Sunday, April 15, 2007

World's top Universities are not in India or China

Newsweek ranked global universities on several factors. Their "Complete List: The Top 100 Global Universities" reveals that the top schools are disporportionately in the United States: Eight are in California. In contrast, none appear to be in India or Mainland China.

Furthermore, "Where the Engineers Are" published by the National Academy of Sciences found that "there are serious deficiencies in engineering graduates from Indian and Chinese schools." Their research revealed that many "masters degrees" from India (comprising a disproportionate number of H-1b) are really MCA degrees. And "Most MCA recipients receive an education equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in computer science."

Contrary to claims by corporations and other proponents of increasing the H-1b cap, companies are not offshoring to chase the top talent: "Our research shows that companies are not moving abroad because of a deficiency in U.S. education or the quality of U.S. workers. Rather, they are doing what gives them economic and competitive advantage."

The study also refutes that there is a shortage of engineering graduates in the U.S.:
"Graduating more engineers just because India and China graduate more than the United States does is likely to create unemployment and erode engineering salaries. One of the biggest challenges for the engineering profession today is that engineers’ salaries are not competitive with those of other highly trained professionals: It makes more financial sense for a top engineering student to become an investment banker than an engineer. "
Rather than flooding in more H-1b, Congress should examine why engineering salaries are failing to keep pace with other professions. One factor might be the H-1b program itself, which Congress has capped salaries at $60,000 for several years as the limit which an employer who hires exclusively H-1b workers is not deemed "H-1b Dependent."

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have been reading your articles off and on for about a week now. I have even commented on one of them. I think,finally, I agree with ONE your views on this topic. That should say alot since I myself am anxioulsy awating a receipt from USCIS for a H-1B.

First off, I am an international student and a recent CS graduate from a US college. I have been working for an amazing company for the past 6 months. Ive come to find out a couple of things.

I know for a fact that Indians and Chinese students graduating from foreign universities are comparitively less equipped to handle real bonafide IT jobs in America. Most arent even CS majors to tell you the truth. The moment I started working with Indians( nothing racial,just what I have experienced) I had realized that they lacked fundamental practical knowledge required by the IT field.

Not to mention the fake resumes that these guys come out with. I was amazed when one of my co-workers(from India) who had supposedly 3 years of working experience (in a Unix env.) didnt even know what a cronjob was. (Or gunzip which amazed me even more)

I GURANTEE this guy has a wee bit LESS than the experience required by most entry-level IT jobs. Fact of the matter is, I knew more than him with just an internship under my belt!

My main point is, there ARE thousands of unscrupolus, undereducated H-1B IT imposters out there.

It is making it REALLY hard for people like me whom have worked hard to

1)Study in the USA
2)Get a job in the USA

to get sponsored.

I think the H-1B should be reformed to weed out all these fraudsters that are hijacking jobs from qualified US of A graduates!

weaver said...

Here’s a quote that defies the “shortage of skilled workers” claim – maybe these workers are too skilled? Maybe too street smart?

“Cap Exempt Petitions. As directed by the H1B Visa Reform Act of 2004, USCIS treats as exempt from the cap for any fiscal year the first 20,000 H1B petitions reflecting an alien beneficiary with a US-earned masters or higher degree. For FY2005 and 2006 USCIS has now received approximately 10,000 and 8,000 of such petitions, respectively.” http://www.immigration-lawyer.com/visa/H1B/h1b_numbers.htm#06-cap

I wonder why Bill Gates doesn’t want to use these visas to hire really smart graduates?


The Employment Based Preference visa is another very strange category. With a 140,000 per year cap and a 5 year path to citizenship, it appears that employers don't want to consider the Employment Based category for foreign workers.

With 840,000 visas available for the years 2000-2005, only 184,436 Employment Based entrance visas were granted. Additionally, the unused portion of these visas can be reclaimed from the prior year.
http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1323.html

The Employment Based visa is the "Greencard" for workers from India and China, because these folks are not eligible for traditional greencard, so I would think that these businesses, desperate for H-1B visas, would be exhausting this category with initial visas.

