IT jobs could head overseas

An IT trade group warned last week that business will head overseas unless Congress raises the annual cap on H-1B visas that allow foreign workers to hold positions in the United States. The Software & Information Industry Association said that it is a critical time for tech talent, and if there are not enough workers available domestically, the jobs will migrate to locations where tech workers are available. SIIA president Ken Wasch said keeping the tech industry growing will require immigration reform. Unless there are more workers to do the job, "we're creating an incentive for the industry to create knowledge centers outside the United States," he said.

Software industry workers are paid on average about $75,400, about 78 percent higher than the median wage for all workers in the private sector. The fight over H-1B workers and immigration reform, has been part of the presidential campaign debate, although Congress failed last year to enact any reforms. U.S. IT companies complain that there are not enough highly trained U.S. workers, and various surveys suggest that American companies will be losing their edge because there are not enough technology workers available in the U.S.

For more on IT jobs in jeopardy:
- Check out this ComputerWorld article