Re:Large Companies Game H-1B Visa Program
by sokoloff on Tuesday November 10, 2015 @09:22AM
(#10539405)
That would tend to concentrate all the H1-Bs in high cost of living areas and in high-salary fields, but other than that, it seems like a reasonable modification, provided that the companies are bidding on the minimum salary they'll pay, not the precise salary (to allow them some flexibility on the upside, but to still make it a market).
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Re:Large Companies Game H-1B Visa Program
by _delirium on Tuesday November 10, 2015 @12:06PM
(#10540554)
Isn't concentrating them towards high-salary fields exactly what should happen? The stated point of H-1Bs is to solve skill shortages, and fields with relatively low wages presumably have no skill shortage, or the supply/demand imbalance would have driven the prevailing wages up.
Re:Large Companies Game H-1B Visa Program
by sokoloff on Tuesday November 10, 2015 @01:37PM
(#10541315)
Though I love the market system in general, it's pretty clear to me that neither salary and skills nor salary and societal good are anywhere near linear (or even monotonic for that matter) across fields.
School teachers, nurses, and regional pilots are three fields I can think of where we may well have skill shortages despite fairly low wages. (in the third case, I think it's because of low wages, but no matter...)
Re:Large Companies Game H-1B Visa Program
by jacalata on Tuesday November 10, 2015 @03:10PM
(#10542092)
Skill shortages 'despite' low wages doesn't make sense. "Even though we don't pay them much, people aren't flocking to do it!"
Re:Large Companies Game H-1B Visa Program
by sokoloff on Tuesday November 10, 2015 @05:27PM
(#10543082)
That's fair and I agree. I should have said "and" rather than "despite".
Re:Large Companies Game H-1B Visa Program
by UK-AL on Tuesday November 10, 2015 @06:22PM
(#10543416)
That's because people won't pay. Those professions should be paid more, but there not because of the whim of some administrators deciding what the wage should be.
Exactly what were trying to avoid here.
Re:Large Companies Game H-1B Visa Program
by wlesieutre on Tuesday November 10, 2015 @09:29AM
(#10539446)
Is there a standard cost of living adjustment that the government tracks (how are federal salary scales determined for the same job in SF vs DC vs wherever)?
If so, you could weight the H1-B salary auctions in the same way. Wouldn't solve the weighting toward high-salary fields, but should make weighting toward $3000/month for a closet areas like SF less of a problem.