Innovation and STEM Fields
For America to compete in the 21st century, we need a robust innovation economy—which requires a workforce skilled in the science, technology, engineering, and math (or STEM) fields. Yet American students are not entering those industries in sufficient numbers, and the United States is projected to face a shortage of one million STEM workers by 2022.1 Foreign-born students frequently gravitate towards STEM disciplines, making up roughly one out of every three individuals earning graduate-level STEM degrees each year. Our broken visa system, however, makes it difficult for many of them to stay after graduation—a reality that hurts the ability of our employers to expand and create more opportunity for American workers. 1 President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, "Engage to Excel: Producing 1 million Additional College Graduates with Degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics," February 2012. Available online.
Foreign Entrepreneur Walks Away From Startup Because of Broken U.S. Immigration System
While Demijan Klinc was working on his PhD in electrical and computer engineering at Georgia Tech, he created a promising “cone of silence” technology that made it more difficult for sensitive data transmitted over wireless phones to be intercepted. In 2009, while still in school, Klinc partnered with… Read More
U.S. gets 233,000 H-1B petitions, a new record
The U.S. received 233,000 H-1B petitions this year, believed to the highest number ever, and almost three times the number of available visas. The government issues 85,000 H-1B visas each year, 20,000 of which were set aside for people who had earned advanced degrees. Because the number of H-1B visas… Read More
HIGH-SKILLED IMMIGRANTS IN FLORIDA
Learn more about the need for high-skilled immigration reform at www.LetPJStay.com FLORIDA FACES A LARGE STEM SHORTAGE There are more STEM job openings than unemployed STEM workers: From 2009 to 2011, 1.4 STEM job openings were posted online in Florida for every 1 unemployed STEM worker in the… Read More
Chinese Immigrant Dr. Wenyuan Shi Revolutionizes Dentistry in America
Dr. Wenyuan Shi was born in Hangzhou, China and had an interesting life experience during the Chinese “Culture Revolution” as a member of the Little Red Guard. He came to the United States in 1985 to earn a PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is no stranger to the… Read More
Peter French, guest columnist: From a high-tech perspective, survival depends on smart immigration reform now
Technology industry leaders and entrepreneurs from across the globe flocked to Austin recently for the 2015 SXSW Interactive Festival. SXSW Interactive serves as an incubator of tech and digital creativity and innovation. Sharing new ideas is a cornerstone of the festival, but the idea that should demand the most attention… Read More
We lose the longer we wait to reform work visas
April can be the make or break month for U.S. corporations that goes beyond tax time. It is when businesses file H-1B petitions in hopes to win the coveted visa lottery that allows foreign-born workers to fill job vacancies here. U.S. businesses that win this nationwide lottery, designed strictly… Read More
Rush for H-1B visas is on
Applicants for H-1B visas — those that allow foreign workers with at least a bachelor’s degree to temporarily work at specialty jobs in the US — are facing fierce competition this year. “There is a 60 percent increase in cases we receive this year compared with last year,” Los Angeles-based… Read More
HIGH-SKILLED IMMIGRANTS IN DELAWARE
Learn more about the need for high-skilled immigration reform at www.LetPJStay.com DELAWARE FACES A LARGE STEM SHORTAGE There are more STEM job openings than unemployed STEM workers: From 2009 to 2011, 3.8 STEM job openings were posted online in Delaware for every 1 unemployed STEM worker in the… Read More
How U.S. immigration laws push American startups out of America
All it took was a few days in New York City for P.J. Cobut to fall in love with America. For a kid growing up in a sleepy, rural town in Belgium, the Big Apple’s frenetic bustle was intoxicating. He loved it. All he wanted was to go back, this… Read More
Nathan Bomey: Visa policy threatens Michigan economy
In a post-industrial, global economy, the most vital asset for companies is talent. So it’s remarkable that U.S. immigration policy forces tens of thousands of high-skilled foreign workers to leave this country every year, effectively handing an incredible advantage to foreign competitors. Lest you think this is simply a Silicon… Read More
Outsize Role in the Workforce
Immigrants punch above their weight class in the STEM fields, making up far larger portions of the STEM workforce than they do the U.S. population overall. This dynamic is particularly pronounced in several states. In New Jersey, for instance, immigrants make up almost two out of every five STEM workers, while accounting for only one in five of the state’s residents.
