Not Indentured: H ‑1B Workers Are Switching Employers More Than Ever

David J. BierCritics of the H-1B visa for skilled foreign workers often claim that the status amounts to “indentured” servitude. Indentured servitudeis a contract to work for a single employer for a predetermined periodwithout pay. H-1B workers are not only paid —they receive wagesin the top 10 percent of wage earners in the United States. As importantly, although they face more obstacles to changing jobs, H-1B workers are not tied to a single employer, and they change jobs regularly.In fact, H-1B workers are leaving their initial H-1B employers more than ever. Figure 1 shows the number of H-1B workers changing to a new employer by fiscal year. From 2005 to 2021, H-1B workers changed jobs nearly 2 million times. The number of switches grew from about 24,000 in 2005 to 91,282 in 2021.In fact, H-1B job shifting is now almost as common as H-1B workers starting H-1B employment for the first time. About 43 percent of all H-1B workers starting with a new employer were hired from existing H-1B workers in the United States. This means that U.S. employers are almost as likely to hire an H-1B worker in the United States already in H-1B status as they are to hire a new H-1B worker not already in H-1B status.Several causes for this increase are possible. The labor market has generally been tighter, leading tomore job switching in general. In addition, more H-1B workers are employed in the United States now for other employers to poach, and since the H-1B cap has been so quickly met...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs