Mercury News Shortage Shouting at Fever Pitch
Mercury News Shortage Shouting at Fever Pitch
Date: Monday, December 08, 2003 1:33 PM
JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER
www.ZaZona.com
Before you laugh these articles off, consider the fact that they
contain similar rhetoric that was used to justify every major increase
in H-1B since 1990. In all cases there was always a study by the
National Science Foundation "proving" that shortages of scientists and
engineers were a threat to the nation. The alarmist articles always
start off with some kind of warning that the United States will go the
way of the Roman Empire unless we produce huge numbers of scientists
and engineers to solve the "shortage". The San Francisco Mercury, one
of the most consistent advocates and supporters of H-1B, is using the
flawed NSF studies to justify their shortage shouting.
Shortage shouters constantly warn that not enough students are taking
technical courses at our colleges, but do you think for a moment that
they are going to try to give more incentive for American kids to stay
in graduate school? Quite the opposite; they say that nothing can be
done to stop the subsidizing of foreign students!
``The good thing is that we've got some of the brightest
people in the world [H-1Bs of course] doing research for
us, and many of them decide to stay.
``But it does make the competition pretty rough for our
existing kids,'' he said. He added that the government
could do more with the money it has by stipulating that
grants used to hire graduate students in research labs
go only to U.S. citizens.
``But they'll never do that,'' he said.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This implication that we need more American students to enter graduate
school is a faux pas, because most jobs that H-1Bs are being used for
don't require advanced degrees. American students don't go to graduate
school because it doesn't pay for them to. It's just that simple. If
the US government wanted more American kids to stay in graduate school
they would pay them more money than the foreign students. Newspaper
journalists should have the common sense to figure these thing out, but
apparently they continue to deny the obvious.
Here are some of the typical arguments that are being pitched to the
public - and the shouting is increasing at a fever pitch that rivals
the spread of the flu in its veracity.
* the shortage of scientists and engineers is a threat to America's
technological and economic leadership
* if shortages continues, the nation will find itself unable to compete
with growing economies such as China and India
* If those trends continue, it warns, the nation will find itself
unable to compete with growing economies such as China and India
* companies aren't moving to China and India because labor costs are so
low, they are moving because they have so many smart engineers and
scientists
* America isn't preparing nearly enough workers to meet its expected
needs in the fields of science, engineering and technology.
* in Silicon Valley: There's a looming shortage of skilled workers,
particularly in technology.
* the number of science and engineering graduates coming out of
America's colleges and universities is expected to remain flat, at
best.
* fewer younger Americans are interested in pursuing careers in science
and technology.
* the number of foreigners on H-1B and L-1 visas has recently plummeted
- making the shortage much worse
* special efforts need to be made to entice members of fast-growing
minority groups, such as Latinos, who are underrepresented in technical
fields, to pursue careers in math and science.
* the emergence of opportunities overseas and stricter scrutiny of
immigrants have all contributed to a sharp drop in the number of visas
granted to skilled workers in the past two years.
If you want to write a letter to the editor in response to this
editorial or many others in newspapers, go to this webpage for writing
hints and contact information:
See http://heather.cs.ucdavis.edu/letters.html
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/opinion/7435580.htm
Posted on Sun, Dec. 07, 2003
A home-grown threat to tech
U.S. ISN'T TRAINING NEARLY ENOUGH SCIENTIFIC WORKERS
Mercury News Editorial
The most visible threat to America's technological and economic
leadership may be the dizzying growth of tech powerhouses such as China
and India.
But a different, home-grown threat is lurking in the shadows: America
isn't preparing nearly enough workers to meet its expected needs in the
fields of science, engineering and technology.
Unless the government significantly ups its commitment to investing in
education, training and research, America's ability to remain the
world's leading innovator will be choked off. Every area, from K-12
education to graduate education to government-backed research must be
re-invigorated, and the time to act is now.
Amid the ongoing struggles of the tech sector, the following may be
hard to believe, especially in Silicon Valley: There's a looming
shortage of skilled workers, particularly in technology.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects employment in computer and
related fields to grow by 80 percent in the current decade. Yet the
number of science and engineering graduates coming out of America's
colleges and universities is expected to remain flat, at best. (In
contrast, India's pool of college-trained engineers is expected to
double this decade.) And fewer younger Americans are interested in
pursuing careers in science and technology.
This skilled-worker gap isn't new, but it's accelerating. And it's
being exacerbated by global economic forces and domestic security
concerns. A recent study by the National Science Foundation found that
over the past decade, America filled the gap through a growing reliance
on foreign-born engineers and scientists. New Census Bureau figures
show the proportion of foreign workers employed in the United States is
between six and 10 percent greater than previously thought.
But the economic downturn in the United States, the emergence of
opportunities overseas and stricter scrutiny of immigrants have all
contributed to a sharp drop in the number of visas granted to skilled
workers in the past two years. Whether or not that number rises again,
America's growing reliance on foreign-born workers cannot be sustained
over the long term.
