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Comment by ecshafer | Hacker News Reader

I have seen H1Bs used for basic Java development, Desktop Support, CRM managemetn, Marketing, Project Managers, and all sorts of basic office work. The idea its used for the best and brightest is absurd. When you also count the massive fraud in H1B, people looking for kickbacks, racial preferences, lying on resumes (I once interviewed an H1B with 4 pages on their resume, couldn't answer a single question from what I pulled out of the resume, and got overruled by the manager on the hiring board). There is a massive amount of office work that can be done by a bright high schooler or community college grad, but gets shunted off to a body shop who mass applies H1B. Several years ago Disney fired their IT staff and replaced them with H1B, this was in the news. There was obviously not a talent shortage, and plenty of American citizens can pass the A+ or various microsoft sysadmin certs that "qualify" someone for IT work.

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> I have seen H1Bs used for basic Java development, Desktop Support [...]

Working in non-FAANG corporate America, these types of roles are the only thing thing I've ever seen H1B hires used for. They've run the gamut from incompetent to quite good, but none have ever been the "best and brightest".

It saddens me that the left no longer seems to care about protecting American workers.

You know, they used to. Bernie spoke against relocating refugees (from Serbia or something) back in the day due to the fact he had unemployed local Vermonters. They used to care. They had cared less since the second Reagan admin, but completely abandoned any pretense after GW's first term win.

What I've seen is a local workforce (typically, then a mix of 1st gen Americans) being asked to train their replacements. Some replacements on Visas and some remote. But what gall to ask you to train your [cheaper] replacements.

You're right, they used to care or at least said the right things. Then I guess they realized that they could get more voters by simply importing them lol...

>What I've seen is a local workforce (typically, then a mix of 1st gen Americans) being asked to train their replacements. Some replacements on Visas and some remote. But what gall to ask you to train your [cheaper] replacements.

This destroys their entire argument about the necessity of the imports, even if it is relatively rare. (Note that I don't think it's rare to be replaced by foreigners. I think it's rare to be forced or incentivized to train them, especially with knowledge that you will actually be replaced.)

Recently I heard something crazy like 9 of 10 new jobs since the pandemic is held by foreign-born people, even as many US-born are unemployed. 20% of US-born men is unemployed. This is not a primary source but it should get you started if you're interested: https://www.numbersusa.org/blog/nine-out-of-ten-new-jobs-hav...

There are a lot of office / IT jobs that can be done by anyone with an education. Instead of a team of H1B from TCS doing BI dashboards, why not a bunch of local college kids? You dont even need a CS degree, any business degree student can do that with a couple days of training. Hell an associates degree should be more than enough. Companies used to hire local people, give aptitude tests and place people.

They don't hire americans because Americans don't come with the "right" culture for what bad managers want in these roles

With H1Bs you get people who will do anything to keep their jobs because that's what keeps them as a legal resident of the country, i.e. people you can underpay and exploit.

If you try to make some College kid work 10-20 hours of unpaid overtime a week they'll just walk.

The entire point is exploitation and downward wage suppression.

> why not a bunch of local college kids

Western college kids are not nearly as subservient and likely to keep their own interests in mind and not offer dog-loyalty to a company that will lay them off at the any sign of turmoil.

> It saddens me that the left no longer seems to care about protecting American workers.

We basically do not have a left wing party in this country. We have a center right party with "progressive" social views that has a few economic left-wingers under its tent, and then we have a reactionary right party.

Bullshit. Our left wing party has to moderate itself to be electable, but talk to Democrats about where they would like things to be and you will find out you are completely wrong. On healthcare. On social safety nets. On human rights. You are just 100% wrong, I'm guessing because the makeup of the United States doesn't allow the outcomes you want reality has you wrongly blaming Democrats. But the reality of the American voter base doesn't mean the party and party members putting in the slow/hard work of changing things are center right.

What you are saying is like saying the people feeding the poor during the limited schedule a city allows don't really care about feeding the poor because if they did they would do it at all hours. No, they are putting in the hard frustrating work, even when the limits they have to work withing suck.

> “… the left no longer seems to care about protecting American workers.”

???

I can’t imagine why this is a left/right issue. Progressive/conservative issue.

It’s an economic issue. It was said in the article, “global enterprises”. It’s MBAs, and not “Medicare for all radicals”.

As with many sociopolitical issues today, the problem here doesn't seem to be the core issue being discussed but what I like to call: Officials Not Doing Their Damn Job

If the H1B visas were awarded as intended this would be non-issue

You will find that many issues we face as a society are simply this same thing happening in different areas of public service

Not sure about you but I am fully supportive of the $100k H1B fee. In addition, I am considering voting Republican because of the disregard of qualified U.S. citizens. This is despite me not leaning towards that party in particular. The biggest problem I see is that companies just directly hire abroad now. All engineers at Amazon music have been fired and replaced with Indian workers abroad.

Dont be fooled. The Repugnant Party doesn't give a damn for the worker either. Its all just talk to get you to vote for them. The Dumbocrats try to sell their story by claiming they support DEI to sucker those who lean that way into voting for them. Both parties are for the corporate overlords 100%.

But which party (or faction of it) is at least talking about it? You can find corporate rent seekers in both parties sure.

Conversely, I remember seeing a documentary which showed a massive room full of students in china, an absolutely massive hall, all taking some advanced exam. The stat was provided: China produces more Masters students per day, than the US produces humans!

Well, if that's the case, then meritocracy demands population replacement.

China is of course producing tons of great engineers, finance, mathematicians, science, etc. But China is also trying to provide good jobs for Chinese. A big reason I think China is seeing success is that on top of their education, they are then creating a pipeline for Chinese students to become workers. China doesn't want their people going overseas. They want them working, building industry, and developing technologies and skills locally.

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