"Show Us The Workers - U.S. Employers Struggle to Fill Science, Technology, Engineering and Math ("STEM") Positions" is a published challenge made by Shanon R. Stevenson, of Fisher and Phillips LLP, a group of immigration attorneys in Atlanta, Georgia. The challenge is to disprove the "shortage of STEM workers" propaganda promoted by immigration attorneys and lobbyists. In her 2 page PDF document, Ms. Stevenson references a DOL publication, Foreign Labor Certification Annual Report, which is where I discovered the data for Table 2 and Table 3 of this document.
Ms. Stevenson writes:
"Despite the recession, the lack of jobs and the training fees charged to U.S. employers hiring foreign workers on temporary H-1B work visas, the U.S. Department of Labor’s ("USDOL") recently released Foreign Labor Certification Annual Report shows that U.S. employers are still struggling to find qualified U.S. workers in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math ("STEM"). Employers report recruiting for STEM positions for over two years in hopes of ultimately finding a qualified U.S. worker – often resulting in the employer losing lucrative contracts or having to resort to using contract workers."Generally, when a firm is looking for new STEM talent, they look to the colleges, here's a table of the degrees conferred in areas that are rich in STEM curriculum for 2008 and 2009.
Table 1.
NCES U.S. Citizen and Permanent Resident STEM Related Degrees Conferred 2008 and 2009
| Year: 2009, 2008 | ||||||
| Citizenship (standardized): U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents | ||||||
| Academic Discipline, 2-digit Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) | Doctorate Degrees | Doctorate Degree-Research Scholarship | Master's Degrees | Bachelor's Degrees | Associate's Degrees | Total 2008 and 2009 |
| 03 Natural Resources and Conservation | 585 | 208 | 4,802 | 19,033 | 2,388 | 27,016 |
| 04 Architecture and Related Services | 143 | 88 | 10,795 | 19,267 | 1,125 | 31,418 |
| 10 Communications Technologies/Technicians and Support Services | 6 | 752 | 9,760 | 8,904 | 19,422 | |
| 11 Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services | 974 | 423 | 19,387 | 73,795 | 57,910 | 152,489 |
| 14 Engineering | 4,136 | 2,410 | 38,459 | 131,645 | 4,373 | 181,023 |
| 15 Engineering Technologies/Technicians | 54 | 7 | 4,444 | 29,557 | 60,724 | 94,786 |
| 26 Biological and Biomedical Sciences | 6,979 | 2,800 | 16,305 | 155,964 | 4,482 | 186,530 |
| 27 Mathematics and Statistics | 1,001 | 456 | 6,349 | 29,343 | 1,698 | 38,847 |
| 40 Physical Sciences | 3,798 | 1,824 | 8,376 | 42,710 | 3,874 | 60,582 |
| 41 Science Technologies/Technicians | 5 | 45 | 599 | 2,817 | 3,466 | |
| 51 Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences | 12,245 | 2,263 | 116,062 | 230,794 | 323,051 | 684,415 |
| Degrees Conferred | 29,926 | 10,479 | 225,776 | 742,467 | 471,346 | 1,479,994 |
From the Foreign Labor Certification Annual Report, the occupations with more than 1000 Permanent (Residence) Labor Certifications are shown in Table 2, with the Office of Employment Statistics employment levels and Loss Gain.
Table 2.
TOP PERM Labor Certifications and Employment by Occupation.
| OCC_Code | OCCUPATIONS WITH MORE THAN 1,000 PERMANENT LABOR CERTIFICATIONS | Number of Certifications | OES Employment 2010 | OES Employment 2009 | Employment Loss Gain |
| 15-1031 | Computer Software Engineers, Applications | 9,854 | 499,280 | 495,500 | 3,780 |
| 15-1051 | Computer Systems Analysts | 5,695 | 495,800 | 512,720 | (16,920) |
| 15-1032 | Computer Software Engineers,Systems Software | 4,038 | 378,920 | 385,200 | (6,280) |
| 11-3021 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | 1,893 | 288,660 | 287,210 | 1,450 |
| 17-2072 | Electronics Engineers,Except Computer | 1,738 | 133,660 | 135,990 | (2,330) |
| 13-2011 | Accountants and Auditors | 1,595 | 1,072,490 | 1,106,980 | (34,490) |
| 15-1021 | Computer Programmers | 1,536 | 333,620 | 3678,80 | (34,260) |
| 15-2031 | Operations Research Analysts | 1,432 | 62,210 | 60,960 | 1,250 |
| 19-3021 | Market Research Analysts* | 1,233 | Non Equiv. SOC | Non Equiv. SOC | N/A |
| 35-2014 | Cooks, Restaurant | 1,115 | 901,310 | 898,820 | 2,490 |
| 17-2141 | Mechanical Engineers | 1,074 | 234,400 | 232,660 | 1,740 |
| 13-2051 | Financial Analysts | 1,042 | 220,810 | 235,240 | (14,430) |
| 15-1071 | Network and Computer Systems Administrators* | 1,034 | Non Equiv. SOC | Non Equiv. SOC | N/A |
| 17-2071 | Electrical Engineers | 1,003 | 148,770 | 151,660 | (2,890) |
| Employment Loss Gain | (100,890) |
"Non Equiv. SOC" Represents Standard Occupational Classifications that have substantially changed from 2009, to the 2010 NAICS standard.