The National Science Foundation's findings buttress those of a local
study, published more than a year ago by Joint Venture: Silicon Valley
Network. Both organizations suggest, rightly so, that special efforts
need to be made to entice members of fast-growing minority groups, such
as Latinos, who are underrepresented in technical fields, to pursue
careers in math and science.
But to be effective, the government's efforts must range from more
spending on basic research to more support for graduate students to
better training for K-12 teachers.
America became a world leader through innovation and invention. Its
future -- its standard of living, its standing among nations and its
national security -- will be shaped by its ability to continue
innovating and inventing.
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/living/health/7393483.htm
Posted on Tue, Dec. 02, 2003
Panel: U.S. science leadership at stake
FOREIGN ECONOMY GROWTH, SEPT. 11 SECURITY CITED IN BRAIN DRAIN
By Glennda Chui
Mercury News
New census figures show the United States is relying more than ever on
the skills of foreign-born scientists and engineers. Yet the number of
foreigners coming to work in those fields has recently plummeted -- and
Americans are not rushing in to fill the gap, according to a report
from the National Science Board.
If those trends continue, it warns, the nation will find itself unable
to compete with growing economies such as China and India for the
brainpower needed to remain a world leader in science and technology.
The panel recommends that the government spend more money to train
science and math teachers, support college students while they study
and entice more Americans -- especially women, Latinos and other groups
that are now under-represented in science -- to work in technical
fields.
``We're very concerned about our capacity to invent and innovate as a
nation,'' said Joseph A. Miller Jr., senior vice president and chief
technology officer for Corning. He led the task force that produced the
report for the science board, which advises the government on science
policy.
``We believe that competition will heighten,'' Miller said, ``and we
will no longer be able to rely on the foreign-born to fill the gap and
fill our needs.''
He acknowledged that the call for more spending comes at a tough time,
with a growing federal budget deficit and many states struggling to
make ends meet. In California last week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
proposed cutting $270 million during the next two years from state
universities; the plan would eliminate funding for outreach programs
that draw minority students into the University of California and
California State University systems.
``We realize this comes at a very, very difficult time,'' Miller said,
adding that training the next generation of scientists and engineers
must become part of the debate on spending priorities.
The science board began its study in 2000, as the longest peacetime
economic expansion in U.S. history was coming to an end. Its goal was
to identify long-term trends in the science and engineering workforce,
rather than react to short-term shortages or surpluses.
While the number of science and engineering jobs is projected to grow
three times faster than those in other occupations, the number of
American students training for those jobs has remained flat or even
declined, the task force found. Many of the American students who do
earn technical degrees go on to work in other fields.
At the same time, the number of foreign-born scientists and engineers
working here increased between 1990 and 2000, at every level of
expertise: from 11 to 17 percent among those holding four-year college
degrees, and from 24 to 38 percent among those holding doctorates.
However, another set of numbers indicates that this trend may be
changing: From 2001 to 2002, the number of H-1B visas issued to foreign
workers in fields related to science, engineering and technology fell
by more than half, from about 166,000 to about 74,000.
Miller said the task force did not try to determine how much of that
decline was related to the bursting of the high-tech bubble and how
much might be due to the security crackdown following the Sept. 11
attacks.
The report said 13 countries, including Canada, Japan, South Korea,
Taiwan and a number of European nations, now produce more college
graduates with science, engineering or technology degrees than the
United States, when the size of their populations is taken into
account.
The number of Americans with technical training is expected to drop
further unless more Americans can be lured into science and engineering
-- particularly women, Latinos, blacks and Indians, all of whom have
traditionally gone into science in fewer numbers than Asians or whites.
The number of underrepresented minorities earning college degrees is
expected to grow during the next three decades, with about 90 percent
of that growth among Latinos, the report said. So recruiting more
scientists from those groups is critical.
However, the report added that the United States should maintain its
ability to attract internationally competitive students and researchers
from other countries.
``The good thing is that we've got some of the brightest people in the
world doing research for us, and many of them decide to stay. Actually,
most of them decide to stay,'' said George Castro, associate dean for
science outreach at San Jose State University, who was not involved in
the study.
``But it does make the competition pretty rough for our existing
kids,'' he said. He added that the government could do more with the
money it has by stipulating that grants used to hire graduate students
in research labs go only to U.S. citizens. ``But they'll never do
that,'' he said.
M.R.C. Greenwood, chancellor of the University of California-Santa
Cruz, said, ``Those of us who are in the science and technology
business have seen this coming for a decade. It's the sort of thing you
start worrying about, and now it's here.''
A lot has been said about American companies moving their manufacturing
operations overseas, she said. But now businesses are starting to move
their research and development operations offshore, too, ``not just
because labor costs less, but because these countries are beginning to
produce an international brain trust which is beginning to rival the
United States.''
She said she views the trend as ``the biggest national security issue
the country has today. It might not be immediate, like somebody blowing
up the World Trade Center. But if it's not stopped, in 20 years we will
leave our children and grandchildren a country that is no longer
leading in innovation.''
The report, ``The Science and Engineering Workforce: Realizing
America's Potential'' is available at www.nsf.gov/nsb/.
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