Work Abroad Is No Longer a Safe Refuge from Soft Local Markets
In the past, the international market has been a refuge for U.S. design firms facing tough times at home. But since the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks in 2001, engineers have been seriously re-examining their priorities abroad. Security has now joined payment reliability, currency stability and rule of law as a key issue to be considered.
"We've really looked at the international market with more restraint in the past three to five years than we have in the past," says Frank DeMartino, president and COO of Parsons Corp. He says the design firm is taking a cautious approach to some countries in Southeast Asia where shaky or repressive political situations may put employees at risk. DeMartino declines to identify them.