By Sandhya Sarma, KERA 90.1 reporter
Dallas, TX – Sandhya Sarma, KERA 90.1 reporter: The H-1B visa program was created in the early 1950's to give skilled foreign workers a permit to reside in the United States, when it was difficult to find well-trained professionals. The program blossomed in the 1990's when the information technology field, or IT, was developing. Now with a tough economy, H-1B visa holders face uncertainty in the workplace. Although many unemployed American workers believe H-1B workers aren't affected, they are. There have been about 20,000 layoffs in Richardson's 'Telecom Corridor,' including H-1B workers from India. When they lose their jobs, they can go back to India, change their visas, or find employment to remain in the U.S.
Nirbhay Mathur came to Richardson on an H-1B to work as an IT consultant. His job ended after six years. He's now on a student visa and is getting his MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas. He's thinking about going back to India, where he was born. He has never worked there.
Nirbhay Mathur, former H-1B visa worker: I am so used to working here. I've never worked in India. I don't know what the work style or conditions are but I have worked with a lot of consultants coming from India and there was definitely a difference of work style. If I go back and when I go back, I won't be going in the same capacity.
Sarma: Unlike Mathur, not everyone in the Indian community here wants to go back. Many have families and feel invested in their American lives. Sajita Thampi has settled in Plano. She was just laid off from her IT job, which she held for ten years.
Sajita Thampi, former H-1B visa worker: Personally I have worked in India before; I like the work atmosphere in America, the teamwork, how people come together and resolve problems. That's one of the reasons that attracted me to come from India to the United States.
[Ambient sounds of New Delhi]
Sarma: While Thampi and Mathur hope for an economic turnaround in America, the economy is also a big concern for most Indians in India. Although sectors of India's economy are growing due to outsourcing, it is still a Third World country. According to Business Week magazine, less than 1% of the workforce is employed by IT service exports. The per capita income is just $460, and 300 million Indians make a $1 a day or less. But life in some Indian cities has changed dramatically with U.S. jobs moving in. The American dream is getting exported to India. Ajay Lavakare is the CEO of a software service company, RMSI Global, in New Delhi. He says IT workers in his country aspire to have what Americans have.
Ajay Lavakare, CEO, RMSI Global: This time around it's been the middle class that has become immensely wealthy. There's an equivalent middle class dream, which unfortunately is being played out in larger cities with rapid promotions, fast cars, partying after work, the play hard, work hard culture. And it's eerily similar to the great American dream.
Sarma: Lavakare believes the new middle class will help India will remain competitive. He says their work culture and infrastructure are comparable to American companies.
Lavakare: If you visited any Indian IT service provider that offers outsourcing services infrastructure, what you would see is absolutely world class. It would be impossible for you to know that you are sitting in a land that has the image of being a land of poverty.
Sarma: But the climate to do good business in India depends on many factors. One of them is politics. Elections are coming up this month where more than 600 million voters will elect or re-elect a government for five years. If the current party in power, the BJP, loses, Lavakare thinks how Indians do business could change. He is concerned that the BJP might oppose globalization and outsourcing if the party loses the election.
Politics could also affect how the American economy recovers. And with the upcoming presidential election, there's talk about limiting free trade and outsourcing. Already Congress has reduced the number of H-1B visas granted. No more foreign workers will be admitted this year.
Ramachudry Sampath, Public Policy Director, IEEE: Each year there's a new concern. Previously, it was, "Hey, let's shut down the H-1B visas."
Sarma: Ramachudry Sampath directs public policy for the Dallas chapter of IEEE, a professional engineering group. He sees unemployed IT workers at his meetings every week, but believes outsourcing is here to stay.
Sampath: There are no easy solutions. I personally believe that things can be done from a public policy standpoint. It is not just legislating against companies, but also in the form of providing training. The group that's being neglected is the IT white-collar worker, for whom there is little sympathy across the board because they were making a lot of money.
Sarma: But Nirbhay Mathur in Richardson remains optimistic about finding a job. And he isn't bothered by fellow H-1B workers, either.
Nirbay Mathur, former H-1B visa worker: When you are looking for a job, you feel everyone is a threat; it's not just people with H-1B visas. Definitely the jobs are there. The best way to get a job in a down economy is to work on your networks.
Sarma: Sajita Thampi also hopes she can remain in Plano. She's applying for different jobs and keeping up with technology.
Sajita Thampi, H-1B visa worker: Things look kind of uncertain as far as my career is concerned. I take it on a day-by-day basis. I keep applying for whatever jobs that I see on the Internet that match my skill set. In the times that I don't have a job and am looking for one, I do certifications which help me keep focused.
Sarma: As India continues to develop by taking on outsourcing, more workers will remain there. But for Indians who are here, America still is the land of opportunity. For KERA 90.1, I'm Sandhya Sarma.
Global coverage is funded by PRI's Program Fund with the support of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
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