Immigrants can "Grease the Wheels" of Tech Labor Shortages
- Daniel Kwik
- Mar 1, 2024
- 2 min read
US employers have faced tech talent shortages for many years, and have long been looking for untapped talent. One overlooked group of workers that have alleviated labor shortages are immigrants. Immigrants fill the holes in the labor market by flowing into pockets that aren't being filled by local talent.
Here are some ways in which global talent relieve the talent bottlenecks that slow down growth.
Geographical Mobility
Internal geographic mobility within the US have been on the decline, resulting in the slowing of regional labor convergence. In other words, employers that need labor are struggling more to find them, because less people are willing to relocate to those locations. (Moretti, Enrico. 2012)
Foreign-born populations on the other hand helps to alleviate this as they are extremely responsive to economic conditions and have a higher rate of mobility, especially within the first 10 years of their career (Basso & Peri, 2020). Immigrants are no strangers to moving, and they have less relational ties keeping them in one location. In regions where there is a higher outflow than inflow of tech workers, global talent may be the what your organization needs to fill labor shortages.
88% of our global tech candidates are willing to move anywhere in the US.
Specialty Occupations
The U.S has also long faced labor shortages in highly specialized fields. This is especially true in tech, even despite news of tech layoffs with the demand for tech workers projected to continue to grow rapidly. The US Bureau of Labor and Statistics forecasts that computer science occupations will grow 11.5% by 2029, vs. 3.7% for all occupations.
Immigrants, a hidden pool of talent most employers overlook, have historically fueled key specialty occupations that are lacking in the U.S labor market, and will continue to do so. Here are some statistics from that describe the extent of their contributions:
40% of computer software developers are immigrants.
One in three data scientists are foreign born.
One-fourth of all STEM workers in the US are foreign born.
44% of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants.
Employers looking to fill tech roles but aren't open to sponsoring visas are missing out on a significant portion of the talent pool for tech. While legal complexities can be mystifying for employers, bringing in a recruiting partner experienced in navigating legal complexities of filling foreign national talent can help.
Additionally, if you are a university or non-profit research organization, your visa-friendly status allows you to bypass the visa lottery system that every other U.S employer needs to go through to access global talent, making immigrants an especially viable talent pool.
Accessing the hidden global talent pool
Finding the right candidate for an open role can be challenging, but working with a specialized recruiting partner can help. Sojon's pool of 8000+ candidates might be the right network you need to find the perfect candidate for your tech teams.
Sources
Basso, G., & Peri, G. (2020). Internal Mobility: The Greater Responsiveness of Foreign-Born to Economic Conditions. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 34(3), 77-98. [https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.34.3.77](https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.34.3.77)
Orrenius, P (2016). Benefits of immigration outweigh the costs. George W. Bush Presidential Center. (2022, November 21). https://www.bushcenter.org/catalyst/north-american-century/benefits-of-immigration-outweigh-costs
Foreign-born STEM Workers in the United States. (2022, June 14). American Immigration Council. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/foreign-born-stem-workers-united-states
Foreign-born STEM Workers in the United States. (2022, June 14). American Immigration Council. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/foreign-born-stem-workers-united-states
Ice, A. Z. and L. (n.d.). Why computer occupations are behind strong STEM employment growth in the 2019–29 decade : Beyond the Numbers: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Www.bls.gov. https://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-10/why-computer-occupations-are-behind-strong-stem-employment-growth.htm#:~:text=The%20U.S.%20Bureau%20of%20Labor
Jarvis, D. (2023, August 14). Tech talent is still hard to find, despite layoffs in the sector. Deloitte Insights. https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/technology/tech-talent-gap-and-skills-shortage-make-recruitment-difficult.html
Li, M., Wildes, M. J., & Moses, A. W. (2016, September 19). Hiring Data Scientists from Outside the U.S.: A Primer on Visas. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2016/09/hiring-data-scientists-from-outside-the-us-a-primer-on-visas#:~:text=It
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