As of January 2008, Cisco had 1,504 U.S. job openings that require a B.A., professional degree or higher.
Breaking news: Cisco gets help in H-1B visa crisis from Department of Homeland Security
The supply of H-1B visas has been exhausted before the start of each of the past four fiscal years.
"Unfortunately, there is currently a shortage of U.S. workers with the skills necessary to fill certain types of engineering and science positions," said Heather Dickinson - Public Relations for Cisco.
"This leaves Cisco and other U.S. companies at a competitive disadvantage if we cannot access the best and the brightest workers."
"Therefore, we support an increase in the number of H-1B workers allowed in the United States this year as part of an overall strategy to boost U.S. competitiveness."
"We are also advocating for a greater emphasis on math and science education so that U.S. students have the skills necessary to fill these types of positions,"
 "I think we're still job-constrained in terms of IT talent, whether it's in this country or around the world," said John Chambers - Cisco CEO. |
"It's something I would like to see us be more aggressive on in terms of our immigration policy for people with college degrees, especially in high-tech that we expand the H-1B status capability, because each person that we bring to this country to put in engineering and high-tech generates two to three other jobs in my company, a good three to five jobs in the local economy ... Having said that, we're going to go wherever the talent is in the world, not as a labor arbitrage play but it is a focus on the war for talent and getting the best and the brightest around the world be a part of Cisco which we are clearly trying to do."
Because of multi-year waits for green cards, which allow for permanent residence, H-1Bs have become crucial to retaining skilled talent in America, otherwise skilled foreign nationals, particularly graduates of U.S. universities, generally cannot work or remain in the United States.
The current annual level of H-1Bs is about the same level as in 1990, even though the U.S. Gross Domestic Product has risen by 64 percent (from $8.5 trillion to $14 trillion) over the past 17 years, while the demand for skilled labor, particularly in technical fields, has also risen.
A large portion of the students that U.S. employers find when they go to recruit from American graduate school programs are foreign.
In 2005, foreign nationals (international students) received 55 percent of electrical engineering master’s degrees and 42 percent of computer science master’s degrees.
In 2006, 73% of new electrical engineering Ph.D.s were granted to international students, as were 64% of all engineering Ph.D.s awarded, according to the National Science Foundation.
Recent history shows the market has determined the use of H-1B visas.
When Congress raised the annual limit to 195,000 a year in FY 2002 and 2003, in both years fewer than 80,000 visas were issued against the cap, leaving 230,000 H-1B visas unused in those two years.
In other words, firms did not hire more H-1Bs just because the cap was higher.
If, as critics allege, companies saved money because hiring H-1Bs is cheaper, then businesses should have used more H-1Bs when the economy worsened in 2002 and 2003, not fewer, as the data show.
Talent Search: Job openings and the need for skilled labor in the U.S. economy
Data show that for every H-1B position requested, U.S. technology companies increase their employment by 5 workers.
This is particularly remarkable since the actual number of people hired on H-1B visas is likely to be much lower than the total number of applications filed with the Department of Labor.
Source: National Foundation for American Policy; Hoover’s, U.S. Department of Labor.
Notes: Data are for S&P 500 technology companies.
Labor condition applications (LCA) are for the prior year.
Do YOU believe Cisco needs to hire more U.S. employees through the H-1B Visa program?
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Brad Reese cofounded BradReese.Com Cisco Refurbished which offers one year warranties on Cisco Refurbished and Cisco Repair.
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Is Cisco hiring?
I am not sure, but there are some reports circulating that Cisco has a hiring freeze in place and is cutting expenses. Here's one example:
http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/27/technology/moritz_cisco.fortune/?postversion=2008032715
I think the macro slowdown is hitting networking equipment harder than most areas.
Curious what you think, Brad, and what other readers are hearing.
Looks like Cisco my have to
Looks like Cisco my have to hire some Americans. I don't see the problem really.
Hire Americans!
I totally agree with this post. So succinctly stated with an obvious strong point. I don't see the problem either. Well Done!
I totally agree! I have
I totally agree! I have about 8 years of experience and hold CCNP, MCSE and number of other certification, but I didn't even get a phone interview from Cisco.
If they really wanted people...
... they'd be a lot more aggressive in recruiting. I have an MS in electrical engineering, an MBA, both from top 5 schools in the US, in the top 20% of my class in each, and I have ~7 years of experience. I'm a US citizen.
So far out of the ~20 positions I've applied to at Cisco, I've been interviewed for a total of 1, and that includes phone screens.
Given my experience, I find it hard to believe that they've completely tapped into the US talent pool.
It's not that you are not qualified, or that you do not fit...
Wat it boils down to is MONEY. Your education and natural born US citizenship means you will want a white man's wages for a white man's job.
BUT Cisco would prefer to increase the number of H1-B visa's to our country because they can be hired at 1/2 to 2/3'rds the cost of a US citizen like yourself.
And then hey have the bold faced audacity to go on as though it is a cryin shame that the US just does not have the educational foundation to fill the pipeline of need.
The pipeline they wish to fill is the cheapest labor they can and that's the truth. If the H1 visas were just as expensive as the Americans do you think Cisco and others would be going on about how much they wish they could get more of these H1's in each year to fill much needed openings? Hell no. As you state, you are'nt even being given a second look by Cisco becasue you were bron and raised here and that means you will demand too much money for their tastes.
I'm sure we'd also have a
I'm sure we'd also have a shortage of lawyers if they were paid the same as IT professionals.
Cisco vacancy rate
If you add these vacancies to Cisco's 61,535 employees the vacancy rate would be 2.39%
Otherwise the vacancies are 2.44% without adding.
The current BLS unemployment rate for college graduates in February 2008 = 2.1% (944,000).
U.S. colleges granted 616,000 Science & Engineering degrees in 2005 (Bachelors, Masters, Doctorate), of these 62,700 were awarded to temporary residents.
National Science Foundation: "Science and Engineering Indicators 2008"
Chapter 2. Section: Higher Education in Science and Engineering
http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind08/c2/c2s4.htm
H-1B crisis: Cisco has 1,504 U.S. job openings to fill
Please correct me if I am wrong. From what I understand, the majority of international students (especially post graduate) are fully subsidized by their governments or private industry (most likely owned by their governments). If these degree types are as much sought after in the US tech industry as we hear, why doesn't our government or corporate America give US citizens/students a real break/advanatage by doing the same. That is they should fully subsidize US citizen/students who are academically capable but financially/economically unable to pursue this level of education without burying themselves in student loan debt while trying to support themselves and a family. You cannot tell me with a straight face that we cannot find 200, 300 or even 400K capable US citizens out of a US population of over 300 million. There is a very simple solution to this problem. Level the playing field by giving US citizens an even or better chance to compete with foreign citizens by funding US students fully. I am so sick of our government letting this kind of crap happen to our own folks. No apologies for the long post. Speak the truth!
Exchange student funding information
Check these FulBright funding numbers for 2005
"Fulbright Program awards approximately 6,000 new grants annually."
http://exchanges.state.gov/education/fulbright/ffsb/annualreport/2006/facts_figures.pdf
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE CONGRESSIONAL ALLOCATION $158,354,000
after rescission
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CONGRESSIONAL ALLOCATION $ 12,737,279
FOREIGN GOVERNMENT* DIRECT FINANCIAL AND IN-KIND SUPPORT $ 40,115,817
PRIVATE SECTOR** U.S. DIRECT FINANCIAL AND IN-KIND SUPPORT $ 47,660,213
OVERSEAS PRIVATE CONTRIBUTIONS AND IN-KIND SUPPORT $ 14,729,483
TOTAL FUNDING $273,596,792