January 15th 2008 - India Nationals receive more than half of the USA H-1B Visas
Indian nationals received 54% of the total number of temporary H-1B visas approved in 2006, according to a government study released Tuesday. Further, an increasing number of foreign workers who hold these visas, again more than half, are in computer-related occupations.
A distant second was second place holder China, at 9%, among H-1B recipients. Then the third place recipients for the H-1B visa is a tie with 3% each, between Canada, South Korea and the Philippines, the report said.
The National Science Board (NSB), which oversees the National Science Foundation, authored the 588-page "Science and Engineering Indicators 2008" report. The report examines the state of science and engineering training and the ability of the U.S. to compete globally. Hence it includes an analysis of H-1B visa trends.
The U.S. spent about $340 billion in research and development in 2006, a record high. But federal support for basic and applied research has been on a multiyear decline, and the report also warned that U.S. grade school students continue to lag behind those in other developed countries in science and math.
Report supports other observations of other institutions
The report lamented that congress is not increasing R&D funding at or above the rate of inflation and it charged that Congress has "abandoned its commitment to lead in science and technology." Hence there will be a decline in the growth of the U.S. science and engineering labor force, due to baby boomers retiring and the funding being diverted to construction.
Regarding the H-1B program, this study said 51% of the approximately 110,000 H-1B visa recipients in 2006 were employed in computer-related occupations. In 2002, about 25% were employed in computer-related occupations, a shift that may be indicative of the rise of offshore outsourcing in the U.S.
Offshore firms are the largest users of the H-1B. In the 2006 fiscal year, the top three employers of H-1B holders were India-based Infosys Technologies Ltd., at 4,908 visas; Wipro Ltd., at 4,002; and Tata Consultancy Services, at 3,046, according to data released by U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) last year.
The bigger picture looks dimmer!
The H-1B data is just one aspect of various issues related to the science and engineering workforce, but underlying the analysis is the question of whether the U.S. will remain competitive in a global economy. Citing the economic output in China, India and South Korea, the NSB report stated that it appears that there is "a slow shift of the epicenter of the world economic growth toward that region.
" The U.S. remains ahead today, the report said, and among the points made is that U.S. output per worker "increased more steeply" over the past 20 years "than that of any other economy."
While there is a visa cap, which includes a special allotment for master's degree holders, is set at 85,000. The NSB report also included H-1B visas issued to universities and academic research exempt from the cap. The best aspect is the education level of people receiving H-1B visas is generally high, with 44% of those receiving visas in 2006 holding a master's degree. But when it comes to starting salaries, having a master's degree doesn't appear to deliver any special advantage. The salaries reported to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services were different and generally higher than those reported to the U.S. Department of Labor. The starting salary for both bachelor's and master's degree holders was approximately $56,000, according to the report.
Further detailed information can be obtained from AmblerCollins consultants
info@amblercollins.com
