The underlying data is from the EPI, a left/labor/economic-protectionist advocacy think tank whose choice of figures/methods/spin will always emphasize a 'worke

The underlying data is from the EPI, a left/labor/economic-protectionist advocacy think tank whose choice of figures/methods/spin will always emphasize a 'workers need rescuing' narrative. In this case, the aim of the cited report is to advance EPI's conclusion: "Now is not the time to increase the number of H-1B visas and STEM green cards". EPI concerns themselves with the very broad category "computer and mathematical occupations, workers with at least a bachelor’s degree". If you dig into the underlying BLS report (http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes150000.htm http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes150000.htm), this category includes "Actuaries" and "Mathematicians", and includes 11% of all workers in the 'Insurance Carriers' industry. Still, a rise in real wages over the past 11 years, when many other occupations are flat or declining, isn't that bad... especially if the composition of this category has grown to include more young workers and career-changers. Sometimes expanded demand, if filled with more marginally-qualified workers, brings down average wages, because workers are not uniform interchangeable cogs. (Consider similarly: English is spoken worldwide more than ever before, but the vocabulary/skill of the average English speaker has likely gone down, because so often it is a second language.)