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.
Scramble is on for coveted work visas
When Gaurav Patel was looking to hire an engineer for his medical device startup in Houston this year, he searched for an American citizen because the tiny company didn’t have the budget to sponsor a foreigner for a work visa. But though he cast a wide net, 80 percent of… Read More
Op-ed: Here’s what president can do to move nation forward
Today, President Obama will deliver a speech on the economy during his first visit to Utah as president. While his speech reportedly will focus on our differences, I believe we need to get beyond partisanship and find common ground. Here are several issues where we can work together to… Read More
H-1B VISA LIMIT SHOWS URGENT NEED FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM
When it comes to America’s high-skilled immigration system, demand for talent far exceeds supply. That unfortunate fact will be reinforced this week as the U.S. government begins accepting applications from employers for H-1B visas for highly educated workers who are needed to fill open jobs in the U.S. Since U.S. Read More
Ad Campaign and Research Highlight Need for High-Skilled Immigration Reform
CONTACTS Ryan Williams, Partnership for a New American Economy, [email protected] Emily Pochter, FWD.us, [email protected] New data shows that high-skilled immigrants from 2010 to 2013 alone will create more than 700,000 American jobs Watch the ad here New York,… Read More
Demand again expected to far outstrip supply of visas for highly skilled workers
SALT LAKE CITY — Wednesday was Day 1 of the application window for 85,000 visas for highly skilled workers, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Serviceswas already talking about resorting to a lottery. “If USCIS receives an excess of petitions during the first five… Read More
Let us stay: Innovators need immigration reform
Many know today as April Fools’ Day, a day for practical jokes and pranks. For me, however, today represents something entirely different – and much less funny. April 1 is the day the U.S. government starts accepting applications for the H-1B visa, an employment visa for high-skilled immigrants. The government will receive tens… Read More
April 1 shows the high-skilled visa crisis must be addressed
Today, highly skilled immigration reform ceases to be a policy debate and becomes a problem of simple math. That’s because today is April 1, and like so many other April 1’s for the past quarter century, our immigration system will once again limit our nation’s opportunities for economic expansion and… Read More
Skilled migrants welcome — April Fools’!
Today, the U.S. government will begin to accept applications for the skilled H-1B guest-worker visa. H-1Bs are employer-sponsored visas that run for three years and can be renewed once. In recent years, applications for the H-1B have been filled in a few days as there are only 85,000 available for… Read More
In The Land Of Opportunity, Why Hinder Our Own Success?
We often hear that America is a nation of immigrants, but some members of Congress have forgotten the simple truth – immigration is our country’s single greatest competitive advantage in a growing global economy. The primary driver of the U.S.’s position as the worldwide leader in innovation and entrepreneurship is… Read More
Not Passing Immigration Reform is Madness
From colleges to companies, immigrants are a critical part of the team when it comes to competing globally. But America’s broken immigration system is leaving a substantial amount of opportunity on the sidelines. Congress has a chance to score a big win for the nation’s economy. Fixing the… 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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