Does Recession affects IT job for H1B holder?

[reply2me]

will it affect the job market e.g. in the field of Information Technology for H1B holder?

with thanks
reply2me

[KangYu]

This time IT is not badly effected which was worse in 2001.Now construction,agriculture and some other businesses are badly effected with recession.Mostly from Jan our IT jobs will get open,be ready H1 army.

[cncd1]

Don't count on jobs being available in January. Layoffs are continuing. At&T's layoffs will go into 2009. Depending on what happens with the auto industry, things may get very much worse. Predictions include 30% unemployment in MI. If this happens, no one will be hiring anyone much less temp workers. Even decorated veterans are worried about their current civilian jobs; if you haven't guessed, legitimate employers have vets as a preferred employee class.

If you have an H1B, you have an employer who MUST pay you whether you work or not. The downside is that if he has no work, he may revoke your visa and provide you transportation home. You will then be out all of the expenses of breaking apartment leases, selling car at a loss, etc.

If you do not have a confirmed position, you are better off not wasting any of your 6 years of H1B time and remain in your current job.


Kang Yu, How do you think the jobs in the US are "your IT" i.e. H1B only jobs?

[KangYu]

Don't count on jobs being available in January. Layoffs are continuing. At&T's layoffs will go into 2009. Depending on what happens with the auto industry, things may get very much worse. Predictions include 30% unemployment in MI. If this happens, no one will be hiring anyone much less temp workers. Even decorated veterans are worried about their current civilian jobs; if you haven't guessed, legitimate employers have vets as a preferred employee class.

If you have an H1B, you have an employer who MUST pay you whether you work or not. The downside is that if he has no work, he may revoke your visa and provide you transportation home. You will then be out all of the expenses of breaking apartment leases, selling car at a loss, etc.

If you do not have a confirmed position, you are better off not wasting any of your 6 years of H1B time and remain in your current job.


Kang Yu, How do you think the jobs in the US are "your IT" i.e. H1B only jobs?

What i understand is the members in murthy,immigration voice,path2usa etc are 99% from IT.Alomost all questions being asked for IT job suggestions i observed,so i concluded in this way,by the way which is your area boss.Here i dont exactly understand what it made you my answer crazy.

[cncd1]

This time IT is not badly effected which was worse in 2001.Now construction,agriculture and some other businesses are badly effected with recession.Mostly from Jan our IT jobs will get open,be ready H1 army.

Bolded sentence is extremely offensive. You imply that H1-Bs are planning to invade the US IT industry. H1-Bs are guest workers here at the invitation of the US government for openings that cannot be filled by US workers.

As for my qualifications - nearly 30 years of engineering applications and database development and family members in datacenter networking (CCIE), website programming, and academic faculty.

By the way what are your qualifications?

[kabkaba]

I agree with cncd1. Basing your US dream on bodyshops could be risky in these days. You need to find an employer who can directly pay you himself. Apart from deteriorating economy the US govt is getting smart to the malpractices in H1B program and the sentiment is against bodyshopping.
KangYu's statement about 'our IT jobs' being open was offensive. IT jobs don't belong to H1 community (army) only.

[cncd1]

Read this:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28071887/

[sudhamsh]

According to the latest news there over half a million jobs vanished in US market and a big chunk will be in IT sector. So the employers will think twice before hiring any one, especially on H1b unless they are more qualified than a US citizen. The recession will surely affect the IT jobs too unless they are in the industries like health care which were not yet affected. Coming to US without a confirmed position (you have to really make sure) at this time will be suicidal. Even if market gets better (and as per many reports it might not be until late 2009 but not in Jan 2009), the employers will look to hire US citizens without jobs. Any one who is planning to come to US in next few months would face many difficulties to survive unless their employer has a job for them from day one.

[cncd1]

Actually, the number of jobs that have disappeared is well over one million and rapidly approaching 2 million. Over 500,000 jobs were lost in November alone. Just today, Dow announced another 5,000 gone.