It's not as if theses Employment Based immigration caps are not met. Employment Based Legal Permanent Residence status was granted to 943,093, 2000-2005 petitioners, my math shows that 758,657 of these petitioners entered the United States under a visa other than the Employment Based visa category.

There are two possible conclusions I can derive from this data:

A.) The H-1B and L-1 guestworkers are not well qualified enough to become citizens until they have served a term of indentured guestworker servitude.

B.) Employers are not interested in employing the brightest and the best and allowing that person to perform their job without continual immigration hardships.

Data:
http://www.travel.state.gov/pdf/FY05tableII.pdf
http://www.travel.state.gov/pdf/FY04tableII.pdf
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/statistics/yearbook/2005/OIS_2005_Yearbook.pdf

Mr. Kim Berry said...

kmohanshan: we agree - U.S. should either stop granting underpaid H-1b visa applications for foreign grads to work a foreign bodyshops - or at least first process all applications for all grads of U.S. schools going to work as direct hire for U.S. companies.

Kim

Anonymous said...

Check your ref story again, there are Chinese Universities in the top 100.

Anonymous said...

Citi's recent news of laying off 17,000 employees and transferring 9,500 jobs to "low cost" countries provides more evidence for what the article states:


"Our research shows that companies are not moving abroad because of a deficiency in U.S. education or the quality of U.S. workers. Rather, they are doing what gives them economic and competitive advantage."


It's not about "skills shortage" or "best and brightest", or "whatever cute phrase they come up with next" .

It's about cheap labor, increasing profits by cutting wages, ...


Citigroup cuts



"As part of the effort, Citigroup said Wednesday that it would cut 17,000 jobs -- roughly 5 percent of its total employee base -- and move an additional 9,500 positions to "lower-cost" locations."

"Executives point to ... as well as relocating jobs to lower cost locations outside the United States.."

Anonymous said...

Well I am quiet sure that the best Universities in terms of beutiful building, all facilities for students etc may be in USA and UK but I can tell for sure that in terms of Quality of student and talent India tops the World, that is obviuosly seen now all over the world. In USA and UK people admire Indian professionals not because of the type of University they have studied, but because of there talent extraordinary knowledge capabilities. Mr Kmohanshan, the fraud you have met does not reflect the fraudulence of every Indian IT proffesssional. Just think from whichever country you are why not from your country guys are recruited in that numbers how much they are from India.
Also please think, why all of the passouts from Indian Institute Of Technology are taken away by Americans? Actually I can keep on writing on this topic if you have any more queries or comments please let me know.
My email is bharatbharat@yandex.ru

Anonymous said...

Try being an international student here, kmohanshan got lucky, it doesn't matter if you are above average or even an excellent one ( a 4.0 GPA might help though), the US job market is designed to frustrate all your efforts, more than half of the jobs require you to have at least a 'green card', if not citizenship which an international student can't get, so there are many talented students who have graduated from U.S. universities who can't land a job, and have no other option but to join a body-shopping agency which will create a doctored resume in order to sell you in the market. I personally know some one who graduated from a top U.S. school, got a job and then had to quit and join a body-shop because of this.Programmers' guild is nothing but a bunch of racists crying hoarse because non-Caucasians are finally getting through the American immigration system. I've got news for you: People who can survive in a market as tough as this will brave all obstacles to succeed, you rednecks are just on a timer.

Anonymous said...

Rednecks should indeed realize that they are on a timer. However it is not a Caucasian or non-Caucasian thing. The smart people (Caucasian or otherwise) will always move ahead, regardless of their nationality. Lack of facilities or equipment can be a temporary setback, but the determined will always overcome such obstacles. The fact to realize is that such passion for technology and science is found nowadays in Indian schools and colleges. Why not utilize it instead of letting it rot and searching for avenues. Do people here realize that some so-called "inferior MCAs" get admission in top schools in the US after their post-graduate program in India? Either they come and benefit the US or stay back and benefit India.