[Non-Sequitur]

If the talent in question stays in China or India or Brazil, do you think Microsoft and Citicorp are going to refrain from hiring them? They aren't you know. They are just going to open a branch in China or India or Brazil. The jobs and capital go where they can get the talent.

You left one word out of that statement. The jobs and the captial will go where they can get the cheaper talent. That is the overriding issue in all this, not the lack of adequate local talent. Not lack of competent U.S. engineers or well-trained and motivated U.S. programmers. There is not, nor has there been for some time a lack of qualified U.S. applicants in virtually all the situations. It is the salary differential that is the difference. Why should the U.S. company pay the going rate for a talented and experienced U.S. engineer or IT professional when they can bring in a H-1B for less or outsource it to a foreign country entirely for even less than the H-1B? And why should a U.S. student bust their hump for four or five or six years only to join a profession that's racing towards the bottom in terms of compensation?

[JasonC]

You don't understand. The job doesn't exist and then look to get filled. High tech companies hire every talented person they can lay their hands on, and have gobs and gobs for them to do. The more talent they find, the faster they go, through their list of new technologies to develop. The limit on progress adn expansion is purely set by human intelligence. There aren't seas of unemployed geniuses lying around waiting for IBM to call. And there is no such thing as "adequate". If you can get a 170 IQ all the 140s on earth are no substitute - though they make fine assistents and developers. If somebody else gets him, the jobs stay wherever he is. Companies pay "the going rate" for talent - and more - to snarf talent, because real talent would be a bargain at ten times the price.

[maui_hawaii]

Its called arbitrage.

[SwordofTruth]

And why should a U.S. student bust their hump for four or five or six years only to join a profession that's racing towards the bottom in terms of compensation?

There is absolutely no reason for any Ameircan to do this unless they too want to start an offshore outsourcing company.

[SwordofTruth]

And why should a U.S. student bust their hump for four or five or six years only to join a profession that's racing towards the bottom in terms of compensation?

There is absolutely no reason for any Ameircan to do this unless they too want to start an offshore outsourcing company.

[SwordofTruth]

And why should a U.S. student bust their hump for four or five or six years only to join a profession that's racing towards the bottom in terms of compensation?

There is absolutely no reason for any Ameircan to do this unless they too want to start an offshore outsourcing company.

[SwordofTruth]

And why should a U.S. student bust their hump for four or five or six years only to join a profession that's racing towards the bottom in terms of compensation?

There is absolutely no reason for any Ameircan to do this unless they too want to start an offshore outsourcing company.

[SwordofTruth]

And why should a U.S. student bust their hump for four or five or six years only to join a profession that's racing towards the bottom in terms of compensation?

There is absolutely no reason for any Ameircan to do this unless they too want to start an offshore outsourcing company.

[SwordofTruth]

And why should a U.S. student bust their hump for four or five or six years only to join a profession that's racing towards the bottom in terms of compensation?

There is absolutely no reason for any Ameircan to do this unless they too want to start an offshore outsourcing company.

[SwordofTruth]

And why should a U.S. student bust their hump for four or five or six years only to join a profession that's racing towards the bottom in terms of compensation?

There is absolutely no reason for any Ameircan to do this unless they too want to start an offshore outsourcing company.

[SwordofTruth]

And why should a U.S. student bust their hump for four or five or six years only to join a profession that's racing towards the bottom in terms of compensation?

There is absolutely no reason for any Ameircan to do this unless they too want to start an offshore outsourcing company.

[SwordofTruth]

And why should a U.S. student bust their hump for four or five or six years only to join a profession that's racing towards the bottom in terms of compensation?

There is absolutely no reason for any Ameircan to do this unless they too want to start an offshore outsourcing company.

[SwordofTruth]

And why should a U.S. student bust their hump for four or five or six years only to join a profession that's racing towards the bottom in terms of compensation?

There is absolutely no reason for any Ameircan to do this unless they too want to start an offshore outsourcing company.

[SwordofTruth]

And why should a U.S. student bust their hump for four or five or six years only to join a profession that's racing towards the bottom in terms of compensation?

There is absolutely no reason for any Ameircan to do this unless they too want to start an offshore outsourcing company.