4 ms·

The worst thing you could do, as a nation state with a (dubious) lack of talent, with a long-term view of being competitive, would be to allow your companies to

The worst thing you could do, as a nation state with a (dubious) lack of talent, with a long-term view of being competitive, would be to allow your companies to maximize short-term profits by importing and training foreigners (many who won't stay and who will not spend their wages domestically), depressing salaries, and making the field as unattractive as possible for native citizens. Do you think smart native students can't see that all the grad students are foreigners, all the entry level jobs are filled with H1Bs and F1 visa-holders, and that salaries aren't really that great compared to finance, or medicine, or dozens of other fields that have barriers to entry, or at least aren't completely overrun with workers from low wage nations? Instead of letting the market work as it's designed - where demand pushes up wages, we flood the industry with labor and depress wages, then throw a few billion dollars at public school unions to teach kindergartners to program (i.e. buy IPads), and expect things to work out well. :/

jonathankoren 8y ago
I'm sorry but this nationalist rhetoric makes no sense. Are the immigrants being trained and leaving, or are they staying and driving down wages so low that Americans don't want the jobs? If the later, then why not keep bringing in immigrants to do the jobs that Americans turn their noses up at? If they're coming over here, filling our grad schools and taking our jobs in our high wage nation, aren't they now high wage earners? Even your "letting the market work as it's designed" plan doesn't make sense. So if there's no one to do the jobs, you think that American companies are just going to tough it out for a decade, raising wages even higher, until a new crop of people get trained up, and then depress market again? Isn't that horrible because the wages are being depressed? Why would a company do this? Why wouldn't they just leave, thus depressing the economy even more? Immigrants stay when you encourage them to stay. Not only do they get jobs contributing to the American economy, but they also have kids here. None of this makes sense through any sort of economic lens. It does make sense, if all you care about is if people from different places, with different languages, different customs, and different looks aren't getting ahead in your society. There's a word for that. In fact, there are several of words for that, but I'll go with the simple one. It's racist. And just, so we're both clear, I'm calling you a racist.
- ap3 8y ago
  H1B is not a market - you are locked to your sponsoring employer. If you switch jobs the other employer has to file the paperwork. If you lose your job you have 30 days to find employment or you have to lesve the country- most immigrants would do anything not to be in this position.
  - jonathankoren 8y ago
    Agree. It has to do with the fact that the H-1 is a nonimmigration visa. I’d make it one, or better yet just allow for a quick F-1 to permanent residence change.

jonathankoren 8y ago

I'm sorry but this nationalist rhetoric makes no sense. Are the immigrants being trained and leaving, or are they staying and driving down wages so low that Americans don't want the jobs? If the later, then why not keep bringing in immigrants to do the jobs that Americans turn their noses up at? If they're coming over here, filling our grad schools and taking our jobs in our high wage nation, aren't they now high wage earners? Even your "letting the market work as it's designed" plan doesn't make sense. So if there's no one to do the jobs, you think that American companies are just going to tough it out for a decade, raising wages even higher, until a new crop of people get trained up, and then depress market again? Isn't that horrible because the wages are being depressed? Why would a company do this? Why wouldn't they just leave, thus depressing the economy even more? Immigrants stay when you encourage them to stay. Not only do they get jobs contributing to the American economy, but they also have kids here. None of this makes sense through any sort of economic lens. It does make sense, if all you care about is if people from different places, with different languages, different customs, and different looks aren't getting ahead in your society. There's a word for that. In fact, there are several of words for that, but I'll go with the simple one. It's racist. And just, so we're both clear, I'm calling you a racist.

ap3 8y ago
H1B is not a market - you are locked to your sponsoring employer. If you switch jobs the other employer has to file the paperwork. If you lose your job you have 30 days to find employment or you have to lesve the country- most immigrants would do anything not to be in this position.
- jonathankoren 8y ago
  Agree. It has to do with the fact that the H-1 is a nonimmigration visa. I’d make it one, or better yet just allow for a quick F-1 to permanent residence change.