Though it’s a political hot potato, the prospect of allowing more skilled foreign workers into the U.S. to fill vacant positions in the high-tech sector is gaining momentum.
The issue seemed dead as recently as December when a bid to attach an increased annual H-1B visa allocation to a federal budget bill was defeated in Congress. However in a Feb. 2 speech at the St. Paul, Minnesota, headquarters of 3M, President Bush breathed new life into visa reform, calling on Congress to expand the quota of H-1Bs, which are granted to bring in skilled workers on a temporary basis. Bush said it was “a mistake not to encourage more really bright folks who can fill the jobs that are having trouble being filled here in America.”
Over the years, H-1Bs have been used by assorted high-tech forms, including a number of visual effects and computer animation studios, that rely on foreign labor to help make up for what they claim is a shortage of highly qualified American artisans.
As chronicled in SHOOT, H-1B visas have ridden a numbers roller coaster. In fiscal year 1997-’98, the cap on such visas was 65,000. That was increased to 115,000 in ’98-’99, and then to 195,000 for fiscal years ’00-’01, ’01-’02 and ’02-’03. The Silicon Valley-centered tech boom in the late ’90s fueled a vigorous industry lobbying campaign, which led to legislation that upped the yearly H-B allotment to 115,000 and then to 195,000.
However, that latter legislation expired in ’03, causing the annual cap to revert to its current 65,000. Legislators didn’t act to save the higher allotment for several compelling reasons. For one, in light of concerns over terrorism, Congress has been standoffish about legislation regarding immigration. Additionally, bringing in foreign workers for U.S. employment, combined with the outsourcing of jobs to other countries, carries potentially negative political baggage for legislators.
Ever since it was reinstated in ’03-’04, the current annual cap of 65,000 H-1Bs has been filled each fiscal year in considerably less time than 12 months. In fact, during the ’04-’05 fiscal year, which began on Oct. 1, ’04, the allotment was virtually filled on day one when Citizenship and Immigration Services received 65,000 applications for H-1Bs.
Bush’s recent speech puts the H-1B issue back in play, with some conjecturing that Congress will again take up the matter. Yet many would say that Bush’s remarks during the State of the Union address were more relevant in terms of a long-term solution to the alleged shortage of homegrown talent. In his State of the Union speech, he called for ramping up math and science education in order to make the American workforce more competitive in the global market. Whether there will be enough federal and state funds to invest in improving education, however, remains to be seen.
Both supporters and opponents of a higher H-1B visa cap generally agree that the long-term solution to the American workforce shortfall is education at the grassroots elementary school level on up through high school and advanced training curriculum. This spans not only math and science but also arts education as much of the tech sector–including visual effects and animation–needs a talent base that’s savvy both technologically and in the creative arts.
SUPERLATIVE Signs Director Claudia Abend For Spots and Branded Content
Latin American director/editor and documentary filmmaker Claudia Abend has joined SUPERLATIVE for her first U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content.
Abend's empathetic docu-style POV has garnered several international awards for the documentary films Hit (2008) and The Flower of Life (2018). Her spotmaking credits include such brands as Procter & Gamble, Nestle and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. SUPERLATIVE has already worked with Abend, together producing a new ad campaign for digital agency Tinuiti and The Honest Company, a consumer goods corporation featuring eco-minded products.
“We found Claudia through her poignant documentaries on the festival circuit,” said SUPERLATIVE creative manager Stefan Dezil. “We are excited about her textured narratives, emotional storytelling, and her powerhouse long-form storytelling abilities, currently on her third feature film. As SUPERLATIVE continues to build our brand after premiering our latest films at Sundance and SXSW, Claudia is the kind of multidimensional artist we are excited to partner with on branded content and beyond. Fluent in English and Spanish, her reel shows real prowess with infants, food and skin products, families both young and old. Great visual storytelling and inspirational doc work.”
Abend began her career in her native Uruguay, studying film and editing in college. “My dad would show me films like Citizen Kane,” she said. “I love cinema and became an editor. It was here that I learned all about communicating human emotion.”
From the get-go, Abend hit it big as a documentary director, teaming with Adrianna Loeff on Hit, a movie chronicling pop artists of Uruguayan music. Abend took home a Best Editing... Read More