National News

H-1b Visas are scarce as Computer Job Vacancies Reach 1.2 Million

Job openings in computer occupations have become more numerous in the United States. At the same time, it has become more challenging to hire a high-skilled foreign national in H-1B status. Even though there are more than 20 times as many job openings in computer occupations as company approvals for new H-1B petitions in a year in such occupations, critics contend foreign nationals prevent U.S. professionals from obtaining jobs.

“There are more than 1.2 million unique active job vacancy postings in computer occupations in the United States as of September 6, 2021, up 15% from 6 months earlier,” based on data from Emsi Job Posting Analytics, according to an analysis by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP).

“Computer jobs were already fast-growing before the pandemic, but it is still remarkable to see now a 15% increase in job postings from 6 months ago, after an 11% increase from the previous 12-month period,” said labor economist Mark Regets. “This is consistent with the low unemployment rates we see in computer occupations. Firms have needed a lot of IT (information technology) talent to reorganize their businesses during the pandemic, and many of the changes will be long-term.”

For the time frame August 7, 2021, to September 6, 2021, there were 435,639 active job vacancy postings for software developers and software quality assurance analysts and testers, 112,990 for network and computer system administrators, 110,134 for computer systems analysts, 76,126 for information security analysts and 47,181 for electrical engineers. It is worth noting these occupations track the eligibility criteria for H-1B visas, according to Department of Homeland Security and Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

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