you could probably do an entire segment just on the H1B. I've been in winter vacation, so maybe you have, lol. My $0.03 from years in IT.... The Indian contracting companies use the H1B to snare talent, and often dangle a "we will sponsor you for a green-card" to keep them underpaid and overworked for years. The number of actual green-ca…
you could probably do an entire segment just on the H1B. I've been in winter vacation, so maybe you have, lol. My $0.03 from years in IT.... The Indian contracting companies use the H1B to snare talent, and often dangle a "we will sponsor you for a green-card" to keep them underpaid and overworked for years. The number of actual green-card sponsorships I've seen can be counter on one finger across the hundred+ Indian H1B contractors I've worked with.
Years ago, there were many contracting companies offering US citizen / green-carded workers alongside the off-shore companies. Prices, services and skill abilities varied, and the price per hour reflected that. Most of the Us-talent companies have disappeared as clients signed big exclusive contracts with big offshore and near-shore contracting companies. Very often, managers of individual contributors no longer can solicit for contractors outside of the single contracting company.
I can think of 3 reasons why clients went this way:
1- one throat to choke. When the work output sucks, blame rotates to one contracting company rather than the blame game of FTE's and multiple contracting companies pointing fingers at each other.
2- laziness. Rather than maintain a large pool of contracting contacts, you only need to make one phone call/email.
3- cheaper. This one's obvious. Pay indentured servant wages for someone who doesn't want to get put on a plane back to India on a moment's notice or pay upper-end US wages to someone who could get another gig tomorrow if your project turns to shit?
The net result is that upper management is enabling the indentured servant model while choosing to keep the most skilled persons in technology threatened with replacement for "a cheaper alternative". Over the years, the work produced is worse, releases less often and costs considerably more. The H1B model doesn't work well for anyone, and my heart hurts for my Indian friends who may not have the threat of ICE knocking on their door, but the threat of losing their visa is just as real, and just as present in their daily lives.
you could probably do an entire segment just on the H1B. I've been in winter vacation, so maybe you have, lol. My $0.03 from years in IT.... The Indian contracting companies use the H1B to snare talent, and often dangle a "we will sponsor you for a green-card" to keep them underpaid and overworked for years. The number of actual green-card sponsorships I've seen can be counter on one finger across the hundred+ Indian H1B contractors I've worked with.
Years ago, there were many contracting companies offering US citizen / green-carded workers alongside the off-shore companies. Prices, services and skill abilities varied, and the price per hour reflected that. Most of the Us-talent companies have disappeared as clients signed big exclusive contracts with big offshore and near-shore contracting companies. Very often, managers of individual contributors no longer can solicit for contractors outside of the single contracting company.
I can think of 3 reasons why clients went this way:
1- one throat to choke. When the work output sucks, blame rotates to one contracting company rather than the blame game of FTE's and multiple contracting companies pointing fingers at each other.
2- laziness. Rather than maintain a large pool of contracting contacts, you only need to make one phone call/email.
3- cheaper. This one's obvious. Pay indentured servant wages for someone who doesn't want to get put on a plane back to India on a moment's notice or pay upper-end US wages to someone who could get another gig tomorrow if your project turns to shit?
The net result is that upper management is enabling the indentured servant model while choosing to keep the most skilled persons in technology threatened with replacement for "a cheaper alternative". Over the years, the work produced is worse, releases less often and costs considerably more. The H1B model doesn't work well for anyone, and my heart hurts for my Indian friends who may not have the threat of ICE knocking on their door, but the threat of losing their visa is just as real, and just as present in their daily lives.