Again, from the Foreign Labor Certification Annual Report, shown in Table 3 below is the Top 10 Prevailing Wage Determination for foreign workers; additionally, employment level data for 2009 and 2010 and a Loss Gain column shown.
Table 3.
TOP Prevailing Wage Determinations and Employment by Occupation.
| Wage | Prevailing Wage Determinations Most Frequent Users | Num of PWD | OES Employment 2010 | OES Employment 2009 | Employment Loss Gain |
| $41.30 | Computer Software Engineers, Applications | 9,282 | 499,280 | 495,500 | 3,780 |
| $37.16 | Computer Systems Analysts | 3,330 | 495,800 | 512,720 | (16,920) |
| $44.36 | Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software | 3,092 | 378,920 | 385,200 | (6,280) |
| $42.44 | Electronics Engineers,Except Computer | 1,582 | 133,660 | 135,990 | (2,330) |
| $28.87 | Physical Therapists | 1,441 | 180,280 | 174,490 | 5,790 |
| $60.29 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | 1,412 | 288,660 | 287,210 | 1,450 |
| $9.57 | Landscaping and Groundskeepers | 1,240 | 829,350 | 859,960 | (30,610) |
| $35.30 | Mechanical Engineers | 1,239 | 234,400 | 232,660 | 1,740 |
| $42.84 | Financial Analysts | 1,143 | 220,810 | 235,240 | (14,430) |
| $32.52 | Computer Programmers | 1,101 | 333,620 | 367,880 | (34,260) |
| Employment Loss Gain | (92,070) |
Table 3.(a) examines the Employment Level Loss Gain for 2010 and Includes Degrees Conferred in 2009 relevant to foreign worker most requested Prevailing Wage Determinations.
Table 3.(a)
Top Prevailing Wage Determinations, Employment Levels Loss/Gain, Degrees Conferred to Citizens and Permanent Residents
| Department of Labor Prevailing Wage Determinations 2010 and Relevant Educational Programs for Occupation | Number of DOL Prevailing Wage Determinations | OES Employment Level (Loss Gain) 2010 | Year: 2009 Citizenship (standardized): U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents Level of Degree or Other Award: All values | Year: 2009 Citizenship (standardized): U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents Level of Degree: Bachelor's |
| Computer Software Engineers, Applications | 9282 | 3,780 | ||
| Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software | 3092 | (6,280) | ||
| 14.09 Computer Engineering, General | - | - | 6,197 | 4,005 |
| 11.07 Computer Science | - | - | 10,308 | 7,155 |
| 11.01 Computer and Information Sciences, General | - | - | 29,984 | 16,169 |
| 11.04 Information Science/Studies | - | - | 9,078 | 4,707 |
| 11.08 Computer Software and Media Applications | - | - | 8,523 | 2,796 |
| Sub Total | - | - | 64,090 | 34,832 |
| Computer Systems Analysts | 3330 | (16,920) | ||
| 11.05 Computer Systems Analysis | - | - | 1,749 | 923 |
| Electronics Engineers,Except Computer | 1582 | (2,330) | ||
| 14.10 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering | - | - | 15,123 | 10,733 |
| Physical Therapists | 1441 | 5,790 | ||
| 51.23 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | - | - | 18,140 | 3,182 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | 1412 | 1,450 | ||
| 52.12 Management Information Systems and Services | - | - | 13,971 | 7,435 |
| 11.10 Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | - | - | 8,263 | 2,216 |
| Sub Total | - | - | 22,234 | 9,651 |
| Landscaping and Groundskeepers | 1240 | (30,610) | ||
