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U.S. Changes Visa Process for High-Skilled Workers

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Re: U.S. Changes Visa Process for High-Skilled Workers

#431

Post by ben_w »

hnaccy wrote: post #262
joshe wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's super interesting, I didn't know that about hourly wages. I tend to think of income gaining from 1950 to 1990 and flattening from the mid 1990s to now. Though it does look like total compensation (adding in benefits) did actually increase recently, they don't have anything for back to 1960. So maybe the story is that wages stayed flat, but benefits accounted for most of the income increase. Not an economist so…

>Wage trends over the past half-century suggest that a 10 percent increase in the number of workers with a particular set of skills probably lowers the wage of that group by at least 3 percent. Even after the economy has fully adjusted, those skill groups that received the most immigrants will still offer lower pay relative to those that received fewer immigrants. >Immigration redistributes wealth from those who comp…

Either the work is done in your country, where you:

* control minimum wage laws etc.,

* collect the taxes,

* benefit from most of the money being spent locally,

or it’s done abroad, where a foreign government collects all the benefits.

Import duties don’t do much to fix that. And if you have most or all of the workforce, then you get to lobby against other nations’ import duties.

Re: U.S. Changes Visa Process for High-Skilled Workers

#432

Post by cylinder »

dalbasal wrote: post #424

Honestly, I have a hard time with the norms around "worker visas," internationally including the US. I can't understand the liberal (both right and left) preferance for something that seems (to me) at odds with freedom (as in speech). On one end of the spectrum we have thingslike middle east guest workers, almost an indentured service arrangment. On the other end, we have SV tech workers and similar elswhere. What pr…

I'm an immigration lawyer and completely opposed to employer sponsored temporary visas. Either let someone in independently or don't let them in at all. The power it gives the employer is ridiculous.

Re: U.S. Changes Visa Process for High-Skilled Workers

#433

Post by harimau777 »

emiliobumachar wrote: post #203
pishpash wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Rising compared to what? Junior engineers are doubling or tripling up to live near work in metropolitan areas or face crushing commutes. It's a sign that even in software engineering, capital is crushing labor.

Be aware that Silicon Valley is an extreme global outlier in real estate prices.

Is this true when you are comparing similar conditions? Something along the lines of: Large cities with significant multiculturalism, high tech jobs, significant culture (arts, media, entertainment, museums, etc.), public transportation, and openness to various ways of life

Re: U.S. Changes Visa Process for High-Skilled Workers

#435

Post by masklinn »

dalbasal wrote: post #424

Honestly, I have a hard time with the norms around "worker visas," internationally including the US. I can't understand the liberal (both right and left) preferance for something that seems (to me) at odds with freedom (as in speech). On one end of the spectrum we have thingslike middle east guest workers, almost an indentured service arrangment. On the other end, we have SV tech workers and similar elswhere. What pr…

> Since when is liberty subject to citizenship?

Since citizenship has existed, meaning pretty much when the first legal systems arose? Providing different sets of rights and duties is the entire point of separating citizens and non-citizens. Hell, the greek polis were mostly about duties, the rights were mostly implicit and incident to being active in running the the community's affairs.

Re: U.S. Changes Visa Process for High-Skilled Workers

#436

Post by tomrod »

tobltobs wrote: post #374
pasabagi wrote: post #347

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>any increase in productivity is bad because it reduces labor scarcity Isn't it? Increases in productivity, normally called automation, must reduce labour scarcity unless demand for the product is proportionately increased. There are plenty of sectors where this is exactly what happens, and some where it isn't.

> Increases in productivity, normally called automation That is a wrong assumption to start with. Inventing the wheel wasn't automation.

Actually...

Production has three components: capital, labor, and technology. Automation, as I understand it, both improves technology and lowers the cost of capital.

If I recall right, this strand of economic lit is called Total Factor Productivity.[0]

I believe the Wheel falls squarely in the technology bracket.

