Thread: Cisco exec blurts out truth on H-1B

To: H-1B/L-1/offshoring e-newsletter
Subject: Cisco exec blurts out truth on H-1B

Every once in a while someone from the industry or an industry ally
blurts out the truth about H-1B and related issues. Enclosed below is
a real doozy:

# While some students may believe IT won't provide a long-term career path
# because so many positions are outsourced to other countries, McGrath
# indicated this simply isn't true. "There are limits on the number of
# foreign nationals that can be hired due to H1-B visa caps. IT is one of
# the fastest-growing industries in the U.S."

In other words, McGrath is admitting that the H-1B program DOES displace
American workers. If the cap were higher, he is saying, then those
young people's fears that they would lose their jobs to foreign workers
would be valid. He is saying that employers would shun (even more)
American workers in favor of H-1Bs if only Congress would allow them to
do so. And concerning the current level of the cap, even the most
charitable interpretation of his remarks would be that the present cap
is not hurting Americans but a higher cap would harm them.

By the way, though McGrath spoke of H-1Bs in his reply, the question had
actually been about offshoring. So, his comment was not only a great
blurt but also a possible Freudian slip.

Here are few other "famous blurts" I can recall off the top of my head:

* A few years ago, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, Queen of H-1B in Congress,
sought to address concerns that H-1Bs are used as cheap labor by
proposing that any H-1B paid more than $60,000 be exempt from
the cap. Her spokesperson lauded the proposal, saying "$60K is
peanuts in Silicon Valley." Indeed!

* The Minister of Commerce of India called H-1B "the outsourcing
visa," totally contradicting the industry's claim to use the visa
only to remedy staffing shortages.

* Stephen Seideman, dean of the New Jersey Institute of Technology's
engineering graduate program, stated that foreign students "will
do everything they can to stay here," thus demonstrating their
exploitability, which is why the industry lobbyists are pushing
Congress so hard now to provide special visas for foreign students.

* Former Fed chair Alan Greenspan stated that we need H-1B in order
to hold down American tech worker salaries.

* And then of course there is the mother of all blurts, the entire
YouTube video collection made by the Cohen and Grigsby law firm,
showing employers how to legally hire foreign workers at
below-market pay and how to exploit loopholes which allow an
employer to sponsor a foreign national for a green card while
legally rejecting qualified Americans.

Norm

http://www.mentornet.net/documents/abou ... d=28&sid=1

MentorNet: The E-Mentoring Network for Diversity in Engineering and Science

MentorNet News – November 2007

Demand for Information Technology College Grads Soars

The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) forecasts
record growth of computer and information-related jobs to the tune of an
anticipated 1 million jobs added to the U.S. workforce by 2014.

Study Links Diversity to Success

Demand for women and minorities to fill IT jobs is higher than ever.
According to a September 2007 story in Forbes, a recent National Center
for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) study showed that the most
successful IT teams were the most diverse.

The article suggested, "If you want to create a really useful invention,
make sure you have both women and men on your development team."

Yet, while the demand has increased, the supply of potential job
candidates has dwindled.

In 2004, only 26% of women were employed as professionals in IT-related
occupations. Of computer scientists, 4% were African American females; 2%
were Asian females; and only 1% were Hispanic females. Since then, these
numbers have decreased.

Why Women and People of Color Turn Away from IT

So here's the million-dollar question. Why, if diverse IT teams are in
such demand, are so few women and people of color preparing to fill those
hot spots?

Here's one theory. A recent Wall Street Journal article (Wall Street
Journal, August 21, 2007; Page B5), quoted Jenny Slade, Communications
Director of NCWIT, saying, "Women feel discrimination in IT" and leave at
higher rates. Part of the reason, she says, "is that there aren't other
women in the field."

What Do We Do?

The solution, believes Jim McGrath, Cisco Systems' Global Leader of
University Relations and Recruiting, is to expose all students, including
people of color and women, to the broad spectrum of jobs available in IT
today. "We need to tell them IT is no longer an impersonal interaction
between human and computer. IT is now enabling human interactions in a way
never realized before."

McGrath said employers and educators need to do a better job of
"re-imaging IT" to get this message out and make careers more attractive
to students, "particularly women and minorities."

Opportunities in IT, he continued, range from product development and
design/engineering to consulting and services "where you are solving
customers' business problems" to sales and management.

He suggested that universities and employees continue to partner on ways
to reach junior high and high school level students. "There is a need for
an organic solution which attracts young people to math and science early
in their school careers, which would hopefully lead to the pursuit of
IT-related majors."

Turning Students On to IT

As for what he thinks might excite younger students to learn, he said,
"Today's business environment is tremendously dynamic with technology
leading the charge. As we continue to globalize, this opens up even more
opportunities to work with teams around the world."

