Tech Giants Hire Foreign Workers Amidst Layoffs

Several major tech companies, including Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, and Salesforce, have recently hired foreign workers despite having recently laid off thousands of employees. Investigative journalist Lee Fang has revealed in a new report.

Google, which had to let go of around 12,000 employees earlier this year, has filed applications for low-paid foreign workers to fill highly specialized tech roles within the company. Fang revealed that Google’s parent company, Alphabet, submitted numerous applications for foreign workers seeking positions like software engineers, analytical consultants, and user experience researchers. Even Waymo, the self-driving technology company owned by Google, received government approval for H-1B visa applications for engineering jobs.

The timing of these hirings is worth noting. The newly employed foreign workers are set to join the companies as early as August 17, fueling concerns about job security for American workers. Critics argue that H-1B visas, commonly utilized by software engineers and other tech professionals, can be exploited to undercut US citizens and legal permanent residents.

A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research in 2017, as cited by Fang, indicated that wages for US computer scientists would have been significantly higher, and employment in computer science would have been greater, in the absence of immigration. This finding adds fuel to the ongoing debate surrounding the impact of H-1B visas on the domestic workforce.

Fang’s report also reveals that other prominent firms such as Meta, Amazon, Zoom, Salesforce, Microsoft, and Palantir have also submitted H-1B applications.

The surge in H-1B visa applications for the tech industry is a matter of growing concern. Authorities have expressed worries about the possibility of abuse and unfair practices. Last month, US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a significant increase in the number of applications for these visas.

Fang notes that tech companies have even hired lobbyists to press lawmakers and the Biden administration to expand the number of H-1B visas issued. This lobbying effort further intensifies the debate surrounding the issue.

While the companies involved in these hirings have not yet responded to requests for comment, the situation remains controversial. With layoffs in the tech sector reaching over 168,000 this year, as reported by the website Layoffs.fyi, the decision to bring in foreign workers adds another layer of complexity to the ongoing discourse surrounding immigration and its impact on the job market.