This is great news. Finally, there's some hope that steps would be taken. There's a tremendous shortage of talented people in the industry right now. Our start-up company could not hire the candidates it wanted this year. H-1B cap gives an unfair advantage to big companies like Microsoft who can make hiring decisions months in advance.

If the H-1B cap remains at 65000 and gets over on the first day next year, we will have no choice but to close shop and move to Canada or some other place.

The shortage is real. The number of biotech companies with unfilled positions here in New England is alarming. Merck, Bristol-Meyers, Genzyme, Abbott are all actively recruiting. I do not understand the noise being made about how there are no jobs. I got 2 calls that I turned down because of lack of available H-1bs.
When are people going to realize that IT isn't the only industry that utilizes H-1bs. Biotech is a field that needs H-1bs as well and is an industry that is as important to the economy as any.

Joseph: the only talent shortage is in your HR department. I run into underemployed IT people all the time. I think you're a shill for Microsoft or Nasscom, not a real company. "You" seem to show up everywhere these articles are posted.

Deepak: you sound like a bodyshop that uses H-1Bs instead of American contract workers. I sincerely hope we shut down the H-1B program and put people like you out of business.

Babs. No, I'm a student with a graduate degree who is turning down job offers because there is no work permit.

Open Letter to US Governors who signed this letter from American born IT Workers and Current Green Card Holders

How much did Compete America and other high tech lobbying groups contribute to your campaigns?

There are plenty of American born citizens and current Green Card holders who are qualified to take these positions.

Your constituents are the people of your states. Not big business.

-- Labor shortage my a**

Isn't it all about "HOW NOT TO HIRE AN AMERICAN WORKER"!
go to
www.youtube.com/programmersguild

and if you really can handle the truth on the H-1B issue then check out
www.eng-i.com/E-Newsletters.htm

for more:
www.noslaves.com
www.brightfuturejobs.org
www.zazona.com
www.aea.org
www.programmersguild.org
www.madnamerica.com
www.reformus.org

Maybe there isn't a shortage of IT people. Maybe there is a shortage of QUALIFIED IT people. Anyone can take a course in programming, but after 25 years in this industry I have to say that 25 percent of those that over the years worked next to me should not have been there. Another 50% were destine to sit at that same desk their entire career, and only one out of four had any solid capacity as an analyst and / or programmer.

And folks will have to come to realize this is now a GLOBAL economy. The smoke is out of the bottle, and won't go back in. If you cannot make it at a price point here in the US, they will do it somewhere else, and you will not be able to compete. I hate it, but it's the way things are going.

The solution?? When employees are commodities, you need to stand out from the crowd. Be one better be different and noticeable. If you are not special, you are not worth any more than some overseas body shop guy. And for those who think protectionism will fix this issue, sorry ecconomically it does not work. You cannot get rich selling hats to yourself. You have to sell to the rest of the world, and by extention you sell against the rest of the world too. Therefore you have to compete with the price of hats everywhere.

Is that any different than the Red Sox getting players from somewhere else in the country, or even from some OTHER country?? NO Of course not. The RedSox or Yankees or any major league team might have a ton of good players in their own cities and regions, but they do NOT restrict themselves to that pool of potential players. Why?? Because having the BEST means selling the most, and that means better profits. They don't pick the cheapest (heck most of these teams have payrolls that would make you weep!) they pick THE BEST!

Raise the H1B levels and raise them HIGH. Let the US attract the best of the best, and become a powerhouse again.

When there is insufficient supply to meet demand for something corporations want to sell us, they raise the price. That is Economics 101

Now, when they are claiming that there isn't enough technical talent available, instead of raising pay, they want the government to increase the supply for them. That is Graduate Level Political Science.

The only way to win here is to engage them on the field they are fighting on. We will have to become politically involved. Every one of these governors and legislators has to stand for election. Let them know that THIS is a bread & butter issue for you. Your position may not be in jeopardy but, the folks currently being displaced increase the supply of talent and act as a brake on the value of your talent - whether you keep your job or not.

Right now our best & brightest can see that earning an expensive technical degree will lead to a position training their out-of-country replacements.

Change the outlook and you may see more interest in these fields.

Babs: Quit being a racist bigoted hater. There are plenty of people like me with a Ph.D. from a US university who have had to leave the US. I am now working in an R&D lab in India and I am sure I am going to help accelerate offshoring. Bigoted losers like you are inadvertently trying to make things worse for the US

Here's the proof of no shortage in Computer-related occupations.

Number of Jobs Lost during recession 2000-2002 = 134,960

Growth in Computer-related occupations 2000-2006 = 326,600

H-1B initial computer-related employment approvals 2000-2006 = 328,968

Comp. Science B.S. Degrees (1) 2000-2006 = 313,219
(1) U.S. permanent resident B.S C.S.

Employment opportunities for 315,587 American, newly degreed, B.S. C.S. and 134,960 displaced Comp. Sci. workers (2001 - 2006) = -2,368

Reserve U.S. Citizen/Perm Resident computer-related capacity = 448,179

Sorce date here:
http://immigration-weaver.blogspot.com/2007/07/no-shortage-of-computer-professionals.html

I just read this very biased coverage from Ephraim. Ephraim, have you lost all sense of balance and onbjectivity? Have you joined the "Programmers Guild"?