[dirtboy]

Employers need tech workers who are not only trained, but experienced.

Yeah, there are lots of older high-tech workers out there who haven't gotten jobs since the 2002 slump. How about hiring them back first and THEN we'll talk about bringing in more H1-B visa folks?

[RAldrich]

"Yeah, there are lots of older high-tech workers out there who haven't gotten jobs since the 2002 slump. How about hiring them back first and THEN we'll talk about bringing in more H1-B visa folks?"

Absolutely. Employers love green-card workers because they can treat them "anyhow they want" (in the words of one of them) - the green-cards need employer-certification in order to stay here.

When a slow-down occurs, guess who are the first workers to get laid off? (Not the green-cards.)

[orinoco]

Problem is that those in charge are in their 40's ( and some in their 30's). They are intimidated by the maturity and experience of the older professionals and they feel threatened. The H1-B's are grateful for the job and therefore the forty year olds have an easier time managing them (i.e. H1-B's are no threat to their jobs).

[banjo joe]

Yeah, there are lots of older high-tech workers out there who haven't gotten jobs since the 2002 slump. How about hiring them back first and THEN we'll talk about bringing in more H1-B visa folks?

Fact, and thanks for saying it. I know this from personal experience. Many of us 40-50 y/o's retrained in object-oriented IT, so we have both the new stuff and the "dead" technologies experience. I can refer you to many of these folks; problem is, many of us have left IT for other fields.

I saw a piece in an online IT mag about displaced IT-ers retraining in advanced radiology technologies (MRI, CT, etc) b/c thier computer backgrounds were welcome. Guess what?