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U.S. Continues to Grant H-1B Visas
Despite Record Unemployment

WASHINGTON (06 February 2003) — According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 120,000 electrical engineers and computer scientists were unemployed in the fourth quarter of 2002. Despite this and other high levels of unemployment, 79,100 first-time
H-1B visas were issued to non-U.S. citizens in fiscal year 2002, which ended 30 September. Add this to the 215,000 extensions and initial visas granted in exempt categories such as nonprofits, laboratories and colleges, and the number swells to more than 294,000.

"When so many American workers are unemployed, I believe it's time for Congress to lower the H-1B visa quota back to 65,000 from its current level of 195,000. This will happen automatically if no new legislation is approved," IEEE-USA President Jim Leonard said. "The large pool of guest workers makes it much more difficult for skilled U.S. workers to find jobs."

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 26,000 electrical and electronics engineers (EEs) were unemployed in the fourth quarter, as were 94,000 computer scientists, which includes systems analysts. The unemployment rate for EEs dipped slightly from the third quarter, 3.9 percent vs. 4.0 percent, but rose for computer scientists, from 4.6 percent to 5.1 percent.

For 2002, the quarterly average of 29,000 unemployed EEs and 89,000 out-of-work computer scientists was the highest figure ever for the individual groups. Unemployment among EEs more than doubled from 2.0 percent in 2001 to 4.2 percent in 2002. For computer scientists the rate jumped from 3.4 percent to 5.0 percent. The EE unemployment rate has more than tripled since 2000, when it stood at 1.3 percent; and more than doubled among computer scientists (2.0 percent).

Despite a grim job outlook for the U.S. high-tech workforce, industry has petitioned, and government has granted 799,700 new or renewal H-1B visas in the past two years. This includes 163,600 new visas in 2001 and 342,000 in exempt categories. And when FY '02 ended, another 18,000 new H-1B applications were pending.

IEEE-USA is an organizational unit of The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers created in 1973 to promote the careers and public-policy interests of the more than 235,000 electrical, electronics, computer and software engineers who are U.S. members of the IEEE. The IEEE is the world's largest technical professional society. For more information, go to http://www.ieeeusa.org.

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Last Updated: 08 November 2002
Staff Contact:  Chris McManes, c.mcmanes@ieee.org