Skills and Future of Work

The federal government has imposed a $100,000 fee on companies seeking to sponsor H-1B visas for foreign workers in specialty occupations, which could undermine U.S. efforts to attract top STEM talent. Policymakers should establish a program that grants green cards to temporary visa holders with non-social science STEM degrees.

History suggests the labor market will weather this technological storm, just as it has weathered many others before it.

A productive approach to emerging workplace technologies would focus on two overarching goals: 1) accelerating development, testing, and adoption, and 2) supporting positive uses of the technology while mitigating negative ones.

If Senator Sanders wants to raise wages, he should focus on the real cause of slow growth, lagging productivity from low capital investment, instead of stymieing AI.

Asians earn bachelor’s degrees in STEM fields at much higher rates than other racial and ethnic groups, strengthening the United States’ innovation capacity, industrial base, and global competitiveness. Their academic success is an asset that should be rewarded, not penalized.

Trump's de facto ban on H-1B visas won't protect American workers, but it will likely result in fewer U.S. jobs and weaker U.S. companies. In Washington Monthly, Robert Atkinson argues that there are better ways to smooth this pathway for America to attract talented workers from around the world.

California’s proposed SB 7 would heavily restrict employers’ use of AI in workplace decisions through onerous notice, transparency, and appeal requirements, creating redundant regulations that discourage beneficial AI adoption and ultimately harm both workers and businesses.

If the president is worried some organizations abuse the H-1B program and hire skilled foreign workers instead of Americans, then instead of trying to impose a fee on visa petitions a better solution would be for Congress to allow USCIS to auction off the 85,000 visa slots to the highest bidders.

Claims that AI-driven job destruction is inevitable could not be further from the truth. AI will boost U.S. productivity and spread new income across the economy.

If the United States fails to keep pace with China in cultivating the next generation of researchers, it risks ceding ground in the very sectors that will define economic and geopolitical leadership in the 21st century.