[0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_factor_productivity

Re: U.S. Changes Visa Process for High-Skilled Workers

#437

Post by tomrod »

dmichulke wrote: post #386
tossaccount123 wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>To prime your intuition a bit, consider how woman and minorities more than doubled the work force from the 1960s to 1990s with no loss in jobs or lowering of wages. You do realize there hasn't been a raise in real wages since the 70s when you account for inflation right? Coincidentally during that same time period the income gap exploded because the wealthy had plentiful cheap labor and were able to pocket the produ…

> You do realize there hasn't been a raise in real wages since the 70s when you account for inflation right This also coincides with the end of the gold standard ('68) and subsequently cheaper interest rates and (thereby) access to much more and cheaper capital for those who already have enough capital to begin with. Also, lower interest rates beget higher inflation.

Standard of living arguably continues to increase as well.

Re: U.S. Changes Visa Process for High-Skilled Workers

#438

Post by CalRobert »

dalbasal wrote: post #424

Honestly, I have a hard time with the norms around "worker visas," internationally including the US. I can't understand the liberal (both right and left) preferance for something that seems (to me) at odds with freedom (as in speech). On one end of the spectrum we have thingslike middle east guest workers, almost an indentured service arrangment. On the other end, we have SV tech workers and similar elswhere. What pr…

I think this is one of the unintended consequences of strong welfare states. If your government spends $xx,xxx per resident per year then someone who arrives and doesn't contribute at least $xx,xxx is a net drain on resources. At the VERY least, you need to ensure your population produces at least $xx,xxx per year in gov't revenue.

While I am strongly in support of things like free healthcare, education, etc. I can also see how adding residents who aren't net contributors threatens those systems. If Canada let any 60 year old American with health problems immigrae regardless of their ability to help pay for the health system it would reduce care for existing Canadian residents. After all, they're almost certainly going to cost more over their life than they kick in via tax.

Of course, the same argument can go dark places, like forcing people to get exit visas to leave. After all, the state put a lot of money in to your upbringing, you owe them!

Current visa regimes work pretty well to encourage this sort of behaviour. Young, educated people with lots of promise who will work hard (thus the tie to employment) or old people with millions can move. Others, well, can't.

Barring that, sometimes less-educated people can move but in ways that try to ensure they don't become a burden (you work here for a set time and then you're kicked out)

I sometimes wonder if the current system of heavy indebtedness for school and housing helps ensure people work as hard as possible and pay as much in taxes as possible as opposed to allowing them more leisure. Without having to cover a mortgage or health insurance, how many people would work part time? Or how many couples would have a stay at home parent?

There were fewer formal barriers to moving not that long ago. The US had pretty much unrestricted immigration in the 19th century, but it also spent very little per resident. Passport restrictions in Europe showed up for WWI (well, briefly for Napoleon too IIRC) and never really left, probably because WWI also roughly coincided with cheap international travel.

Re: U.S. Changes Visa Process for High-Skilled Workers

#439

Post by C1sc0cat »

emiliobumachar wrote: post #203
pishpash wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Rising compared to what? Junior engineers are doubling or tripling up to live near work in metropolitan areas or face crushing commutes. It's a sign that even in software engineering, capital is crushing labor.

Be aware that Silicon Valley is an extreme global outlier in real estate prices.

Not Compared to London though - London does have a much better transport system so living 60-70 miles away and commuting isn't as bad as it would be in SV.

Re: U.S. Changes Visa Process for High-Skilled Workers

#440

Post by C1sc0cat »

CalRobert wrote: post #438
dalbasal wrote: post #424

Honestly, I have a hard time with the norms around "worker visas," internationally including the US. I can't understand the liberal (both right and left) preferance for something that seems (to me) at odds with freedom (as in speech). On one end of the spectrum we have thingslike middle east guest workers, almost an indentured service arrangment. On the other end, we have SV tech workers and similar elswhere. What pr…

I think this is one of the unintended consequences of strong welfare states. If your government spends $xx,xxx per resident per year then someone who arrives and doesn't contribute at least $xx,xxx is a net drain on resources. At the VERY least, you need to ensure your population produces at least $xx,xxx per year in gov't revenue. While I am strongly in support of things like free healthcare, education, etc. I can a…

Which is the problem with the gig jobs - yes people are employed but they don't earn enough.
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