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For Silicon Valley, a Worker Pipeline Cut Off

Michelle Quinn

   SAN FRANCISCO - Tech executives saidMondaythey were disappointed in the
   Trump administration'sdecision to temporarily banan array ofwork visas,
   includingthoseused by the technology industry. Somevowed toopen upor
   expand their operations overseas.

   "Banning all H1B visas means CEOs like me have to open offices and hire
   more people in countries like Canada that allow immigration,"
   tweetedAnshuSharma, chief executive of a data privacy firm in Silicon
   Valley.

     Banning all H1B visas means CEOs like me have to open offices and
     hire more people in countries like Canada that allow immigration.
     This visa ban is morally wrong, and economically stupid. What
     happened to being "for legal immigration"?
     [1]https://t.co/R9O9Q1Ts0j
     -- H1B immigrant Anshu Sharma ð¶ (@anshublog) [2]June 22, 2020

   "Immigration has contributed immensely to America's economic success,
   making it a global leader in tech, and also Google the company it is
   today," Sundar Pichai, the chief executive of Google,saidon Twitter.
   "Disappointed by today's proclamation."

     Immigration has contributed immensely to America's economic success,
     making it a global leader in tech, and also Google the company it is
     today. Disappointed by today's proclamation - we'll continue to
     stand with immigrants and work to expand opportunity for all.
     -- Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) [3]June 22, 2020

   The executive order expandedon restrictions the White House rolled out
   in April.In its statement, the White House cited thecurrenteconomic
   hardship in the U.S.where the unemployment rate is more than 13
   percent.

   "President Trump's efforts will ensure businesses look to American
   workers first when hiring," the White House said in a [4]statement.
   "Many workers have been hurt through no fault of their own due to
   coronavirus and they should not remain on the sidelines while being
   replaced by new foreign labor."

   Reliance on foreign workers

   During periods ofhighgrowth, the technology industry has relied on the
   H-1B, a temporary work visa that brings as many as 85,000 skilled
   workers to the U.S. each year.While tech companies have had
   layoffsduring the pandemic, the labor market is still tight, said
   Russell Hancock, the chief executive and president of Joint Venture
   Silicon Valley, a nonprofit organization that studies the region.

   "Tech is pretty much working at full employment," he said. "The
   pandemic hasn't hurt tech as it has hurt other sectors."

   Silicon Valley's foreign-bornworkers mostly hail from India and
   China.More than 60 percent of those working in computer, mathematics
   and engineeringfieldsin Silicon Valley are foreign born, according to
   the [5]2020 Silicon Valley Index, produced by Joint Venture.

   Tech companies have argued that they need foreign-born workers -- and
   an expansion of the temporary work visa program --because there are not
   enough U.S.-born workers with the skills for key roles. Opponents of
   the temporary visa say that the industry and large tech consultants
   turn to foreign workers to keep wages down.

   Cutting off the ability of skilled workers to come tothe U.S. will hurt
   the industry's ability to stay competitive, Hancock said.

   "Ifyou talk to anyone,they will tell you we need talent and it's not
   coming through our own pipelines," he said.

   It's a point echoed by tech leaders.

   "In the digital economy, you hire where the talent is," tweeted
   AaronLevie, the chief executive at Box, a tech firm. "When you restrict
   immigration, the jobs still get created, just somewhere else. And later
   down the road, when those individuals create the next Google, it won't
   be here."

     In the digital economy, you hire where the talent is. When you
     restrict immigration, the jobs still get created, just somewhere
     else. And later down the road, when those individuals create the
     next Google, it won't be here.
     -- Aaron Levie (@levie) [6]June 22, 2020

References

   1. https://t.co/R9O9Q1Ts0j
   2. https://twitter.com/anshublog/status/1275162357593853952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   3. https://twitter.com/sundarpichai/status/1275192075214966784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   4. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-putting-american-workers-first-restore-economy-greatness/
   5. https://siliconvalleyindicators.org/data/people/talent-flows-diversity/foreign-born/foreign-born-share-of-employed-residents-over-age-16-by-occupational-category-table/
   6. https://twitter.com/levie/status/1275194199822856192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

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