December 17, 2002 The Honorable Dennis Hastert Dear Rep. Hastert: I am writing on behalf of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers - United States of America (IEEE-USA) to urge prompt action to reauthorize and extend unemployment benefits when Congress reconvenes in January 2003. Unemployment among electrical and electronics engineers and computer software professionals reached all-time highs in the 2nd quarter of 2002, and remains at significantly higher than normal levels into the 4th quarter. A recent survey of unemployed IEEE-USA members indicated that the typical period of unemployment ranged from 30-55 weeks, with older engineers taking longer to find new positions. The median period of unemployment was 38 weeks, which is substantially longer than the previously authorized 26 week period of unemployment insurance benefits, and also longer than the typical medians for other categories of unemployed workers. This means that many unemployed engineers exhaust their benefits well before they find new jobs. An unintended consequence is that some unemployed U.S. engineers are encouraged by their circumstances to seek alternative employment in non-technical fields. At a time when America urgently needs to tap the skills of its U.S. engineering professionals to help build critical infrastructures and protect homeland security, and during a year when government has already issued 150,000+ new or renewed H-1B guestworker visas in response to industry demand for technical expertise, it is contrary to the national interest to allow U.S. engineers to migrate out of our engineering workforce. We thank you for consideration of our views and ask for your support to reauthorize and extend the nation's unemployment benefits program. Sincerely, LeEarl A. Bryant, P.E. Same letter
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