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They determine who belongs to the "best and brightest" by looking at wages. An alternative hypothesis is that in an industry where getting a raise means switch

They determine who belongs to the "best and brightest" by looking at wages. An alternative hypothesis is that in an industry where getting a raise means switching jobs the H1B program is successful in suppressing wage levels of foreigners.

eshvk 14y ago
Your alternative hypothesis is interesting. I am not sure offhand how it would go. On one hand, as an H1B employee, it is not that hard for you to switch jobs and find a person to transfer your visa. Tiny companies might have an issue but then again, tiny companies don't pay that well (assumption.). After time goes by though, switching jobs can be harmful especially if you are being sponsored by the company for a green card. This is because your green card application process can slow down as you switch jobs (some things will have to be redone.) On the other hand, there is another factor in place: The wait times for green cards are reaching insane levels (25 + years). In such a climate, maybe the person might just decide to switch jobs more often.
analyst74 14y ago
While determining one's skill by how much he/she gets paid sounds ridiculous, this makes sense if you consider macro trends, as this article is talking about. If an industry (like finance) routinely pays multiple times the compensation of another industry (say, engineering) that requires similar skillset, it's rational that more of the top graduates will choose finance over engineering.
- piyush_soni 14y ago
  No it doesn't make much sense even if you consider macro trends. Bright Chinese or Indian workers will almost always be ready to work for lesser wages than a 'Native American' (if there's something like that) will be ready to work for. There's a macro economics involved here, but it's not what you think.
  - analyst74 14y ago
    Trust me, in a country with reasonable immigration laws, like Canada, highly skilled foreign workers do not make less money than locals. The biggest problem with H1B, which Matloff is critical of, is that it puts foreign worker and local worker in uneven legal grounds, thus unable to demand the same wage.

eshvk 14y ago

Your alternative hypothesis is interesting. I am not sure offhand how it would go. On one hand, as an H1B employee, it is not that hard for you to switch jobs and find a person to transfer your visa. Tiny companies might have an issue but then again, tiny companies don't pay that well (assumption.). After time goes by though, switching jobs can be harmful especially if you are being sponsored by the company for a green card. This is because your green card application process can slow down as you switch jobs (some things will have to be redone.) On the other hand, there is another factor in place: The wait times for green cards are reaching insane levels (25 + years). In such a climate, maybe the person might just decide to switch jobs more often.

analyst74 14y ago

While determining one's skill by how much he/she gets paid sounds ridiculous, this makes sense if you consider macro trends, as this article is talking about. If an industry (like finance) routinely pays multiple times the compensation of another industry (say, engineering) that requires similar skillset, it's rational that more of the top graduates will choose finance over engineering.

piyush_soni 14y ago
No it doesn't make much sense even if you consider macro trends. Bright Chinese or Indian workers will almost always be ready to work for lesser wages than a 'Native American' (if there's something like that) will be ready to work for. There's a macro economics involved here, but it's not what you think.
- analyst74 14y ago
  Trust me, in a country with reasonable immigration laws, like Canada, highly skilled foreign workers do not make less money than locals. The biggest problem with H1B, which Matloff is critical of, is that it puts foreign worker and local worker in uneven legal grounds, thus unable to demand the same wage.