Technology Industry in New York Calls for Reform
Erik Grimmelmann, CEO of NY Tech Council, speaks about the need for immigration reform concerning the admission of professionals in the technology industry to sustain its development in New York. In the article, entitled “Why New York’s Technology Sector Needs Immigration Reform”, Grimmelmann argues that New York’s immigration laws for giving out work visas are antiquated and will not be able to accommodate the growing need for professionals in what is now the second largest driver of New York’s economy. In just five years, the number of jobs grew 11%, which added $5.8 billion in wages to NY’s economy. While he acknowledges that further growth could be supported by better education in the native population, he claims that attracting immigrants to these jobs could spur economic growth, at least on a short-term level.
The existing immigration laws have been in place since 1990, just before this sector came to be so significant with the explosion of technological advancement. Grimmelmann claims that with a projected gap of 200,000 workers by 2018, we need to make visas more easily available to professionals with advanced degrees, students seeking professional degrees in these fields, and entrepreneurs (who are significantly more likely to start businesses than native-born residents) involved in these fields.
The flip side of the coin of this process is called ‘brain drain’ (from the perspective of all those countries from which the highly skilled people are leaving).
Note also that they want more visas, not more green cards. On work visas, these immigrants are considered visitors, have fewer rights, and are more vulnerable to exploitation by their employers.
From what i’ve read, the US itself is experiencing a considerable amount of brain drain, especially among young immigrants who return to their home countries after receiving high-level STEM degrees from American universities.
I understand the problem the article is undressing but I do not think their solution is correct. The article states that more visas are being asked for than available. Is the issue then that STEM, H1B-seeking immigrants are not available because the market caps aren’t flexible – as the article suggests – or is it that these types of immigrants are not interested in coming to New York, despite its high demand for H1B type workers.
I wonder if the U.S. is experiencing a brain drain as Christopher suggests because immigrants who receive STEM degrees are forced to leave or because they chose to leave after receiving their education. The article suggests extending visa time for students, a part of the solution that would definitely help but not completely eradicate the STEM shortage, but not an end-all solution to the problem. There would still be those who chose to leave as Kathy (?), a woman I interviewed at an ESL school in Astoria, Queens said, her family came here in large to make sure their children receive a good education and they plan on returning to their native Georgia within 5-10 years.
should the U.S. be worried about losing its white-collar labor force? There was a transition period where blue-collar workers turned to white-collar workers. How long will this white-collar period last? Is it a problem then, that there are less STEM workers or just part of another phase?
The point that Chris brings up about young immigrants returning to their home countries after receiving their degrees is important because in countries like Ecuador even if the newly graduated student want to work in the United States, they are forced to return to their countries. That is, the Ecuadorian President Correa has a program that gives money to students so that they can study in the United States with the condition that upon receiving their degrees they will return to Ecuador and work there. If the students choose to stay in the United States they are no longer allowed to go back to Ecuador. So, often times they choose to return.