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Coping with H-1B Shortages: Firm Performance and Mitigation Strategies

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  • Anna Maria Mayda
  • Francesc Ortega
  • Giovanni Peri
  • Kevin Y. Shih
  • Chad Sparber

Abstract

The United States' H-1B visa program, which allows private firms to hire highly skilled foreign workers, was so severely over-subscribed in the years since 2014 that H-1B status was distributed by lotteries to a subset of applicants. Using data on H-1B applications and on a range of outcomes for publicly traded companies, we find that employers using the H-1B program experienced reduced employment, sales and profits, compared to non-users in the years since 2014. We also find that some employers anticipated the rationing of H-1Bs and retained a larger share of H-1B workers, mitigating the damaging effects of H-1B rationing on their performance.

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  • Anna Maria Mayda & Francesc Ortega & Giovanni Peri & Kevin Y. Shih & Chad Sparber, 2020. "Coping with H-1B Shortages: Firm Performance and Mitigation Strategies," NBER Working Papers 27730, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:27730
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    Cited by:

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    2. Peter Norlander, 2021. "Do guest worker programs give firms too much power?," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 484-484, June.
    3. Morgan Raux, 2019. "Looking for the "Best and Brightest": Hiring difficulties and high-skilled foreign workers," Working Papers halshs-02364921, HAL.
    4. Andrea Ariu & Tobias Müller & Tuan Nguyen, 2023. "Immigration and the Slope of the Labor Demand Curve: The Role of Firm Heterogeneity in a Model of Regional Labor Markets," CESifo Working Paper Series 10344, CESifo.
    5. Amuedo-Dorantes, Catalina & Shih, Kevin Y. & Xu, Huanan, 2020. "International Student Enrollments and Selectivity: Evidence from the Optional Practical Training Program," IZA Discussion Papers 13730, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Michael A. Clemens, 2021. "The Fiscal Effect of Immigration: Reducing Bias in Influential Estimates," RF Berlin - CReAM Discussion Paper Series 2134, Rockwool Foundation Berlin (RF Berlin) - Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration (CReAM).
    7. Raux, Morgan, 2023. "Recruitment Competition and Labor Demand for High-Skilled Foreign Workers," IZA Discussion Papers 16554, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. Prithwiraj Choudhury & Kirk Doran & Astrid Marinoni & Chungeun Yoon, 2022. "Loss of Peers and Individual Worker Performance: Evidence from H-1B Visa Denials," CESifo Working Paper Series 10152, CESifo.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers

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