Toward a Wiser, More Equitable Policy on Visas for the Professional High Tech Workforce Proposal by...
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Toward a Wiser, More Equitable Policy on Visas for the
Professional High Tech Workforce
Proposal by the Programmers Guild to Representative Zoe Lofgren
About the Programmers Guild
• Founded in 1998
• The Programmers Guild promotes the interest of high tech workers in the USA
• Endorse candidates that are supportive of our goals
• Educate constituents of our local districts as to the effects of government programs that impact them financially
• See our site at http://www.programmersguild.org/american.htm for more information
Contacts
• Terry Oldberg (650) 941-0533
[email protected]• Kris Moe (408) 374-1875
[email protected]• Claude Clark (408) 433-9242
[email protected]• Norm Matloff
Background
• U.S. Code generally restricts the ability of employers to import non-immigrant workers from abroad
• Since 1998, employers have lobbied successfully for relaxation of these restrictions in relation to computer professionals
The market for professional labor has been inundated with non-
immigrant visa holders
The saturation of foreign high tech workers has negatively
impacted the domestic high tech work force
Professional Visas from 1986 to 2002
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
1986 1990 1994 1998 2002
Visas
*“Professional Visa” : an L-1, H-1B or TN visa Sources
•Visas: Nelson, G., http://www.zazona.com/ShameH1B/VisaGlut.PDF
•Degrees: National Science Foundation
Cumulative, Professional Visas vs. High Tech Jobs (millions)
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
1986 1990 1994 1998 2002
High Tech Jobs,2000
High Tech Jobs,2001
CumulativeProfessionalVisas Since 1985
Sources
•Visas: Nelson, G., http://www.zazona.com/ShameH1B/VisaGlut.PDF•Jobs: American Electronics Association
One out of five jobs in Santa Clara county has been lost since 2000
Source: San Jose Mercury News
Posted on Sat, Mar. 01, 2003
Valley of the grim191,500: JOBS LOST IN COUNTY SINCE HEIGHT OF THE BOOM, OR 1 IN 5By Margaret SteenMercury News
Updated state figures released Friday show just how devastating the downturn has been in Silicon Valley: Nearly one in five jobs in Santa Clara County has vanished since the height of the boom in December 2000.
The data also confirms what job-seekers have felt for months: The county's unemployment rate last year was worse than previously estimated, in some months almost a full percentage point higher. The revised rate was more than 8 percent for nearly all of 2002. In January, unemployment was 8.6 percent.
Jobs for Programmers Dropped 21% in Metropolitan San Jose between
2000 and 2001
0100002000030000400005000060000700008000090000
100000
2000 2001
Jobs, Computer& MathematicalOccupations(BLS data)
While the Government Handed Out Hundreds of Thousands of H-1B visas
0
20000
40000
60000
80000
100000
120000
140000
160000
180000
2000 2001
H-1B visas issued toprogrammers
Sources
Number of visas from Nelson, G., http://www.zazona.com/ShameH1B/VisaGlut.PDF Proportion of visas to programmers from INS
Economic Effects of the H-1B, L1 and TN visa programs
• Unemployed or under employed domestic workforce
• Lower average wages for professionals in the impacted industry
• Lost tax revenue for Federal, State and local agencies
• Financial ruin for many domestic workers and their families
Employers’ Arguments for Vast Numbers of Visas
• “Desperate shortage”
• Needed access to geniuses
Inconsistencies with “Shortage”
• Young, computer industry engineers make no more than young non-computer industry engineers (1998, UC Berkeley study)
• Old, computer industry engineers make less than old non-computer industry engineers (1998, UC Berkeley study)
Inconsistencies with “Shortage” (continued)
• Firms hire only a few percent of applicants for programming jobs (Matloff, “Debunking the Myth…”
• Less than 50% of computer science majors find professional-level jobs at graduation (Matloff, “Debunking the Myth…”
• 20 years after graduation, 81% of computer science majors have dropped out of their profession (Matloff, “Debunking the Myth…”
Inconsistency with “Genius”
• Number of graduate degrees in Computer Science awarded to foreign nationals: 3000 per year
• Cap on new, H-1B visas for industry: 195,000 per year
• Cap on H-1B visas for academia: none• Cap on L-1 visas: none• Cap on TN visas: none
Current Law Rejected by Citizens
• In 1998, 82 percent of a sample of adults opposed a bill "allowing U.S. companies to sponsor 190,000 additional foreign technical workers, as temporary employees for up to six years." 16 percent were in favor, while 2 percent were unsure. (Harris Poll)
Current Law Rejected by Citizens (continued)
• In 2000, 67% of a sample of residents of Southeastern Michigan opposed a bill to increase the cap on H-1B visas by 297,500 over the next 3 years. 22% supported the legislation and 11% had no opinion (Sarpolus poll)
Principles underlying a wiser, more equitable policy on visas for
programmers
• Visa programs should not negatively impact the finances of the domestic workforce
• Equal treatment of domestic workforce and visa holders
Principles (continued)
• Ability of high tech companies to hire true geniuses
• Maximization of the economic benefits, given the constraints
Proposed Law
• Visas for programmers shall be replaced by licenses to employ foreign programmers
• The government shall sell the licenses at auction to the highest bidders
• The licenses may be traded among employers at prices set by a free market
• Eliminate exemption for educational institutions
Proposal
• The Programmers Guild shall assist Representative Lofgren’s staff in drafting a law along the lines presented
• Representative Lofgren shall propose passage of this law to the U.S. House of Representatives