Foreign Tech Workers in the U.S.: Norm Matloff University of - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Foreign Tech Workers in the U.S.: Failures and Remedies Foreign Tech Workers in the U.S.: Norm Matloff University of California at Failures and Remedies Davis ASEE Engineering Deans Council Norm Matloff Conference University of California at Davis Setting the Stage ASEE Engineering Deans Council Conference Why Do Employers Hire Foreign Students Instead of Americans? February 9, 2016 Employer Claims of Lots (updated February 11) of Job Openings Data Remedies (and http://heather.cs.ucdavis.edu/ASEESlides.pdf Non- Remedies) Conclusions

Foreign Tech Workers in the Table of Contents U.S.: Failures and Remedies Norm Matloff University of California at 1 Setting the Stage Davis ASEE Engineering 2 Why Do Employers Hire Foreign Students Instead of Deans Council Conference Americans? Setting the Stage 3 Employer Claims of Lots of Job Openings Why Do Employers Hire Foreign Students 4 Data Instead of Americans? Employer 5 Remedies (and Non-Remedies) Claims of Lots of Job Openings Data 6 Conclusions Remedies (and Non- Remedies) Conclusions

Foreign Tech Workers in the Concrete Examples: “Dan” and U.S.: Failures and Remedies “Ike” Norm Matloff University of California at Davis • Can’t view the data unless you understand the qualitative ASEE side. Engineering Deans Council Conference • Two older Americans in Bay Area. “Dan” and “Ike.” • Can’t get full-time work. (Occasional contract work.) Setting the Stage • Dan has MS from Top 5 university; Ike has TWO MS Why Do Employers degrees, from Top 10 university. Hire Foreign Students • Have up-to-date skillsets. Instead of Americans? • Articulate, team players etc. Employer Claims of Lots • Over 35. of Job Openings • But my foreign students apply to the same firms , and Data get jobs . Remedies (and Non- Remedies) Conclusions

Foreign Tech Workers in the Concrete Example: “Jim” U.S.: Failures and Remedies Norm Matloff University of California at • Son of Chinese immigrant parents. Davis ASEE • BSEE, MSCS from UCD, mid-1990s. Engineering Deans Council • At “household name” engineering firm, his innovative work Conference was written up in the Wall Street Journal . Setting the Stage • But was later caught in big layoff. Why Do Employers • Never got steady engineering work after that. Hire Foreign Students • Today working as a technician, e.g. installing office PCs. Instead of Americans? • The field of engineering lost this highly innovative Employer Claims of Lots engineer. of Job Openings • I’ve seen many, many Dans, Ikes and Jims. Data Remedies (and Non- Remedies) Conclusions

Foreign Tech Workers in the Table of Contents U.S.: Failures and Remedies Norm Matloff University of California at 1 Setting the Stage Davis ASEE Engineering 2 Why Do Employers Hire Foreign Students Instead of Deans Council Conference Americans? Setting the Stage 3 Employer Claims of Lots of Job Openings Why Do Employers Hire Foreign Students 4 Data Instead of Americans? Employer 5 Remedies (and Non-Remedies) Claims of Lots of Job Openings Data 6 Conclusions Remedies (and Non- Remedies) Conclusions

Foreign Tech Workers in the Two Central Issues U.S.: Failures and Remedies Norm Matloff University of California at Davis ASEE Engineering Deans Council Conference • Saving on labor costs. Setting the Stage • Having immobile workers. Why Do Employers Hire Foreign Students Instead of Americans? Employer Claims of Lots of Job Openings Data Remedies (and Non- Remedies) Conclusions

Foreign Tech Workers in the The Wage Factor U.S.: Failures and Remedies Norm Matloff University of California at Davis • Hard data, consistent with economic theory. ASEE Engineering • On average, the foreign tech workers are paid less than Deans Council Conference comparable (age, education etc.) Americans. This is Setting the across the board, not just the “Infosyses” but also Stage the “Intels.” Why Do Employers • Young foreign tech workers are paid a lot less than Hire Foreign Students otherwise comparable older Americans (age 35+). Instead of Americans? Note: Unless stated otherwise, American means U.S. citizens Employer Claims of Lots (native, naturalized) and permanent residents. of Job Openings Data Remedies (and Non- Remedies) Conclusions