[KangYu]

Using H1 army is really making that much pressure on you people?America is for great opportinities.Though you are on H1 or citrizen.Itseems you are worried on your 30 dollars job compare to H1 who is ready to accept for 30/hr having 3 years experiance.What i am trying to say is when you are ready to face any kind of hardness then only you can survive in USA ready to go and do job any location.So these 3 years young terks are snaching your jobs,so itseems you are worried and always you say go back to your country.When soem employers hire citizens then they have to pay more incentives comapre to H1,so they are more inclined on H1,which is sucking you.One way i agree that without any employers acceptence means fresh H1's dont enter into USA,but who already in US with H1 those have to be ready for hard situations.Some where healthcare firms also effected,BCBS going hoost soon by this december.Jobs are going i agree but my army always should be brave enogh,this is the age where we need to put more efforts to accheive soemthing,dont think like 30 years buddah.My qualification is 1 year 5 months india experiance and 3 years 9 months US experiance in web designing,usability,unit testing and QA,i have seen all kinds of struggles,but never ever have idea of foot back.This kind of attitude is needed for my army.

[csharpguru]

To kabkaba,

Very few companies offer permanent jobs for H1B. So H1B have no choice than to join consultancy (Bodyshopping) companies.

Unless you have EAD/ GC / US Citizen, it is difficult to get permanent job.

[kabkaba]

To kabkaba,

Very few companies offer permanent jobs for H1B. So H1B have no choice than to join consultancy (Bodyshopping) companies.

Unless you have EAD/ GC / US Citizen, it is difficult to get permanent job.

That is a sad reality in IT. But a lot of companies do sponsor H1's on their own, they are a much safer bet.
My point is that people will find it very difficult to fulfill their dreams using this technique in such atmosphere. Rather than having high expectations and seeing your dreams get shattered, better be aware of the situation.

[cncd1]

Using H1 army is really making that much pressure on you people?America is for great opportinities.Though you are on H1 or citrizen.Itseems you are worried on your 30 dollars job compare to H1 who is ready to accept for 30/hr having 3 years experiance.What i am trying to say is when you are ready to face any kind of hardness then only you can survive in USA ready to go and do job any location.So these 3 years young terks are snaching your jobs,so itseems you are worried and always you say go back to your country.When soem employers hire citizens then they have to pay more incentives comapre to H1,so they are more inclined on H1,which is sucking you.One way i agree that without any employers acceptence means fresh H1's dont enter into USA,but who already in US with H1 those have to be ready for hard situations.Some where healthcare firms also effected,BCBS going hoost soon by this december.Jobs are going i agree but my army always should be brave enogh,this is the age where we need to put more efforts to accheive soemthing,dont think like 30 years buddah.My qualification is 1 year 5 months india experiance and 3 years 9 months US experiance in web designing,usability,unit testing and QA,i have seen all kinds of struggles,but never ever have idea of foot back.This kind of attitude is needed for my army.

First, you need to work on your English skills. Your posts are gibberish especially since you claim to be living and working in the US for the last 3 plus years.

"You people" - what a disrespectful way to address citizens of a country that has given you the opportunity to work; the opportunities must be better in the US than in your homeland. This is due to the hard work of the people who were here long before you arrived yet time after time you disrespect and disparage us.

H1-B was originally designed to fill jobs for which there are no US citizens and LPRs available; it has degenerated.

If tou are on H1-B and have no job, you are legally required to return to your home country. Unfortunately, many H1-B workers choose to violate US law and are no better in that sense than someone who sneaks across the border.

For someone so inexperienced and obviously uninformed, you are awfully arrogant.

[delhiramanathan]

Kang Yu,
I am neither an US Citizen nor a job seeker in USA. After reading all your postings, I feel that there is an urgent need for you to improve your communication skill in English to survive in a tough environment in USA. This is a friendly advice and do not take as offencive.
Good Luck to you.

