Gates, Zuckerberg Promising Same Jobs To US Kids and Foreign H-1B Workers?

theodp writes: Over at the Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg-bankrolled Code.org, they're using the number of open computing jobs in each state to convince parents of the need to expand K-12 CS offerings so their kids can fill those jobs. Sounds good, right? But at the same time, the Gates and Zuckerberg-bankrolled FWD.org PAC has taken to Twitter, using the number of open "STEM" jobs in each state to convince politicians of the need to expand the number of H-1B visas so foreign workers can fill those jobs. While the goal of Microsoft's 'two-pronged' National Talent Strategy is to kill two birds [K-12 CS education and H-1B visas] with one crisis, is it fair for organizations backed by many of the same wealthy individuals to essentially promise the same jobs to U.S. kids and foreign H-1B workers?

Comments

Re:heh

[ShanghaiBill]

Yeah, more stem workers = lower pay (supply and demand)

Supply and demand does not apply to labor markets in the same way as in markets for goods and services. Employers often expand their business based on workers available, so supply creates its own demand. Furthermore, employers will often gravitate to where particular skills are already available, leading to the highest demand where supply is also high, such as Silicon Valley and NYC. When workers are paid, they spend their wages, creating more demand for workers to produce the goods and services they buy. Historically, high immigration has led to economic growth, and lower unemployment.

Re:heh

[NostalgiaForInfinity]

Except when it doesn't. "Supply increases volume" only when then suppliers _believe_ that there is a profit available, and excess supply often saturates the market.

There is no such thing as "excess supply of labor": if labor is cheap enough, there are always more jobs to be done. If people could hire programmers for the same price as tax-evading dog sitters, half of American homes would hire them to do custom development for their home automation.

Otherwise, all the empty storefronts I see on one block on my way to work would be filled with active hair salons, unlike the three competing salons on that block that are all going out of business.

The reason those store fronts are empty is because your town/city is keeping the cost of doing business high: anything from professional licensing and minimum wage to insurance requirements, business taxes, and real estate taxes. Without those high costs of doing business, there would be plenty of takers for those storefronts. That's the same thing that's happening to the software business as labor costs go up: the number of companies in the business shrinks.