Mapping the Highly Skilled: Employment Situation and Geographical Distribution of Temporary Skilled Migrants in the United States

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn the past two decades, migrant workers have become an important source of the skilled labor force in the United States. The H-1B visa program has also become one hotly debated topic of U.S. immigration policies. Since the start of this visa program in 1990, temporary skilled migrants in the United States have not only grown in number but have also become more ethnically homogenous, occupationally homogenous, and economically homogenous. By analyzing the data sets from Department of Labor H-1B and PERM Labor Condition Program Statistics in 2015, this article aims to explore the employment situation and spatial distribution of H-1B visa applicants and PERM applicants in the United States. It also reveals the underlying institutional barriers that skilled migrant workers face in the U.S. job market. Its findings can provide policy implications for understanding the migration experiences and location choices for skilled migrant workers in the United States and can shed light on understanding the migration movements of global talent in the major migrant receiving countries.