Re: H1Bs and STEM. Specifically Research positions. While an anecdotal observation at the beginning, I was able to review some of the numbers via the H1B Data s

Re: H1Bs and STEM. Specifically Research positions. While an anecdotal observation at the beginning, I was able to review some of the numbers via the H1B Data site (which I believe I found through here) to get a feel for if my hunch had any merit. What struck me is that there is a very, very large public outcry that US students need to get into STEM fields, and that "the US is falling behind in reserach science!" is a genuine problem. Well, I do think that's true, but in practice, I see a push toward a corporate business model treating cheap labor as preferable to sustainable business practices. As in, I'm not delusional that research science in the US is a glamorous, higly-paid industry for which people are clamoring to get in due to greed. To my understanding, most people understand following their academic dreams isn't a path to becoming wealthy. However, it does appear that US research institutions are very comfortable with claiming more students are needed in research science, more graduates are needed...and then they drive the standard of living down by seeking out H1Bs to fill everyday positions, such as Research Associates. I wish I had the skills and or time to put such a theory to the test using various data sources (H1B data, graduation statistics, BLS information as available, etc), but for now it's simply one of those suspicions that I've developed due to personal observation; it may be overly skeptical of the system, but that's kind of the point. I like context.