[sudhamsh]

Using H1 army is really making that much pressure on you people?America is for great opportinities.Though you are on H1 or citrizen.Itseems you are worried on your 30 dollars job compare to H1 who is ready to accept for 30/hr having 3 years experiance.What i am trying to say is when you are ready to face any kind of hardness then only you can survive in USA ready to go and do job any location.So these 3 years young terks are snaching your jobs,so itseems you are worried and always you say go back to your country.When soem employers hire citizens then they have to pay more incentives comapre to H1,so they are more inclined on H1,which is sucking you.One way i agree that without any employers acceptence means fresh H1's dont enter into USA,but who already in US with H1 those have to be ready for hard situations.Some where healthcare firms also effected,BCBS going hoost soon by this december.Jobs are going i agree but my army always should be brave enogh,this is the age where we need to put more efforts to accheive soemthing,dont think like 30 years buddah.My qualification is 1 year 5 months india experiance and 3 years 9 months US experiance in web designing,usability,unit testing and QA,i have seen all kinds of struggles,but never ever have idea of foot back.This kind of attitude is needed for my army.

Kang Yu, you shouldn't have mentioned the hourly amounts in your post. They are paid according to the qualification and experience and of course some times as per job duties. Infact they are all messed up because of greedy body shoppers. They try to exploit the new comers since it will take some time to understand the complete situation. And the body shopping consultants know that once these people understand everything, they are surely not going to work for them. It is ones decision to decide for what salary they want to work.

As delhiramanathan said to you, you have to be more cautious with your words. Facing any kind of hardness to survive in US does not mean that some one can come to US at this critical time and worry about finding the jobs.

I wonder the whole world is worried about job losses especially when most of the companies announcing lay offs, how you can feel that IT sector is not affected. FYI, most of the IT jobs are on contractual basis and if a company want to reduce jobs, the first thing they will do is to terminate the contracts no matter which industry they are in. By this time you should have heard the lay offs in big IT companies in India. They are just the reflection of what is going on in US. I would advise a big NO to any one who want to come to US at this time.

FYI, if I read correctly some time ago, cncd1 is a US citizen and it is no wonder speaks about the local regulations to be followed who ever it may be.

This is a friendly advice to you. Being an experienced member, your posts should become informational source to others but not offensive in any way. Let us keep this forums objective alive by posting useful messages.

[delhiramanathan]

sudhamsh,
I really appreciate your above posting and being seniors in this forum, we should not mislead new commers by giving rossy picture in USA.
The job market is deteriorating, first starting from USA and then to every where.
Even in India, we daily read retrenchment, salary cut, deferred job offers etc.
New commers to USA, please, better think twice before you ink.
Good wishes to all.

[KangYu]

You are taking my answers so crazy Big bro,no problem i will stop here and try to improve my Tinglish skills.Let me see is your good english really going to feed you more bucks in future.I started my new job 2 days before
and going to become busy,go and enjoy with your go back to your home country skills.

[delhiramanathan]

KangYu,
Wish you all the best!

[efbya]

A few clarifications. I've been seeing several posts from cncd1 disparaging the H1 temporary workers. He talks as if the H1 workers are dependent on the magnanimity of the US. Nothing can be far from the truth. Most of the H1 aspirants can quite easily get an HSMP or a work permit to any of the European countries or Australia. They can easily find a well paying job in their home country as well. There is no question of magnanimity here, it is the US that is more dependent on the temporary workers for the demands of its economy, than the H1 aspirants are on the US opportunities.

So I think that the underlying reason for such disparaging remarks is insecurity. I've seen the same concern voiced by many mediocre US workers who think that they'll lose their jobs to the temporary alien workers. This is a very real possibility. If you're drawing a huge paycheck, then the writing on the wall is that you cannot afford to be complacent. Unless you tune up your skills and make yourself worth the salary that you draw, it is inevitable that a temporary worker who can provide better services for a lower cost will eventually replace you.Bolded sentence is extremely offensive. You imply that H1-Bs are planning to invade the US IT industry. H1-Bs are guest workers here at the invitation of the US government for openings that cannot be filled by US workers.I don't see anything offensive in the bolded sentence. "Army" is just a figure of speech here which implies a group of people who are prepared to take up the challenge. I think the problem is your paranoia. You think that someone is trying to invade you and your job. Naturally you will find everything offensive.
"You people" - what a disrespectful way to address citizens of a country that has given you the opportunity to work; the opportunities must be better in the US than in your homeland. This is due to the hard work of the people who were here long before you arrived yet time after time you disrespect and disparage us.I think he just meant "people with your attitude", not the US citizens in general. If all the US citizens had your attitude, then US wouldn't have been an economic powerhouse as it is today. H1-B was originally designed to fill jobs for which there are no US citizens and LPRs available; it has degenerated.That's just a politically correct statement. Everybody in their right mind know that business happens extremely fast and no position can wait for almost an year to fill. The US economy needs skilled labor to sustain itself. And H1 is one of the ways to satisfy that. But to pacify folks like you, the US politicians include clauses like "US workers should not be replaced" etc in the legislation. As I said, if you think that a low paying temporary worker can replace you, then it is high time for you to upgrade your skills rather than depending on protectionism.

