logo

Who Are the Skilled Workers Zuckerberg Wants?

image
Author: Lucas Eaves
Created: 06 May, 2013
Updated: 18 October, 2022
1 min read

Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, recently made headlines for his involvement in the immigration reform debate. With his new social welfare group FWD.us, he favors an increase in the number of visas for skilled workers.

Zuckerberg and other Silicon Valley's leaders favor a specific type of immigration reform that directly benefits their businesses; specifically, the expansion of the H-1B visa program to allow for the continued employment of skilled workers.

Under the current system, the U.S. Citizens and Immigration Services (USCIS) limits the number of H-1B visas available to 65,000,with an additional 20,000 for applicants with a master’s degree from an American university.

The United States is currently facing a shortage of skilled labor, especially in STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math), that foreign workers, often educated in the US, could fill.

This shortage is due to a number of reasons. A critical number of high-skilled americans are reaching retirement ages. For example, 40 percent of computer programmers in the US are at least 45 years old.

There is also not enough young Americans graduating with degrees from these specific areas. In the coming years, as major investment will be needed to improve the US's overhall infrastructure that is aging, the country will need a high number of engineers. However, US schools only produce 6.3 percent of the world's engineers while China produces 63.8 percent.

Not only does the United States need these skilled workers, but once in the country they actively participate in the economy. In 2011, immigrants started 28 percent of new business while only representing 12.9 percent of the population.

After considering the following infographic, provided by Visual.ly, how should the US government reform its immigration laws regarding skilled workers?

Credit: Visual.ly

skilled workers

More Choice for San Diego

Latest articles

A wide shot of an Alaska city.
In a True Nail-Biter, Alaska Voters Reject Repeal of Top 4 Primary and Ranked Choice Voting
Two weeks after Election Day, Alaska voters finally know the fate of their election system. The choice before them was keep the nonpartisan Top 4 primary system with ranked choice voting in the general election or go back to partisan control over elections....
21 November, 2024
-
5 min read
Coin with Trump's face on it.
How Will the New Government Affect Independent Voters' Finances?
My rates! What happened to my rates? Partisan and independent voters ranked the economy the most important issue in the 2024 election....
20 November, 2024
-
9 min read
An elephant and donkey facing each other on a red bar.
Understanding The ‘Other Side’ Is More Important Than Ever
For some of us, just reading the title of this piece may be irritating — even maddening. If you’re scared about Trump’s election, being asked to understand the “other side” can seem a distant concern compared to your fears of what might happen during his presidency....
20 November, 2024
-
4 min read