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>look for talent wherever in the world it is available without having to open up offices there It's not. Most large companies already have offices over there

>look for talent wherever in the world it is available without having to open up offices there It's not. Most large companies already have offices over there and could hire those people tomorrow if they wanted to. They bring people into the US with their families to have power over them. A manager without power over skilled people is useless in accomplishing business goals that require those skills. They also are always trying to accomplish personal goals like getting their friends promoted, getting more power generally at the cost of technical people. These types of goals tend to make technical people walk away despite any salary level, hence the need for H1B. Except for body shops, H1B is about power not money or available workforce.

shas3 11y ago
Frankly your vision is limited to the outsourcing industry. Would it surprise you to learn that many many big companies (GE, Msft, GOOG, FB, pharmas, etc.) that form a large percentage of the US economy also hire people with specific skills (say, 3D computer vision or expertise in pharma processes) who by being educated in the US universities are some of the best in the world? No manager in these companies is thinking about the leverage you're talking about when the person's skill can be a do or die for entire product lines.
- codeonfire 11y ago
  I'm speaking from first hand conversations with H1B's who go on about how their company is holding this or that over their head such as green card sponsorship. You are completely ignored my point that those employers can hire those people in their countries as those employers that you named have offices in every major city around the world. They have big offices with thousands of employees. Your statement about companies wanting to hire specialized skills is pointless. Everybody agrees with that. Your statement about managers not wanting leverage is just not true. What else do you think it means to want to hire to someone other than to have leverage over a person. I made the point that employers want undue leverage when money is not enough and that is why they use H1B.
- throwaway_236 11y ago
  The parent's description matches exactly what I know from people on H1Bs in the fashion industry, whose labor market conditions have some parallels with tech. I don't think it's limited to outsourcing companies. Long hours, death march deadlines, and generally higher-than-average salaries result in high turnover in fashion as they do in tech. Employers turn to H1Bs to lock-in a workforce, as, excepting large companies, few will expend the extra time and money (legal services and filing fees) to transfer a visa when they can simply hire away an employee from a competitor. The lack of labor mobility with the H1B is a boon to industries that would rather not reform the working conditions or improve the salaries that causes top talent to move around.

shas3 11y ago

Frankly your vision is limited to the outsourcing industry. Would it surprise you to learn that many many big companies (GE, Msft, GOOG, FB, pharmas, etc.) that form a large percentage of the US economy also hire people with specific skills (say, 3D computer vision or expertise in pharma processes) who by being educated in the US universities are some of the best in the world? No manager in these companies is thinking about the leverage you're talking about when the person's skill can be a do or die for entire product lines.

codeonfire 11y ago
I'm speaking from first hand conversations with H1B's who go on about how their company is holding this or that over their head such as green card sponsorship. You are completely ignored my point that those employers can hire those people in their countries as those employers that you named have offices in every major city around the world. They have big offices with thousands of employees. Your statement about companies wanting to hire specialized skills is pointless. Everybody agrees with that. Your statement about managers not wanting leverage is just not true. What else do you think it means to want to hire to someone other than to have leverage over a person. I made the point that employers want undue leverage when money is not enough and that is why they use H1B.
throwaway_236 11y ago
The parent's description matches exactly what I know from people on H1Bs in the fashion industry, whose labor market conditions have some parallels with tech. I don't think it's limited to outsourcing companies. Long hours, death march deadlines, and generally higher-than-average salaries result in high turnover in fashion as they do in tech. Employers turn to H1Bs to lock-in a workforce, as, excepting large companies, few will expend the extra time and money (legal services and filing fees) to transfer a visa when they can simply hire away an employee from a competitor. The lack of labor mobility with the H1B is a boon to industries that would rather not reform the working conditions or improve the salaries that causes top talent to move around.