[KangYu]

Very good answer.

[cncd1]

Since I have retired from the business world, the only skill I am upgrading is being a grandparent!

When you are a guest - either in a home or a country, you need to mind your manners and be aware that your language may not mean anything in your country but can be very offensive to your hosts. Be good guests! An "army" invading for IT jobs in January is offensive to any worker in the US.

From posts on this forum, I have become aware of two things that concern me. The first is the number of times H1B workers post that they are being treated in ways that are illegal for the visa program. The second is the number of people who post that they will do something which they know to be illegal in order to stay in the US. Both are contrary to the American culture.

Finally, each and every one of you who hopes to eventually make the US your home needs to be concerned about the fact there is extensive fraud in the program because YOU will be on the other side of the H1B/OPT/L1 visa question in the future. YOU will be older and will expect to be paid for your experience. YOU will be confronted with people working for immoral consulting firms who violate US law and abuse their new employees. YOU will be angry.

[vijenders]

Agree with cncd1....

The speech certainly sounded somewhat offensive although it all depends on interpretation. But in any case we must respect every other citizens irrespective of our work experiences our technology grasp our nationality coz we are humans man..

In my opinion its going to be really hard for less experienced H1B aspirants to find a job due to bad market. But one with 4+ experience should be able to get a job with some struggle though.

Heard of Adobe cutting 1000 work force not a good news folks.

[efbya]

When you are a guest - either in a home or a country, you need to mind your manners and be aware that your language may not mean anything in your country but can be very offensive to your hosts. Be good guests! An "army" invading for IT jobs in January is offensive to any worker in the US.The original post never said anything about invading any body or any job. It merely said "Be ready H1 Army". As I said, in that context anybody with common sense can see that it is just a figure of speech which just implied a determined group of people who are willing to take up the challenge. The invasions and conquests were your embellishments. :)From posts on this forum, I have become aware of two things that concern me. The first is the number of times H1B workers post that they are being treated in ways that are illegal for the visa program. The second is the number of people who post that they will do something which they know to be illegal in order to stay in the US. Both are contrary to the American culture.:)) Let's all stand up and pay obeisance to this legendary American culture. :)) Can you point out a single American company that is at least 50% truthful to their clients or to their employees? Even when the company is on the brink of collapse, they'll assure their clients and their employees that they're the best performing company in the world. :)) Even if their products stink, they'll assure their clients that they're the best in the world. Lehman Brothers kept on assuring everyone that they're unbeatable until the 11th hour. That's business. Being 100% truthful and following all the rules in the book will not always work. One always has to live in the real world. Welcome to planet earth.

Think practically. If an H1 holder loses his job, then legally he's supposed to return to his homeland. Do you think that it is practical? The person must have made considerable investment to take up this job in the US. I think that the practical alternative is to wait a bit and try to take up another job. I don't think that there is anything un-American in that. I'm sure that even Jefferson or Washington would do the same rather than packing their bags and returning as losers.

These nonsensical restrictions are the hallmark of H1. If you compare it with the work permits to other countries like HSMP, the level of nonsense infused into H1 becomes self-evident. One can take an HSMP, go to UK and leisurely seach for a job. If one loses one's current job then one's free to search for another job legally. Nobody in the UK got invaded because of that. In case of H1, it is only because of the paranoia of the mediocre US workers that the govt introduced all these nonsensical restrictions. In the long run, I think that such restrictions will affect the US more than anybody else, since, eventually the skilled self-respecting people will start favoring UK/Europe/Australia over the US and only junkies would end up in the US.YOU will be older and will expect to be paid for your experience. That is a very un-American feeling. Unless one can deliver value that commensurate with one's experience then why would anybody pay for it?