Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich has entered the controversy over the expansion of the H-1B system which enables U.S. companies to hire foreign workers, particularly in the tech fields. The companies claim they can’t find enough “skilled” Americans to do the jobs. In point of fact, H-1Bs visa holders often aren’t skilled at all. The companies primarily hire them for relatively cheap labor. Even when they are skilled, their employment still has downsides,
As Reich observed, “When I was secretary of labor, America’s emerging Big Tech industry pushed to raise the cap on the number of skilled workers allowed into the United States under the H-1B visa program.
“I resisted the pressure, telling business that if they wanted skilled workers so badly, they should train Americans for these jobs, including their own workers. . . .
“Allowing many more skilled workers into the U.S. also reduces the bargaining power of skilled workers already in America — and thereby reduces any incentive operating on other Americans to gain the skills for such jobs. . . .
“The major beneficiaries in the U.S. of opening the nation to skilled workers from abroad are CEOs and venture capitalists like [Elon] Musk and [David] Sachs, whose profits and wealth would be even higher if they could siphon off cheaper skilled workers from abroad.”
Read more at robertreich.substack.com