I find it hard to grapple with the technology industry and its meritocratic ways. I do believe that it is perfectly fine, even expected, for a company to want the people who have the highest skill level at the time. However, at the same time, I do think there is a lot that people, who may not necessarily have the skill set but are willing and able to learn it over time, can offer. I think it's also important that we, as Americans, put Americans first. I do not mean that we should exclude people from other nations. My family, like most, is one of recent immigrants. My mom's siblings are immigrants (but she was born in America), and my grandparents are immigrants from the Philippines. In America, they found opportunity, and they paved the way for me to be where I am today.
That being said, I think that it matters to an extent where the technology industry gets its employees. We should service the people that live in our country first before others. I do not, however, believe that we should be rid of the H-1B program. That may seem contradictory, but I think we need to scope out the best of the best from our own nation before we seek those from outside of the US. As to whether companies should be free to hire the best regardless of their national origin, I struggle with this. Are companies doing this because they want the best of the best, or are they doing this because they want the best for a cheaper price? How would companies react if they knew that they needed to pay higher salaries to foreign workers if they decided to go this route? I believe if they were okay with that, then companies should be allowed to freely choose who they want. However, if they want to have workers from anywhere regardless of national origin, I think that money cannot be the deciding factor in why they want this to be the case. I don't know if it should be called a moral/ethical obligation to America, but I do think that it should be a given that companies founded and able to form because they are located in the United States should have some sort of loyalty or patriotic love for their country. If it's possible to, as Trump said, "Buy American, Hire American", I do not think that companies should really be opposed to that, especially if you level the economic playing field with equal pay for all workers at their respective levels regardless of national origin. It's hard to answer whether nations should prioritize their corporations' needs over the needs of their citizens. I think there must be a balance because if you focus too much on one group, the other will be inclined towards restlessness and generally discontent. There needs to be a sort of compromise that allows nations to care about them semi-equally, and I think that reforming and revising how H1-B visas are given out would help alleviate at least a part of this struggle. However, as a disclaimer: I don't know a whole lot about the topic because I tend to stay away from politically polarizing issues, so I can't say that what I think is really educatedly backed or well-formed.
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AuthorJulianna Yee. Archives
March 2018
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