India not snatching jobs from US

Corporate America has come down heavily against all those in the US who of late have been alleging that Indian companies grab most of the H-1B work visas, thus taking away most jobs from Americans.

In the latest report on immigration, the US Chamber of Commerce, which is world’s largest chamber with more than three million members, asserted that such an allegation against Indian companies is “hyperbole”.

“While some have expressed fears that H-1B professionals hired by Indian companies threaten the US workforce or have expressed concern that Indian companies do not sponsor many of their employees for green cards, the actual numbers are such as to make any concerns overwrought, even if using a simplistic, zero-sum view of the labour market,” the US Chamber of Commerce said in its latest report. “In financial year 2009, Indian tech companies used 4,809 new H-1B visas, which equals to 0.003% of the US civilian labour force, less than 1/100th of 1%,” it said, adding, “Moreover, H-1B use by Indian companies has declined by 70% between 2006 and 2009.”

The new H-1Bs used by Indian companies represented only about six per cent of total initial beneficiaries (new employment), according to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, the report said. “When information technology services companies whether Indian or non-Indians perform work in the United States it is only because US companies believe such work makes their businesses more profitable,” it said.