Foreign Tech Workers in the The Age Factor U.S.: Failures and Remedies Norm Matloff University of California at Davis ASEE • Job opportunities poor for those over age 35. See studies Engineering Deans Council by NRC, American University etc. Conference • Wall Street Journal , Feb. 4, 2016: Setting the Stage Pete Edwards, EE; age 53; experience with 3-D Why Do printing!; having big difficulties finding work. Employers Hire Foreign Students Instead of • The bottom line: Employers are hiring young foreign Americans? tech workers instead of older Americans. Employer Claims of Lots of Job Openings Data Remedies (and Non- Remedies) Conclusions

Foreign Tech Workers in the The Immobility Factor U.S.: Failures and Remedies Norm Matloff University of California at • Employers don’t want engineers to leave for another firm Davis in the midst of an urgent project. ASEE Engineering Deans Council • D. Swaim, former architect of Texas Instruments’ Conference immigration policy, now in private practice: Setting the Stage • hireF-1students.com Why Do • Don’t hire Americans , because they can leave you any Employers time. Hire Foreign Students • Instead, hire a foreign student (and sponsor him/her for Instead of Americans? a green card), because they must stay 7-12 years. Employer Claims of Lots • Google admits it. of Job Openings • See also NRC report, congressional testimony. Data Remedies (and Non- Remedies) Conclusions

Foreign Tech Workers in the Table of Contents U.S.: Failures and Remedies Norm Matloff University of California at 1 Setting the Stage Davis ASEE Engineering 2 Why Do Employers Hire Foreign Students Instead of Deans Council Conference Americans? Setting the Stage 3 Employer Claims of Lots of Job Openings Why Do Employers Hire Foreign Students 4 Data Instead of Americans? Employer 5 Remedies (and Non-Remedies) Claims of Lots of Job Openings Data 6 Conclusions Remedies (and Non- Remedies) Conclusions

Foreign Tech Workers in the “Lots of Job Openings” U.S.: Failures and Remedies Norm Matloff University of California at Davis • Often vaporware. ASEE Engineering • Most jobs open for new or recent grads only. Deans Council Conference • CEO at panel discussion says desperate to hire. NM offers Setting the to have wife, a software engineer, apply, to check CEO’s Stage claim. CEO backpedals; “No, she’s probably too Why Do Employers expensive!” Indeed. Hire Foreign Students • Intel: Instead of Americans? • TV panel discussion, NM and Intel rep. Employer • NM offers (twice) to send CVs to rep. She greets the offer Claims of Lots of Job with silence both times. Openings Data Remedies (and Non- Remedies) Conclusions

Foreign Tech Workers in the Table of Contents U.S.: Failures and Remedies Norm Matloff University of California at 1 Setting the Stage Davis ASEE Engineering 2 Why Do Employers Hire Foreign Students Instead of Deans Council Conference Americans? Setting the Stage 3 Employer Claims of Lots of Job Openings Why Do Employers Hire Foreign Students 4 Data Instead of Americans? Employer 5 Remedies (and Non-Remedies) Claims of Lots of Job Openings Data 6 Conclusions Remedies (and Non- Remedies) Conclusions

Foreign Tech Workers in the Data Showing the Problems U.S.: Failures and Remedies Norm Matloff • Hard data, consistent with economic theoy. University of California at Davis • Supplemented with numerous interviews of CEOs, ASEE managers, HR people and recruiters, as well as engineers Engineering Deans Council and programmers across the counry. Conference • Various data sources: NRC, GAO, NCSG/NSF, BLS, Setting the Stage NACE, etc. Why Do • Easy to lie with data; even easier to innocently Employers Hire Foreign misunderstand — Ptolemy’s epicycles. Students Instead of • But I have a “statistical license.” :-) And I know how Americans? Employer engineers are educated, hired and employed. No epicycles. Claims of Lots of Job :-) Openings • Key factors include: age, education, job type, geographic Data region . Remedies (and Non- Remedies) Conclusions