On Nov 18, 2007, at 11:14 PM, Graeme Gibson wrote:
Yeah, this post got a bit longer than I'd planned.. answering three
posts here.
(one correction: in my previous post I said HB1 when I meant H-1B)
Shane wrote..
It should be noted that things are no better for independents here in
the Antipodes.
I'm sure all of us (world-wide) have mates in dire straights.
How true that is. My main point was that advertising such as the
example quoted by the OP is just part of the legal procedural
requirement that an employer in the US must go through in order to
qualify for the H-1B visa that then allows them to bring in an o/
seas worker (typically at below-market rates) to take a job that
"locals" will appear not to want, either because the salary is
shockingly low, or because they didn't even know about it because
it was only advertised in the Mudflap* Monthly Inquirer or similar
small circulation paper.
*Please note that I have nothing against Mudflap, should such a
town/city actually exist
It's part of the clever techniques taught by US-based "H-1B
specialists" to US employers to advertise in specially chosen media
and localities where there is almost no chance that a qualified US
citizen is going to even see the advertisment. The technique
relies also on anyone qualified who does see the ad not responding
due to a. low salary offered or b. apparent location of the job
being far from big population centers.
There are some 300,000 foreign workers in Australia under our "457
Visa" system, the equivalent of the US H-1B visa. Employers
complain about "lack of skilled staff" and the (Federal) government
makes up for its complete lack of leadership in education and
training in the last 10 years by quietly opening the floodgates to
imported talent. Imports generally don't mind working in the more
difficult situations where Australians might want special
allowances for. After all, if you're prepared to travel ten or
fifteen thousand miles to find a job then you probably won't be too
picky.
Ed Gould asked:
.. Is that salary even close down under?
From the (Australian) "Migration Regulations 1994" amended 2007
(IMMI 07/078):
(c) the applicable base salary is:
- (i) AUD 41,850 for occupations listed in Schedule A;
- (ii) AUD 57,300 for occupations listed in Schedule B;
- (iii) AUD 37,665 for occupations listed in Schedule C;
- (iv) AUD 51,570 for occupations listed in Schedule D;
..most of our IBM-MAIN technical jobs come under Schedule B :
__________________________________________________________________
SCHEDULE B - Information and Communication Technology occupations
allowable under standard Subclass 457 arrangements
1 MANAGERS AND ADMINISTRATORS
1224-11 Information Technology manager
2. PROFESSIONALS
2231-11 Systems Manager
2231-13 Systems Designer
2231-15 Software Designer
2231-17 Application and Analyst Programmer
2231-19 Systems Programmer
2231-21 Computer Systems Auditor
2231-21 Computing Professionals not elsewhere classified
__________________________________________________________________
..and while AUD 57,300 (USD 51,280) may be a bit low for Sysprog
salaries in Australia** it would seem that's still USD 10,000
higher than the amount being offered in the ad quoted by the OP.
Some of you may choose to come to Australia to work, and actually
get paid more than you do at home, for a while at least :-)
**Someone with more intimate knowledge may wish to comment further
on typical AU sysprog's salaries!
Bottom line: Your politicians seem to be serving the interests of
US businesses, with little or no apparent regard for the interests
of US skilled workers. This is just classic politics with a dash
of Globalisation thrown in. And it's not surprising since US
skilled workers are not organised, don't typically make donations
to Congressmen's and Senator's PACs (or whatever re-election
funding schemes are currently called) and don't take anyone in
Washington to lunch. Uh, except for..
Google ~ K street H1B Visa ~ or click the following link
<http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showthread.php?t=653&page=5>
<http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/showthread.php?t=653&page=5>IV
In Washington Post: Skilled Immigrants Turn to K Street"
and find the post by "Sobers". That will tell you about how the
H-1B visa holders have themselves organised to lobby Washington.
Read it and weep.
Google: ~ Immigration Voice to H1B Visa ~. Those hits will give
you lots to think about. The H-1B Visa holders, or their
employers, know how to use your political system and they're doing it.
..and.. B Stephenson wrote..
Last year, our company performed a salary survey in our market
near Cleveland. When the results came back, the salary ranges were
drastically altered downward by about 15K for systems programmers.
..Survey methodology? Advertise enough of those $800/week jobs in
Cleveland and someone surveying salaries by looking at Job ads
might conclude that actual salaries were wayyy down. And, was
there any attempt to identify which jobs (if any) in the Cleveland
area might have been held by H-1B visa holders on, say, $800/week?
Sleep well.
Regards to all,
Graeme.
----------------SNIP------------------------
Graeme:
Thanks for the run down. So it really looks like the scam to hire
foreign workers at a really reduced salary (at least in AU and US).
Doesn't our elected officials have a clue what is going on?
Ed
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