"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,"
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.
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.
Do YOU believe Cisco needs to hire more U.S. employees through the H-1B Visa program?
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