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> There is no way SV would have grown to what it is now without foreign talent. So the shortage has been real for the last 30+ years I don't think you can prov
by ch4s3 10y ago
> There is no way SV would have grown to what it is now without foreign talent. So the shortage has been real for the last 30+ years
I don't think you can prove this point, because you're arguing a counterfactual without proving the base claim that foreign talent was in fact necessary or that similar development wouldn't have otherwise happened.
You're also confusing what is meant be a labour shortage, which isn't about the absolute number of qualified candidates per se, but the number available at a given price. That is to say that there may be a sufficient pool of workers, but they demand a higher wage than firms would like to pay. As a result firms choose H-1Bs to suppress wages.
- valuearb 10y agoI've been at a startup where a few key hires (one an h1B) led to 140 jobs. And H1B holders can work anywhere. Why do we want them to work overseas for our competitors?
- ch4s3 10y ago> Why do we want them to work overseas for our competitors? We don't necessarily. As with many aspects of economic policy, it's a bit of a balancing act. You need enough immigration to satisfy demand for talent, but not so much that your drive down wages, and diminish taxable income while also upsetting constituents. You also don't want visa policies that encourage skilled workers to come, stay long enough to learn how to copy American businesses, and leave (sort of IP/business process remittance). Generally I'm pro skilled immigration but H-1B as implemented is too easy to use for wage suppression vis-a-vis contracting through outsourcing consultancies like TCS or Infosys.