Editorials - Lubbock Online.com High-Tech Immigrants

Published: Monday, August 10, 1998






The editorials represent the opinion of the




Monday, August 10, 1998 Last modified at 12:19 a.m. on Monday, August 10, 1998

High-Tech Immigrants

"This is the highest priority item for our industry. Not reaching a conclusion in the very near future would be disastrous."

- John Boidock, vice-president of government

relations for Texas Instruments

THE HIGH-TECH INDUSTRY in the United States is suffering, and something needs to be done pronto to help it.

The problem is that there is not enough skilled workers to go around. Companies do not have enough workers to meet their growth and production needs.

The long-term solution to this, of course, is to step up the high-tech education of American students. That will require effort both to guide young Americans into high-tech fields and to urge schools to offer the necessary coursework.

In the long-run, it will pay off handsomely. Students who enter the fields will find lucrative employment and will help to ensure that America keeps its world leadership in high-tech industry.

A limited number of skilled foreign workers is allowed

But the long-term solution, even if it is brought about satisfactorily, will take years to accomplish. And American companies need the skilled workers now.

The short-term solution must be to import the skilled workers from other countries until there is a sufficient number of trained and qualified domestic workers.

Provision was made to bring skilled foreigners to America though the H-1B visa. But a limitation was established - the number of these high-tech visas is capped at 65,000 for each fiscal year. That number was reached in May.

Obviously, the H-1B cap needs to be extended to allow more skilled workers into the country. Leaving the cap where it is going to stifle the healthy growth that the high-tech industry is enjoying.

Divided along party lines

The Senate adopted legislation to boost H-1B visas, but a similar measure stalled in the House. Republican leaders in the House added protections for American workers and money for training programs to the bill, but Democrats blocked the introduction of the compromise.

President Clinton has threatened to veto the legislation if it is passed. The White House and other Democrats are obviously motivated by their commitment to organized labor.

But their resistance implies the belief that Republicans are willing to allow jobs to be whisked away from qualified Americans and be handed over to the hands of foreigners - and that is not the case.

We will agree that safeguards need to be put into place to ensure that American jobs will not be lost in the long term. But that does not take away from the immediate, short-term need for qualified workers.

High-tech American companies in Silicon Valley and elsewhere are going to be faced with a choice if they cannot get the workers they need - either accept limited growth possibilities or move at least part of their operations to foreign nations where sufficient labor is available.

For the next few years at least, more H-1B visas will be needed. And education and training must be implemented to bring forth more qualified high-tech American workers so that American companies will not have to import foreign labor in the first place.