector Liberalization

In his 2012 budget speech on October 7, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib announced a series of measures to spur private investment and accelerated growth, including liberalization of several service sectors.  The budget specifies that up to 100% foreign equity will be allowed in private hospital services, medical and dental specialists services, architectural services, engineering, accounting and taxation, legal services, courier services, education and training services, and telecommunication services.  The service sector accounts for almost 58% of Malaysia's GDP, and the government forecasts 6.5% expansion for the sector next year.  For a copy of the budget, click here.