Today's Article
Why do
professionals only
seem worried about
depressed wages
and salaries when it
affects them?
professionals only
seem worried about
depressed wages
and salaries when it
affects them?
The American Spark
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Report Studies Foreign Scientists' Effect On Labor Force
By Cliff Montgomery - July 11th, 2007
A Congressional Research Service (CRS) report updated on June 21st, 2007, deals with a matter that hasn't
always gotten the attention it deserves: the impact of foreign scientists and engineers on the American
professional labor force.
Those who see only good in foreign scientists and engineers immigrating to the U.S. do have one valid point:
American students have exhibited a growing disinterest in the science and engineering sectors in recent years.
The simple truth is that, in the short term, an influx of foreign talent in these areas would help keep America
competitive in these areas.
But others believe that we'd be better served with more American students choosing science and engineering
careers. They retort that many foreign scientists and engineers immigrating to the United States come from
much poorer countries; consequently these fine people may often work for considerably less, at least in the
short term. This falsely depresses the salaries and benefits to which the scientist and the engineer is entitled,
since American scientists and engineers cannot counter such deflationary pressures--ruthlessly wielded by
their employers--with pressures of their own.
For such professionals the "virtuous self-interest" of capitalism, in which everyone retains an equivalent power
to broker the deals they need to better their own lives, is turned on its head and becomes a rigged game to the
bottom, in which the employer holds all the cards and the employee is set to lose all the deals before the game
begins.
While this point is an excellent one, we at The American Spark can't help but notice that several professionals
are only beginning to see how such a rigged game isn't really capitalism at all, since it instead decreases the
rights and freedoms of most--now that such horrors are finally happening to them.
We quote from the report below:
"The increased presence of foreign students in graduate science and engineering programs and in the
scientific workforce has been and continues to be of concern to some in the scientific community.
"Enrollment of U.S. citizens in graduate science and engineering programs has not kept pace with that of
foreign students in those programs.
"In addition to the number of foreign students in graduate science and engineering programs, a significant
number of university faculty in the scientific disciplines are foreign, and foreign doctorates are employed in
large numbers by industry.
"Few will dispute that U.S. universities and industry have chosen foreign talent to fill many positions. Foreign
scientists and engineers serve the needs of industry at the doctorate level and also have been found to serve
in major roles at the masters level.
"However, there are charges that U.S. workers are adversely affected by the entry of foreign scientists and
engineers, who reportedly accept lower wages than U.S. citizens would accept in order to enter or remain in
the United States.
"NSF data reveal that in 2005, the foreign student population earned approximately 34.7% of the doctorate
degrees in the sciences and approximately 63.1% of the doctorate degrees in engineering.
"In 2005, foreign students on temporary resident visas earned 30.8% of the doctorates in the sciences, and
58.6% of the doctorates in engineering.
"The participation rates in 2004 were 28.5% and 57.3%, respectively. In 2005, permanent resident status
students earned 3.8% of the doctorates in the sciences and 4.5% of the doctorates in engineering, slightly
above the 2004 levels of 3.7% and 4.2%, respectively.
"Many in the scientific community maintain that in order to compete with countries that are rapidly expanding
their scientific and technological capabilities, the country needs to bring to the United States those whose
skills will benefit society and will enable us to compete in the new-technology based global economy.
"The academic community is concerned that the more stringent visa requirements for foreign students may
have a continued impact on enrollments in colleges and universities.
"There are [others] who believe that the underlying problem of foreign students in graduate science and
engineering programs is not necessarily that there are too many foreign-born students, but that there are not
enough native-born students pursuing scientific and technical disciplines.
"Comprehensive immigration reform legislation is currently under consideration in the 110th Congress. S.Amdt.
1150 to S. 1348 would, among other things, ease the restrictions on foreign students in scientific and technical
disciplines.
"The bill would increase the annual quota for highly educated temporary workers on H-1B visas from 65,000 to
115,000. The bill would expand the types of individuals who would no longer be subjected to the annual limits
on legal immigrants."
