U.S. companies that apply for controversial H-1B visas create additional jobs beyond the positions filled by foreign workers, according to a study released Monday by a pro-immigration think tank.

For every H-1B position requested, tech companies listed on the S&P 500 stock index increased their employment by five workers in an analysis of 2002 to 2005, according to a study by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP). For tech firms with fewer than 5,000 employees, each H-1B request corresponded with an average increase of 7.5 workers, the group said.

In addition, NFAP looked at the number of job openings at tech firms and defense contractors and found 140,000 job openings at S&P 500 firms in January, including more than 4,000 job openings at Microsoft, more than 1,600 openings at both IBM and CSC, and more than 1,500 openings at Cisco. After Microsoft, the company with the most job openings, were defense contractors Northrup Grumman and Lockheed Martin, each with more than 3,900 job openings, according to a second study by NFAP.

Tech companies in particular are seeing huge shortages of qualified workers, said Christopher Hansen, president and CEO of the American Electronics Association (AEA), a large trade group. "The reality is that this nation is today the leader in technology and the technology industries," he said. "To be able to maintain that lead, our companies need access to a highly educated workforce."

These job shortages could continue without a change in the U.S. government's H-1B visa policy, added Stuart Anderson, NFAP's executive director. Currently, the yearly cap on H-1Bs is 65,000, not including an additional 20,000 set aside for foreign students with advanced degrees at U.S. universities, and in recent years, the yearly cap has been filled within days after applications are available.

"We don't see these types of job openings as a temporary phenomenon," Anderson said. "They really should be seen as a longer term trend . . . of U.S. skill level stagnating, particularly relative to many other countries in the world."

The studies come out as Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates heads to Washington, D.C. Gates is scheduled to testify about innovation and competitiveness before the House Science and Technology Committee Wednesday, and the H-1B issue is likely to come up.

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.