Computer-related occupations are disproportionately affected by both the use of temporary guest workers, including those on H-1B and L-1 visas and Optional Practical Training, and offshoring of jobs. In 2012, the United States Customs and Immigration Service approved employer hiring of 154,869 temporary foreign workers on H-1B visas in computer-related occupations, representing 61 percent of all granted H-1B visas.
[5] Temporary guest workers may represent a small percentage of the whole workforce, but non-U.S. citizens represent 12.8 percent of the U.S. computer workforce (and 16.5 percent of computer systems analysts and 22.5 percent of software developers).
[6] The over 500,000 non-U.S. citizens working in computer-related occupations in the U.S. have fewer rights in the work place and have diminished bargaining power with employers.
Available data make it difficult to assess the exact number of computer professional’s jobs lost to offshoring (U.S. jobs moved out of the country) each year, however experts identify occupations in the computer field as extremely vulnerable to offshoring, particularly as computing and networking technology becomes more widely available and inexpensive.
[7] The Congressional Research Service report on offshoring indicates that as lower-wage countries such as India and China graduate large numbers of well-educated workers, often exceeding “the immediate needs of their local economies,” they become attractive markets for offshoring.
[8]
