Silicon Valley's year: 'amazing' but with 'perils'

Palo Alto Online ^ | 02/10/2016 | Sue Dermann

[RC one]

That has been my point all along.

[faithhopecharity]

OK!

[Huskrrrr]

Obama was in Palo Alto today. How appropriate to the title of the article.

[Crucial]

That’s just stunning.Just unbelievable. The damage done by the educational system in this country really has become our greatest national threat.

[hawaiianninja]

My interpretation of these facts: We are not generating enough scientists, engineers and technical types to meet the demand of the high tech industries. So industry imports the help they need.

I agree. Our Education system has been in decline for decades to the point where many middle and high school kids do not even get a basic education in chemistry and physics. It's very sad.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

in the tech, computer and STEM industries, that number rises to 75 percent, according to the Index.

These are not low-paid workers - small old houses in Silicon Valley go for over $1 million and the people working at Apple, Google, Facebook, Oracle, Salesforce and SAP can afford it.

If nothing else, this points out the fact that the "new" ways of teaching math and science in the US aren't producing the results that the old, traditional ways used in China and India are.

[rey]

So we are to understand you NEVER hire anyone for less, you NEVER buy something for lower cost, you NEVER buy anything foreign?

I find it ironic that we complain about jobs going over seas and foreign goods as we complain on a Japanese computers made with Chinese rare earth materials, assembled in Mexico, and tech serviced by East Indians.

[Freedom56v2]

If 75% are going to foreign born workers and they’ll work for less. Then how are all the white hipsters in SanFran, who are supposedly in the tech business, able to pay $4000 a month for 300sf studio

---

My son lives near San Jose. San Fran is most expensive area, but other areas around the bay area available for less.

Many are renting a room in homes for $1,000-$2000 per room, many live a ways out—long commutes.

I saw one place offering a couch...a couch?!?! for $900/month.

[MarchonDC09122009]

You did read the whole article, right?
The crux point is buried at the end of the Palo Alto happy news fluff piece about Silicon Valley. I highlighted clearly:

“*Among the working population, 45 percent are foreign born, but in the tech, computer and STEM industries, that number rises to 75 percent, according to the Index.*”

RE:”Your posted link does not match the title of the article.

Silicon Valley’s year: ‘amazing’ but with ‘perils’”

[Tzimisce]

I wouldn’t want stupid, lazy American workers either.

Do you see who they vote for?

[GeaugaRepublican]

My daughter works in tech in San Francisco. We have the workers.

The reason the tech people want the HB-1 visas has more to do with “job hopping”. Regular US workers particularly, software engineers can move from business to business. The HB-1 visa folks are controlled by their “sponsor employer”. They cannot leave employment without filing a petition from their employer from Cisco to go to Facebook. The HB-1 slot belongs to the sponsor employer.

“if an H-1B visa holder wishes to change jobs, they must have a petition filed for them by the new employer; however, the H-1B visa holder can transfer their H-1B visa without waiting for a new visa to become available.”

This has the effect of keeping down wages because it makes it more difficult for the visa worker to compete for other jobs.

http://www.immihelp.com/visas/h1b/h1-visa-holder-rights.html
https://www.uscis.gov/eir/visa-guide/h-1b-specialty-occupation/understanding-h-1b-requirements
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/umar-akbar-ahmed/us-businesses-take-advant_b_5057014.html

[ConservativeMind]

It already has and you are happy with this status quo.

If a company can get another H1-B for $60,000 for someone who claims to have the experience from unverifiable time in Pakistan, the US worker never gets the chance as a newly graduated student, nor the opportunity to be hired as a seasoned US worker. Those US STEM grads get jobs in a different field, working in 0bama’s part-time economy as a waiter until things change.

[ConservativeMind]

There are comparative advantages to having work done in the US, still, so why give that so completely away?

The competitive advantage has been gone a long time, due to corporate tax rates and having encouraged international training opportunities as well as our situation has.

[Catmom]

It’s not just high tech where this is going on.

My hospital has preferentially hired foreign born/trained nurses for years.

I feel like I need to bring my passport to work.

[Iscool]

75% Foreign born engineers and those with technical skills.
3%-5% unemployment for those groups.
My interpretation of these facts: We are not generating enough scientists, engineers and technical types to meet the demand of the high tech industries. So industry imports the help they need.

All that really means is the American engineers are working at jobs flipping burgers while big business opts for cheap H1B labor...

Here

[snippy_about_it]

Careful when thinking engineer means what you think it mans. In the world of IT where we are losing American jobs to foreign born H1B holders programmers and developers are now called system engineers. The IT field is where we are being pushed out of and it is NOT for lack of skills by American born workers, nor is it because of supposed lower wages for H1bs.

The US government made sure of that years ago when they set minimums for their wages. IT “students” who just received their country’s version of a degree are coming in at a minimum of $45k and up. Now they bring their similarly skilled wife with them and double their starting income, have kids who become citizens at birth and voila, once we train them we’re gone.

Just as troublesome is offshoring IT work. I work for one of the big three and their unashamed goal is to reach 70% of the workforce at what they call “best shore”. America has no bestshore.

If you aren’t in IT then you probably have no idea how American workers are being eliminated.

[Caipirabob]

I had a nightmare last night, Washington,D.c, was leveled by a nuke......and there were survivors.

[indthkr]

if an H-1B visa holder wishes to change jobs, they must have a petition filed for them by the new employer

This of course is a form of indentured servitude.