Final answer:
Outsourcing has expanded from manufacturing to include white-collar sectors and even highly skilled positions, not just low-skilled jobs. Service jobs, such as lawn care and hotel services, cannot be outsourced due to their local necessity and are less affected by global competition.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that outsourcing is currently restricted to manufacturing and low-skilled jobs is not entirely accurate. Originally, outsourcing did begin primarily in the manufacturing sector, moving jobs to developing nations which impacted the number of high-paying, often unionized, blue-collar jobs available. However, over time, outsourcing has expanded beyond manufacturing into the white-collar sector, affecting low-level clerical and support positions, as seen in international technical-support call centers located in places like Mumbai, India, and Newfoundland, Canada. Moreover, as companies streamline their structures and undergo industry consolidations through mergers, even managerial positions are being outsourced. Thus, highly educated skilled workers, including computer programmers, have also witnessed their jobs being offshored.
Contrarily, some low-skilled U.S. workers are employed in service jobs that cannot be easily replaced by imports from low-wage countries due to the nature of these services, such as lawn care or hotel maid services. Therefore, for these jobs, competition from imported products is not the primary determinant of wages.