Low Wages for Low Skills
May 19, 2007, 9:12 am |
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New Report Corrects Misconceptions About High-Tech Visa
By Mark Krikorian *
WASHINGTON (May 2007) — There is much discussion of reorienting the legal immigration flow toward “highly skilled” workers, the kind of workers admitted by the H-1B visa program. That visa, which is theoretically temporary but often serves as a stepping-stone to permanent residency, is widely used by high-tech employers and is the frequent subject of debate as available slots are snapped up within hours and lawmakers call for higher limits.
A new study from the Center for Immigration Studies shows how, far from the being a source of highly skilled labor, the H-1B program now operates mainly to supply U.S. employers with cheap workers. Analysis of data from the Department of Labor shows that very few H-1B workers are “highly skilled,” and that their wages are well below those of comparable U.S. workers.
The new report, “Low Salaries for Low Skills: Wages and Skill Levels for H-1B Computer Workers, 2005,” by John Miano (available at http://www.cis.org/articles/2007/back407.html), will be released at a panel discussion on Tuesday, May 22, at 9:30 a.m., at the Murrow Room of the National Press Club. The panel will include:
* John Miano, author of “Low Salaries for Low Skills: Wages and Skill Levels for H-1B Computer Workers, 2005″ and an expert on the U.S. software industry
* Ron Hira, Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the Rochester Institute of Technology and author of Outsourcing America: What’s Behind Our National Crisis and How We Can Reclaim American Jobs
* Jessica Vaughan, Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Immigration Studies, and author of ‘’Shortcuts to Immigration: The ‘Temporary’ Visa Program Is Broken'’
* Moderator: Mark Krikorian, Executive Director, Center for Immigration Studies
The panel discussion is free and open to the public. For more information, contact John Keeley at (202) 466-8185 or jmk@cis.org.
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The Center for Immigration Studies is an independent research institute which examines the impact of immigration on the United States.
*Center for Immigration Studies
5/18/2007
Cross-posted with permission
Related: Economy, Immigration