Like what you're reading so far? Then why not order a full year (52 issues) of the The American Spark
e-newsletter for only $15? A major article covering an story not being told in the Corporate Press will be
delivered to your email every Monday morning for a full year, for less than 30 cents an issue. Order Now!
By Cliff Montgomery - July 11th, 2007
A Congressional Research Service (CRS) report updated on June 21st, 2007, deals with a matter that hasn't
always gotten the attention it deserves: the impact of foreign scientists and engineers on the American
professional labor force.
Those who see only good in foreign scientists and engineers immigrating to the U.S. do have one valid point:
American students have exhibited a growing disinterest in the science and engineering sectors in recent years.
The simple truth is that, in the short term, an influx of foreign talent in these areas would help keep America
competitive in these areas.
But others believe that we'd be better served with more American students choosing science and engineering
careers. They retort that many foreign scientists and engineers immigrating to the United States come from
much poorer countries; consequently these fine people may often work for considerably less, at least in the
short term. This falsely depresses the salaries and benefits to which the scientist and the engineer is entitled,
since American scientists and engineers cannot counter such deflationary pressures--ruthlessly wielded by
their employers--with pressures of their own.
For such professionals the "virtuous self-interest" of capitalism, in which everyone retains an equivalent power
to broker the deals they need to better their own lives, is turned on its head and becomes a rigged game to the
bottom, in which the employer holds all the cards and the employee is set to lose all the deals before the game
begins.
While this point is an excellent one, we at The American Spark can't help but notice that several professionals
are only beginning to see how such a rigged game isn't really capitalism at all, since it instead decreases the
rights and freedoms of most--now that such horrors are finally happening to them.
We quote from the report below:
"The increased presence of foreign students in graduate science and engineering programs and in the
scientific workforce has been and continues to be of concern to some in the scientific community.
"Enrollment of U.S. citizens in graduate science and engineering programs has not kept pace with that of
foreign students in those programs.
"In addition to the number of foreign students in graduate science and engineering programs, a significant
number of university faculty in the scientific disciplines are foreign, and foreign doctorates are employed in
large numbers by industry.
"Few will dispute that U.S. universities and industry have chosen foreign talent to fill many positions. Foreign
scientists and engineers serve the needs of industry at the doctorate level and also have been found to serve
in major roles at the masters level.
"However, there are charges that U.S. workers are adversely affected by the entry of foreign scientists and
engineers, who reportedly accept lower wages than U.S. citizens would accept in order to enter or remain in
the United States.
"NSF data reveal that in 2005, the foreign student population earned approximately 34.7% of the doctorate
degrees in the sciences and approximately 63.1% of the doctorate degrees in engineering.
"In 2005, foreign students on temporary resident visas earned 30.8% of the doctorates in the sciences, and
58.6% of the doctorates in engineering.
"The participation rates in 2004 were 28.5% and 57.3%, respectively. In 2005, permanent resident status
students earned 3.8% of the doctorates in the sciences and 4.5% of the doctorates in engineering, slightly
above the 2004 levels of 3.7% and 4.2%, respectively.
"Many in the scientific community maintain that in order to compete with countries that are rapidly expanding
their scientific and technological capabilities, the country needs to bring to the United States those whose
skills will benefit society and will enable us to compete in the new-technology based global economy.
"The academic community is concerned that the more stringent visa requirements for foreign students may
have a continued impact on enrollments in colleges and universities.
"There are [others] who believe that the underlying problem of foreign students in graduate science and
engineering programs is not necessarily that there are too many foreign-born students, but that there are not
enough native-born students pursuing scientific and technical disciplines.
"Comprehensive immigration reform legislation is currently under consideration in the 110th Congress. S.Amdt.
1150 to S. 1348 would, among other things, ease the restrictions on foreign students in scientific and technical
disciplines.
"The bill would increase the annual quota for highly educated temporary workers on H-1B visas from 65,000 to
115,000. The bill would expand the types of individuals who would no longer be subjected to the annual limits
on legal immigrants."
Like what you're reading so far? Then why not order a full year (52 issues) of the The American Spark
e-newsletter for only $15? A major article covering an story not being told in the Corporate Press will be
delivered to your email every Monday morning for a full year, for less than 30 cents an issue. Order Now!