| No NCES Educational Programs | - | - | 0 | |
| Mechanical Engineers | 1239 | 1,740 | ||
| 14.19 Mechanical Engineering | - | - | 20,271 | 16,838 |
| Financial Analysts | 1143 | (14,430) | ||
| 52.08 Finance and Financial Management Services | - | - | 39,096 | 33,315 |
| Computer Programmers | 1101 | (34,260) | ||
| 11.99 Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other | - | - | 3,690 | 589 |
| 11.02 Computer Programming | - | - | 4,449 | 788 |
| Sub Total | - | - | 8,139 | 1,377 |
Degree Level: All Values:
Doctorate Degrees, Doctorate Degree-Research/Scholarship, Doctorate Degree-Professional Practice, Doctorate Degree-Other
Master's Degrees, Bachelor's Degrees, Associate's Degrees
First Professional Certificates (Post-Degree)
Post-Master's Certificates
Post-Baccalaureate Certificates 2 But Less Than 4 Year Certificates
1 But Less Than 2 Year Certificates, Less Than 1 Year Certificates
With employers complaining of a shortage of "qualified" candidates, the term "qualified candidate" cannot be considered entry level salary. Therefore, Table 3.(b) should be a fair representation for comparing median salaries against foreign worker salary offers. (In most cases, the Prevailing Wage Determination is low enough to recoup immigration and legal fees associated with employing foreign workers in the first year of employment.)
Table 3.(b)
Most requested Prevailig Wage Determinations with Office of Employment Statistics Mean Hourly wage for Occupations.
| PWD | Prevailing Wage Determinations (PWD) Most Frequent Users | Num of PWDs | 2010 OES Hourly Mean Wage | OES Hourly Wage Delta | Yearly Wage Differentlal per PWD |
| $ 41.30 | Computer Software Engineers, Applications | 9282 | $ 43.47 | $ (2.17) | $ (4,513.60) |
| $ 37.16 | Computer Systems Analysts | 3330 | $ 39.06 | $ (1.90) | $ (3,952.00) |
| $ 44.36 | Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software | 3092 | $ 47.10 | $ (2.74) | $ (5,699.20) |
| $ 42.44 | Electronics Engineers,Except Computer | 1582 | $ 44.58 | $ (2.14) | $ (4,451.20) |
| $ 28.87 | Physical Therapists | 1441 | $ 37.50 | $ (8.63) | $ (17,950.40) |
| $ 60.29 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | 1412 | $ 59.27 | $ 1.02 | $ 2,121.60 |
| $ 9.57 | Landscaping and Groundskeepers | 1240 | $ 12.23 | $ (2.66) | $ (5,532.80) |
| $ 35.30 | Mechanical Engineers | 1239 | $ 39.65 | $ (4.35) | $ (9,048.00) |
| $ 42.84 | Financial Analysts | 1143 | $ 41.36 | $ 1.48 | $ 3,078.40 |
| $ 32.52 | Computer Programmers | 1101 | $ 36.01 | $ (3.49) | $ (7,259.20) |
Physical Therapists (Table 3.(b)) is highlighted to denote a large differential (Delta) between National Mean hourly wage and immigrant worker Prevailing Wage Determinations.
So, Ms. Stevenson, if there is demand for your immigration services, it isn't because there is a shortage of U.S. citizen or permanent resident candidates. In the aggregate we have lost about 100,000 jobs in these "shortage" occupations. Even within the "growth" occupations, in almost all cases, foreign labor applicants exceeded employment growth; this fact absolutely disproves the labor shortage thesis.
For instance, within Computer Software Engineers, Applications, if 9,282 immigrants were added to the employment roles and the employment levels only rose by 3,780 there are 5,502 Computer Software Engineers, Applications specialists who are now unemployed.
