Competitive Advantage

“One myth dogging the immigration debate is that employers are fibbing (or grossly exaggerating) when they claim that hiring foreign professionals is unavoidable because U.S.-born Ph.D.s are hard to come by. But a new report on doctorates from U.S. universities shows they're telling the truth, and then some.

“Foreign-born students holding temporary visas received 33% of all research doctorates awarded by U.S. universities in 2006, according to an annual survey by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. That number has climbed from 25% in 2001. But more to the point of business competitiveness, foreign students comprised 44% of science and engineering doctorates last year.

“‘China was the country of origin for the largest number of non-U.S. doctorates in 2006,’ says the report, followed by India, Korea, Taiwan and Canada. ‘The percentage of doctorates earned by U.S. citizens ranged from lows of 32% in engineering and 47% in physical sciences, to highs of 87% in education and 78% in humanities.’ Given this reality, is it any wonder that 40% of Ph.D.s working in U.S. science and engineering occupations are foreign-born? …

“Earlier this year Microsoft, which is the third-largest sponsor of H-1B visas, announced plans to open a new software development center near Vancouver. The decision to locate the facility in Canada was based in part on the fact that it doesn't have access to enough foreign workers state-side.

“‘We currently do 85% of our development work in the U.S., and we'd like to continue doing that,’ says Jack Krumholtz, the company's director of government affairs. ‘But if we can't hire the developers we need, … we're going to have to look to other options to get the work done’."

(“American Brain Drain.” Wall Street Journal: November 30, 2007. pg. A.16)

IN OUR WORLD, in our fields, in our organizations, in our lives, what is our nation, our industry, our company, and our selves -- what are we doing to enhance the value that we offer the world? If we are not adding value, someone else is.

PROGRESS is an uphill climb. So either we are moving forward, or we are slipping back.