Today’s story deals with the tough job market for American computer science graduates. One recent graduate from the Catholic University of America, Ben Riesett told the Wall Street Journal, that the “the truth is, when you start looking right now, it’s impossible to get hired.”
The story points the finger at tech companies for over hiring during the pandemic, the shift towards artificial intelligence, and increasing computer science majors, which saw 40% growth in five years as the culprits. Yet the Journal ignored another important reason: guest workers. For American computer science bachelor’s and master’s graduates, which numbered 107,000 during the 2021–2022 school year, knowing about the H-1B visa, Optional Practical Training, and H-4 EAD will help you understand why the labor market feels so competitive. So let’s do the math.
The largest program, the H-1B visa program, brings in college-educated foreign workers, mainly for computer occupations. In fiscal year 2023, that equaled 65,000 new hires by tech companies. Then there is the H-4 EAD program, which was a work permit, created by the Obama administration, for spouses of H-1B workers. Two out of three of these work permits go towards computer occupations, so that is another 20,000 jobs taken off the table. Companies are both bringing in workers from abroad on visas while also recruiting from American college campuses. But who are they hiring? International students. Optional practical training, or OPT, is a one-year work permit for foreign students in their area of study. The permit can be extended for another two years if the student majors in STEM. According to the Congressional Research Service, 27% of OPT authorizations were for computer science, meaning 58,000 international students were given work permits for computer-related jobs in 2023. Add all that up, and you have 143,000 new guest workers, competing with 107,000 American computer science graduates over a limited number of IT and tech jobs.
The current labor market worker saturation is not because of market forces but because of the U.S. government subsidizing guest workers, flooding the labor market, and enabling employers to hire foreign guest workers over American college graduates. The man American computer science graduates should blame is President Biden. Had he kept in place President Trump’s tight guest worker policies from 2020, American computer science graduates would have a chance to compete for available jobs. Instead, they face a job market with no jobs and expensive degrees in a field with increasingly no future for Americans.
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References:
https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d17/tables/dt17_322.30.asp
https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_323.50.asp?current=yes
https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF12631
https://www.cato.org/blog/facts-about-h-4-visas-spouses-h-1b-workers
Table: New Computer Science Guest Workers in 2023
| Work Permit Program | % of Permits for Computer Jobs | Computer Guest Workers in FY 2023 |
| H-1B Visa Program | 54% | 65,000 |
| H-4 EAD | 66% | 20,000 |
| Optional Practical Training (OPT) | ||
| Total |
Table: New Computer Science Guest Workers in 2023
| Work Permit Program | % of Permits for Computer Jobs | Computer Guest Workers in FY 2023 |
| H-1B Visa Program | 54% | 65,000 |
| H-4 EAD | 66% | 20,000 |
| Optional Practical Training (OPT) | 27% | 58,000 |
| Total | 143,000 |
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