“Today’s House passage of the STEM Jobs Act of 2012 is an important step forward in reforming the high skilled immigration system to ensure the United States has the workforce it needs to stimulate and grow the U.S. economy,” said NFTC President Bill Reinsch. “In the face of an unemployment rate hovering at eight percent, some may wonder why the United States should seek to keep foreign workers in the country. The answer is clear: With a U.S. shortage of workers with STEM skills, the United States must retain highly skilled talent educated in the United States to stimulate economic growth and ensure that the United States maintains its competitive advantage.”
According to the American Association of Engineering Societies, foreign students hold 42 percent of U.S. engineering master’s degrees and 53 percent of U.S. engineering Ph.D.s. The STEM Jobs Act of 2012 will ensure that the United States can retain this top talent, who would otherwise go back to their home countries, where they would compete with American businesses and workers.
“We urge Congress and the administration to work together in a bipartisan manner to pass and sign into law legislation to reform our high-skilled immigration system. Reform is necessary for the economic advancement of our country, as future jobs depend on the innovation power of a highly skilled workforce – the backbone of our country’s economic success,” concluded Reinsch.