While some students may believe IT won't provide a long-term career path
because so many positions are outsourced to other countries, McGrath
indicated this simply isn't true. "There are limits on the number of
foreign nationals that can be hired due to H1-B visa caps. IT is one of
the fastest-growing industries in the U.S."

At Cisco, McGrath said, the demand for recent college grads in IT is
"extremely high and getting higher. We are increasing our college grad
hires 100% year over year and are seeing increased competition for talent
as we recruit."

Americans are become an endangered species.

Will all these HB visas be eligible for citizenship?

Originally Posted by nntrixie

Americans are become an endangered species.

Will all these HB visas be eligible for citizenship?

I'm far from an expert on this issue, but I think the concept behind the program is that an employer sponsors the foreign-born worker for a certain fixed period while he/she is living here. The whole idea is for them not to be citizens. You have to pay American citizens decent wages, especially if they're skilled workers. This is the same principle at work in agriculture, which has actually regressed in terms of technology because of the glut of foreign, imported, unskilled, ILLEGAL, labor.

This is disgusting. Maybe they'll outsource the CEO and CIO positions so they can feel the burn.

Hey fellow Alipacers-

I still can't find a tech job (been looking a couple years now) with my physics and materials engineering degrees. I live in Silicon valley and I make 22,000/year doing odd jobs. I will be totally broke soon (I'm raiding my former 401K to live) and I have nowhere to turn. I would kiss the ground if I made $60,000/year, that would be enough to live on, maybe even thrive on. Everyday is a dance with depression and I bend my mind around it so I won't give off loser vibes. I heard they are building a new condo highrise down the road just to house all the incoming H1B Indians. When I ride the light rail to work, I see tons of young Indian males getting off at Cisco. I meet people everyday from Russia and Australia and Pakistan and England etc who were brought here for their IT skills. Young people who couldn't possibly have more than book knowledge and sometimes you can't understand their English. I am friendly to them, but I have IT friends who had to wait a long time to use their Microsoft Certified Engineering degrees, even with years of experience in the field. I have to be careful sometimes not to read the posts concerning H1Bs, since I'll have an upset stomach the rest of the day.

Originally Posted by sofedup

Hey fellow Alipacers-

I still can't find a tech job (been looking a couple years now) with my physics and materials engineering degrees. I live in Silicon valley and I make 22,000/year doing odd jobs. I will be totally broke soon (I'm raiding my former 401K to live) and I have nowhere to turn. I would kiss the ground if I made $60,000/year, that would be enough to live on, maybe even thrive on. Everyday is a dance with depression and I bend my mind around it so I won't give off loser vibes. I heard they are building a new condo highrise down the road just to house all the incoming H1B Indians. When I ride the light rail to work, I see tons of young Indian males getting off at Cisco. I meet people everyday from Russia and Australia and Pakistan and England etc who were brought here for their IT skills. Young people who couldn't possibly have more than book knowledge and sometimes you can't understand their English. I am friendly to them, but I have IT friends who had to wait a long time to use their Microsoft Certified Engineering degrees, even with years of experience in the field. I have to be careful sometimes not to read the posts concerning H1Bs, since I'll have an upset stomach the rest of the day.

I'm sorry to hear you're going through this Sofedup. It's harsh to hear about qualified US citizens being replaced by foreigners who are no better
(in qualifications or moral/ethical character).
I wonder if there's anyplace else in the US you could market your skills?
This idea has at least one plus: it would get you out of the dying state of Californication.

Thanks Sam-U-R

I am recently divorced - my son lives here and we share custody (amicably). I wrongly assumed that ten years of advanced science research, including published papers in peer-reviewed journals, would make finding a job in "the heart of Silicon Valley" a snap. If I had known it would mean I'd end up homeless, I would have not been so bold. At least my son is spared our heated arguments, but I am so ashamed for him to see me living this way.

Originally Posted by sofedup

Thanks Sam-U-R

I am recently divorced - my son lives here and we share custody (amicably). I wrongly assumed that ten years of advanced science research, including published papers in peer-reviewed journals, would make finding a job in "the heart of Silicon Valley" a snap. If I had known it would mean I'd end up homeless, I would have not been so bold. At least my son is spared our heated arguments, but I am so ashamed for him to see me living this way.

Wow, talk about some tough times. I gotta say I admire your courage and determination through these tough times you're suffering through. Do you have any headhunters/career counselors looking for you? Even though academia doesn't pay much have you looked into maybe working at local
colleges/universities.

Ah well, try not to worry about it too much sofedup. I hope you and your family have a Happy Thanksgiving. Don't let your troubles ruin it. I'm sure something will break for you.

Happy T-Day Sam and everyone! I truly believe we are making positive changes that will gain momentum in front of us. I do vent now and then but I'm optimistic about the future. One thing I'm giving thanks for - the internet!

Sofedup-

Maybe you can turn to the local Jr. Colleges to get into teaching! Your background has a lot of potential.


Ken