When we are having the worst job market in modern times for tech professionals, why are employers allowed to bring in huge numbers of foreigners to take these jobs? These people are totally beholdin to their employers, they work in almost slave status for up to 6 years, after which many return to their native lands with valuable U.S. experience, and compete with U.S. techs at a small fraction of their wage. This giveaway of American technology fuels China's ascent as a great technological power, and the countless WMD programs around the globe.
Doc
Simplistic terms, it may be a "reverse brain drain" - but that is very simplistic. The students came here on scholarships, worked in the industries of choice, when they had no work, they went back to their native country, and put "educated and worked in USA" on their resume.
IMO, that is an oversimplification of the case. I'll give my personal example, although I know others in similar situations.
I left India in 1986 for New Zealand, I left NZ in 1996 for the US. In 2003 I became a US citizen. Thru all this time, I was an IT person, and as my career progressed my wages increased. In 2001 I got laid off. First 6 months I looked around, there was nothing available for any wages. Then I said, OK lets look for something that pays the bills. Started off as a bartender (tips are good in the US!), became eventually the restaurant manager, also worked at McDonalds flipping burgers, and now am a bar manager at a local pub.
The money is a fraction of what I used to make - but it pays the bills for now.
To end this story, in Q12004, I plan on visiting Australia and India, to see if I can get work in my original area of competence. The pay in absolute terms does not matter to me - I look at it relative to the expenses incurred. |