Table 4:
Occupational Majors: Employment Levels
| OCC_CODE | Occupational Title | GROUP | Employment 2010 | Employment 2009 | Employment 2008 |
| 00-0000 | All Occupations | total | 127,097,160 | 130,647,610 | 135,185,230 |
| 11-0000 | Management Occupations | major | 6,022,860 | 6,116,380 | 6,152,650 |
| 13-0000 | Business and Financial Operations Occupations | major | 6,090,910 | 6,063,670 | 6,135,520 |
| 15-0000 | Computer and Mathematical Occupations | major | 3,283,950 | 3,303,690 | 3,308,260 |
| 17-0000 | Architecture and Engineering Occupations | major | 2,305,530 | 2,412,730 | 2,521,630 |
| 19-0000 | Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations | major | 1,064,510 | 1,308,380 | 1,296,840 |
| 21-0000 | Community and Social Service Occupations | major | 1,901,180 | 1,891,320 | 1,861,750 |
| 23-0000 | Legal Occupations | major | 992,650 | 999,020 | 1,003,270 |
| 25-0000 | Education, Training, and Library Occupations | major | 8,457,870 | 8,488,740 | 8,451,250 |
| 27-0000 | Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations | major | 1,716,640 | 1,745,670 | 1,804,940 |
| 29-0000 | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations | major | 7,346,580 | 7,200,950 | 7,076,800 |
| 31-0000 | Healthcare Support Occupations | major | 3,962,930 | 3,886,690 | 3,779,280 |
| 33-0000 | Protective Service Occupations | major | 3,187,810 | 3,172,420 | 3,128,960 |
| 35-0000 | Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations | major | 11,027,340 | 11,218,260 | 11,438,550 |
| 37-0000 | Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations | major | 4,175,550 | 4,269,480 | 4,429,870 |
| 39-0000 | Personal Care and Service Occupations | major | 3,425,220 | 3,461,910 | 3,437,520 |
| 41-0000 | Sales and Related Occupations | major | 13,437,980 | 13,715,050 | 14,336,430 |
| 43-0000 | Office and Administrative Support Occupations | major | 21,503,800 | 22,336,450 | 23,231,750 |
| 45-0000 | Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations | major | 408,040 | 419,200 | 438,490 |
| 47-0000 | Construction and Extraction Occupations | major | 5,072,530 | 5,751,630 | 6,548,760 |
| 49-0000 | Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations | major | 4,928,960 | 5,114,150 | 5,374,850 |
| 51-0000 | Production Occupations | major | 8,236,340 | 8,927,130 | 9,919,120 |
| 53-0000 | Transportation and Material Moving Occupations | major | 8,547,980 | 8,844,700 | 9,508,750 |
Table 5:
Occupational Majors: Employment Loss Gain
| OCC_CODE | Occupational Title | Loss Gain 2009-2010 | Loss Gain 2008-2010 | |
| 00-0000 | All Occupations | (3,550,450) | (8,088,070) | |
| 11-0000 | Management Occupations | (93,520) | (129,790) | |
| 13-0000 | Business and Financial Operations Occupations | 27,240 | (44,610) | |
| 15-0000 | Computer and Mathematical Occupations | (19,740) | (24,310) | |
| 17-0000 | Architecture and Engineering Occupations | (107,200) | (216,100) | |
| 19-0000 | Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations | (243,870) | (232,330) | |
| 21-0000 | Community and Social Service Occupations | 9,860 | 39,430 | |
| 23-0000 | Legal Occupations | (6,370) | (10,620) | |
| 25-0000 | Education, Training, and Library Occupations | (30,870) | 6,620 | |
| 27-0000 | Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations | (29,030) | (88,300) | |
| 29-0000 | Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations | 145,630 | 269,780 | |
| 31-0000 | Healthcare Support Occupations | 76,240 | 183,650 | |
| 33-0000 | Protective Service Occupations | 15,390 | 58,850 | |
| 35-0000 | Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations | (190,920) | (411,210) | |
| 37-0000 | Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations | (93,930) | (254,320) | |
| 39-0000 | Personal Care and Service Occupations | (36,690) | (12,300) | |
| 41-0000 | Sales and Related Occupations | (277,070) | (898,450) | |
| 43-0000 | Office and Administrative Support Occupations | (832,650) | (1,727,950) | |
| 45-0000 | Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations | (11,160) | (30,450) | |
| 47-0000 | Construction and Extraction Occupations | (679,100) | (1,476,230) | |
| 49-0000 | Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations | (185,190) | (445,890) | |
| 51-0000 | Production Occupations | (690,790) | (1,682,780) | |
| 53-0000 | Transportation and Material Moving Occupations | (296,720) | (960,770) | |
| Employment Loss Gain | (3,550,460) | (8,088,080) |
Source Data:
National Science Foundation WebCASPAR (Educational Statistics)
https://webcaspar.nsf.gov/index.jsp?subHeader=WebCASPARHome
U.S. Department of Labor
Foreign Labor Certification Annual Report
Bureau of Employment Statistic: Office of Employment Statistics
http://www.bls.gov/oes
