Rep Riley Moore said he proposed an amendment to stop the abuse of the H-1B visa program and the House Appropriations Committee approved it. The amendment instructs the US labor department to investigate the ‘fake shortage’ of the STEM workforce and submit a report on it. The development comes as the US tech workforce is calling for the scrapping of the H-1B visa program altogether so that US jobs are not stolen by foreigners. H-1B visa program allows companies to bring in foreign workforce, but according to experts, it has now become an easy option for companies to save money by bringing in cheap labor for even entry-level posts which do not require high skill. But as hiring US workforce would cost more, H-1B is go-to for several Silicon Valley companies. “The H-1B program has been grossly abused to undercut the American worker and replace domestic talent with foreign workers. @HouseAppropsGOP passed my amendment pushing back on the false STEM workforce shortage claims used to import foreign workers. The amendment directs the @USDOL to examine the H-1B and Schedule A list and provide a report on how these programs harm the American worker,” Moore posted on X.
What is false STEM workforce shortage?
Companies cite that there is a shortage of skills in US in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths and therefore they have to hire from foreign countries like China and India, traditionally known for being strong in the STEM stream. But several research found out that the shortage is exaggerated — companies are inflating the figure while US STEM students remain jobless. The Trump administration is planning an overhaul of the H-1B program so that it does not clash with entry-level jobs. The proposed changes want companies to hire from foreign countries only in roles that require high skills and will have high wages. Entry-level hiring from the H-1B pool will not be allowed in the new system, according to the proposal.
