The March 17 issue of Computerworld reports that Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates asserted before Congress recently that U.S. companies may lose jobs if they can't bring in "world-class engineers" from abroad via more H-1B visas. That begs the question: What's wrong with U.S.-based engineers?
According to Mr. Gates, as quoted in the piece, "These top people are going to be hired. It's just a question of what country they're hired in."
Yes, that seems rather obvious. But the 800-pound gorilla lurking behind the idea that we must bring such people in from abroad is that American IT pros just can't hack it, and that "world-class" engineers either don't exist or are in critically short supply in the U.S.
I find all these statement difficult to believe, but maybe that's just because I don't want to see the country I love besmirched. I wonder what constitutes a "world class" engineer, and why we seem to have so few of them. Yes, I know that current graduates in computer science are at a low in the U.S., but surely the "world-class" people would have graduated some years ago, now having valuable experience under their belts.
And I feel compelled to add that I have met some extremely capable and impressive IT people in the American insurance industry--NOT an industry known for being on the cutting edge.
Perhaps the key to understanding why Mr. Gates should be petitioning Congress for more access for foreign workers lies in a question the Microsoft whiz apparently declined to address--namely that Microsoft and other companies could pay such workers substantially less than U.S. citizens.
While I can understand Mr. Gates' and others' desire to import cheap labor, I really don't get why an American company would not want to grow its own talent. I also don't get why American companies would want to turn their backs on our citizens who need work.
Is this what is meant when we hear the phrase "global economy"? Are we saying that the dollar (or some stronger currency unit) overrides all questions of national interest? Are we saying, ultimately, that our people don't matter--or perhaps that they should move to Bangalore if they want jobs?
You know, despite the starry-eyed ravings of John Lennon, we really can't "imagine there's no countries." Reality tells us that we do indeed have a country, and that is a good thing when the nation truly protects the best interests of its citizens. That's why it is critical that American government AND American industry get their heads and their hearts together and start doing things that benefit our economy and our citizens.
But, maybe I'm just being starry-eyed myself. If you have feelings and opinions on this topic, share them right here!
Comments (3)
From my experience, the US technicians are lacking the formal business education (advanced business degrees) of their foreign counterparts. In terms of sheer technical capability, I believe the technicians are second to none.
Posted by Charles | March 21, 2008 10:18 AM
Posted on March 21, 2008 10:18
I think there are several issues at work here. First, we are a culture of risk-takers and money-worshippers. Software engineering is not nearly as exciting as what happens afterwards, that is using the software to become some sort of sales entreprenuer (not in all cases, but that's the part that gets Americans' attention). Software engineering might pay the bills, but much of it is far from glamorous, which is unfortunately way too important here.
Also, in much of the world, people are much more accustomed to repetitive work that requires a perfectionist's eye towards accuracy. In our country, we are told that 65% is passing and you get as many tries as you need until they pass you just to move you along. To be a good software engineer, you must have patience and persistence to weed out errors and inefficiencies. Again, culturally, to us that's not interesting enough.
As for many Americans going to Bangalore to find work, that's not likely either. For one thing, we would not want to compete for what would still be, to us, low paying jobs. Second, most countries do NOT open their borders and workforces nearly as freely as we do, another issue entirely.
Posted by Aaron Stein | March 21, 2008 11:45 AM
Posted on March 21, 2008 11:45
I agree that Bill Gates insulted American software engineers before Congress and before the world. Be wary of H-1B visas. H-1B visas are nothing more than a vehicle to outsource American jobs and ultimately downgrade the American job market, the American community and the American economy. Only the CEO benefits. The CEO looks like he's running a tight financial ship and thus walks away with a golden parachute, while the American worker has to ride the crashing American economy down.
Here's an example of H1-B visa in action.
H-1B visas were used by one mega insurer In Connecticut to export jobs overseas (cheaper labor). The seasoned staff were told to cross train the H-1B visiting personnel with the expressed understanding that the experienced staff would be laid off immediately or at the end of the cross training period. The American worker could choose when their layoff day would be based on whether they would cooperate in the cross training and elimination of their job.
Net result: Core knowledge and experience were outsourced to India. There was no regard to the ultimate cost to the company's American staff or the American community at large.
Posted by Joan | March 24, 2008 9:25 AM
Posted on March 24, 2008 09:25