H-1B Workers are Better Paid, More Educated, Study Finds

Computerworld: Two economists from the non-partisan Public Policy Institute of California have published new research that challenges some commonly held beliefs about H-1B workers. According to the report, foreign IT staffers who come into the U.S. on the H-1B visas actually make about 10 percent more than U.S. workers with similar ages, job titles and educational backgrounds. Also, H-1B workers tend to be better educated that their U.S. counterparts: half of H-1B workers have graduate degrees compared to one-fourth of American-born workers. H-1B workers are also younger–averaging 30.6-years-old versus 40.6 for U.S. born IT workers.

The study points out the complexity of the issue. The fact that foreign workers actually earn more than American IT workers the same age would seem to contradict the popular belief that companies hire foreign workers in order to save money. However, the fact that H-1B workers tend to be younger (and thus earn less than the average American worker) suggests that some age discrimination may be occurring.