States with the Highest Share of Foreign-Born STEM Workers, 2014
Labor Shortages
In recent years, many U.S. employers have struggled to find enough STEM workers. This lack of manpower has real consequences for the economy—making it difficult for firms to expand and create jobs for American workers at all skill levels. In several specialized fields, like physical science and software development, the unemployment rates of U.S.-born STEM workers are particularly low, indicating there are simply not enough U.S.-born workers to meet the needs of employers.
Take a look at our latest research about the shortage of STEM workers.
U.S. Citizen Unemployment Rates in STEM Fields Most Heavily Reliant on Immigrant STEM Workers, 2014
Earning STEM Degrees
International students make up a large share of STEM graduate students. In 2014, more than a quarter of STEM master’s degrees and more than a third of STEM Ph.D. degrees went to students in the country on temporary visas. Meanwhile, the number of American citizen and permanent resident students pursuing graduate degrees in science and engineering fields actually fell by 6.3 percent between 2010 and 2013.2 Our broken immigration system means that many of these international students will struggle to remain in the country after graduation, despite employers needing them.
Sources:
2 National Science Foundation, Science and Engineering Indicators, 2016, Appendix Table 2-25. Available online.
Share of Ph.D.'s in Selected Fields Going to Students on Temporary Visas, 2014
States Graduating the Most STEM Students on Temporary Visas, 2014
States Needing STEM Workers
While every state was short STEM workers in 2015, the shortage was particularly acute in North Dakota and South Dakota, where employers listed 87 and 71 STEM positions, respectively, for each unemployed STEM worker. These are gaps that immigrants could help fill. In South Dakota, for instance, immigrants made up just three percent of all STEM workers in 2015, one of the lowest shares in the country.
States with Greatest Shortages of STEM Workers, 2014
Creating U.S. Jobs
Rather than reduce the number of jobs available to American workers, foreign-born STEM graduates often create additional jobs for U.S.-born workers. Research shows that when a state gains 100 foreign-born STEM workers with graduate-level training from a U.S. school, an average of 262 jobs are created for U.S.-born workers there in the seven years that follow.3 More specifically, the temporary visa (H-1B) program for high-skilled workers is also linked to job creation for American workers and economic growth. However, the current system fails not only to provide visas that companies need to grow, but also to protect against fraud and abuse.
Sources:
3 Madeline Zavodny, “Immigration and American Jobs,” The Partnership for a New American Economy and the American Enterprise Institute, 2011. Available online.
States that Stand to Gain the Most from Retaining More Foreign-Born STEM Graduates
The Impact of our Broken Immigration System
Since the recession, some of the most robust growth in high-wage, American jobs has occurred in cities. The high-tech companies fueling this growth cannot succeed and grow, however, without qualified STEM professionals—a group that can be difficult to find. An annual cap on the number of available green cards and H-1B visas hinders efforts to hire immigrant STEM professionals when no American workers are available. At right, we explore how the H-1B requests for computer-related workers that did not make it through the 2007 and 2008 H-1B visa lotteries impacted wages and the number of jobs available for U.S.-born tech workers in the two years that followed.4
Sources:
4 Partnership for a New American Economy, “Closing Economic Windows: How H-1B Visa Denials Cost U.S.-Born Tech Workers Jobs and Wages During the Great Recession," June 4, 2014. Available online.
Metropolitan Areas Hurt Most by 2007 and 2008 Denials in the H-1B Lottery
Driving Innovation
International STEM students and graduates are behind some of America’s most impressive innovations, from artificial skin to moldable metal. Studies show that immigrants with an advanced degree are three times more likely than U.S.-born graduate degree holders to file a patent. When universities increase their share of international students, they often receive more patents—boosting revenue and creating more opportunities for all students.
Share of Patents Awarded to Top Patent Producing Research Universities with at Least One Foreign-Born Inventor, 2011
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