US' STEM worker debate has a data problem
For years, critics of the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme have argued that allowing international STEM graduates to work in the United States takes jobs
For years, critics of the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme have argued that allowing international STEM graduates to work in the United States takes jobs away from American workers. But a study by the Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) challenges that narrative, finding no evidence that foreign graduates participating in the programme reduce employment opportunities for US workers.Also Read| US OPT programme explained: How Trump's $100,000 fee could hit international studentsThe findings come as the Trump administration has made legal immigration more restrictive through measures including sharply higher H-1B visa fees, tougher enforcement and proposals affecting work authorisation for international students.Since returning to office, Donald Trump has steadily tightened pathways for foreign workers and international students. His administration has imposed a $100,000 fee on most new H-1B petitions subject to the annual cap, proposed extending additional H-1B and L-1 filing fees to visa extension applications for certain employers, expanded immigration enforcement, and signalled plans to overhaul the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme that allows international graduates to work in the US after completing their studies.
The administration has also stepped up scrutiny of student visas and work authorisation, arguing that immigration policies should better protect American workers.Against this backdrop, the NFAP study challenges one of the central assumptions underpinning such policies—that foreign STEM graduates displace American workers. According to the report, the evidence does not support that claim.Small footprint, big debateDespite the attention the programme receives, the report says OPT participants make up only a small fraction of the US STEM workforce.In 2016, foreign graduates on post-completion OPT or STEM OPT extensions accounted for less than 1% of workers with a bachelor's degree in a STEM field and about 2.5% of workers in STEM occupations with at least a bachelor's degree. Among new graduates, they represented less than 1% of all bachelor's STEM graduates, under 10% of master's graduates and under 15% of PhD graduates.The report says the programme's relatively small footprint makes it difficult to support claims that it has a widespread impact on employment opportunities for American workers.Hiring where the gaps areRather than replacing US workers, employers appear to use the programme to fill shortages, according to the analysis.The study found that the relative number of foreign students approved for OPT was negatively related to unemployment among comparable US STEM workers.
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