H-1B

Vineet Nayar is reported to have called American graduates "unemployable"; the CEO of IT services vendor HCL Technologies was speaking recently in New York. In IT Blogwatch, bloggers debate racism, stereotyping, sweatshops, and H1B visas.

By Richi Jennings, your humble blogwatcher, who has selected these tidbits for your enjoyment. Not to mention the best gaming toilets...

Grassley/Durbin bill imposes what amounts to a tariff on H-1B visas

The hopeless and impossible mission of H-1B opponents.

What would Karl Marx say?

What IBM’s layoff really means

Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa is one of the most vocal opponents of the H-1B visa program in the country, and is a hero to many in the anti-H-1B crowd. But his clarity of thought has to be questioned in light of his suggestion that executives at AIG should kill themselves.

Imagine how much more constructive the H-1B debate would be if it were conducted in a manner in which opposing viewpoints were appreciated and respected, suggests Don Tennant in this week's editorial.

Computerworld Editorial's blog

My recent Editor's Note and a related blog posting on the H-1B visa issue have drawn quite a few comments, the vast majority of which came from readers who strongly oppose the H-1B program. Despite the large number of comments that I would characterize as mean-spirited, the discussion has at least been advanced. And no one has advanced it more admirably than Norm Matloff.

Foreign workers aren't the enemy, nor are those who hire them; the enemy is the sense of hopelessness that triggers misplaced blame in difficult times, believes Don Tennant in this week's editorial.

Computerworld Editorial's blog

In my Editor's Note published today on the topic of the H-1B visa issue, I made reference to a discussion I had on "Bloody Monday" with Charles Johnson, head of Microsoft's worldwide manufacturing sector business. I noted that Johnson had spoken of the value of hiring foreign workers, which was likely to be construed by some readers as an un-American activity.

Our coverage of Microsoft's recent announcement that it's cutting 5,000 jobs created an angry mob of readers when Patrick Thibodeau reported that H-1B visa holders would be among those losing their jobs, but that Microsoft is under no legal obligation to lay off foreign workers ahead of U.S. workers.

U.S. tech firms are sending more work, not less, offshore. President-Elect Barack Obama is going to have a hard time reversing that trend once he takes office.

Legislation, signed by President Bush last month, gives Guam a Cinderella exemption from the 85,000 visa cap.

Pro or parasite? That is the question that Don addresses in this week's editorial.

Computerworld Editorial's blog

In today's podcast: India wants ability to intercept BlackBerry e-mails; Gates calls for more H-1B visas in the U.S.; and AMD starts to ship tri-core Phenom chips.