To the Editor:
In his letter to the editor, Andrew Eastman '07 asks, "Are there not 'intelligent, capable' workers born in the States?" ("Foreign nationals and American firms," April 25). He thinks there are enough skilled workers in the U.S. labor market.
However, this could not be further from the truth. Contrary to what Eastman suggests, most workers born in the United States are neither as "intelligent" nor as "capable" as the workers admitted under the H-1B visa, the visa permitting holders of bachelor's degrees to work. This is true simply because most American workers are not college graduates.
America specializes in a lot of industries that require an abundance of skilled labor (in particular, workers with a bachelor's degree), such as education and the information technology industry. Without allowing a "brain gain" to occur, some of America's most important industries will be held back.
There are only so many IT professionals in America. In the 1990s many foreign IT professionals worked in America. Coming to America on H-1B visas, they helped offset the shortage of American IT professionals. Without these foreigners' contributions, the Internet would have progressed more slowly. Clearly, America cannot accomplish as much without foreign workers.
If the U.S. government wishes to restrict the entry of skilled labor into its country, the U.S. economy will pay dearly. Seldom does one find a developed country with enough skilled labor for its economy, and America is no exception.
