Posted on 07/26/2008 11:54:19 PM PDT by bd476
GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States, responding to a key demand of developing countries, said on Saturday it would discuss giving more temporary access to foreign professionals, injecting renewed optimism into world trade talks.The U.S. offer -- its second this week in make-or-break talks to secure a breakthrough in long-running trade negotiations -- had ministers and businessmen talking optimistically about improved prospects for a deal.
"When it comes to temporary entry of business professionals we signaled that we are ready to have that conversation in the context of the Doha round," U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab told reporters.
"But obviously it has to be in conjunction with our consultations with Congress," she said after a session on services at the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
The issue of granting temporary business visas to skilled foreign workers is controversial as many politicians consider it an immigration issue that should not be included in trade pacts.
But Indian Commerce Minister Kamal Nath, who earlier in the week was blamed by many ministers for blocking the talks, welcomed the U.S. move and showed understanding for the needs of U.S. negotiators to coordinate with the U.S. Congress.
CONSTRUCTIVE SIGNS
"These are constructive signs," Nath told reporters. "There is good movement by the United States and by the EU."
Services such as banking, shipping and telecoms account for upwards of 75 percent of rich economies and a majority and growing share of many developing country GDPs.
But they still account for less than 20 percent of world trade. So rich nations with their sophisticated financial sectors and developing countries with their youthful educated populations believe the biggest gains from a trade deal could come in services...
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
From the excerpt above:
"The United States, responding to a key demand of developing countries, said on Saturday it would discuss giving more temporary access to foreign professionals..."
" '...When it comes to temporary entry of business professionals we signaled that we are ready to have that conversation in the context of the Doha round,' U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab told reporters.'But obviously it has to be in conjunction with our consultations with Congress,' she said after a session on services at the World Trade Organisation (WTO)..."
Goodwill abounds as long as we meet the demands of others and "obviously" thishas to bewill be approved by Congress.
What next?
REVOLUTION!
No, I don't think that will happen.
It's frustrating though that the right hand often doesn't realize what the left hand is doing.
Funny how the Free Traders and Illegal Alien Panderers all work in unison.
The US does not need temporary workers. There are plenty of umemployed Americans that can do the jobs...contrary to what the Free Trade/Amnesty crowd preaches
Insanity! They know what's happening to our middle class, but are continuing everything they can do destroy it.
I don't want to get banned but y'all are thinking the exact same thing.
Interesting - that’s what Obama’s been saying. I must say the article noted below looks to have been shortened because I thought it was more lengthy with more detail, but then maybe it’s just me.
November 26, 2007
Michael Arrington
MA: What is your position on H1B visas in general? Do you believe the number of H1B visas should be increased?
BO: Highly skilled immigrants have contributed significantly to our domestic technology industry. But we have a skills shortage, not a worker shortage. There are plenty of Americans who could be filling tech jobs given the proper training. I am committed to investing in communities and people who have not had an opportunity to work and participate in the Internet economy as anything other than consumers. Most H-1B new arrivals, for example, have earned a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent abroad (42.5%). They are not all PhDs. We can and should produce more Americans with bachelor’s degrees that lead to jobs in technology. A report of the National Science Foundation (NSF) reveals that blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans as a whole comprise more that 25% of the population but earn, as a whole, 16% of the bachelor degrees, 11% of the master’s degrees, and 5% of the doctorate degrees in science and engineering. We can do better than that and go a long way toward meeting industry’s need for skilled workers with Americans. Until we have achieved that, I will support a temporary increase in the H-1B visa program as a stopgap measure until we can reform our immigration system comprehensively. I support comprehensive immigration reform that includes improvement in our visa programs, including our legal permanent resident visa programs and temporary programs including the H-1B program, to attract some of the world’s most talented people to America. We should allow immigrants who earn their degrees in the U.S. to stay, work, and become Americans over time. As part of our comprehensive reform, we should examine our ability to replace a stopgap increase in the number of H1B visas with an increase in the number of permanent visas we issue to foreign skilled workers. I will also work to ensure immigrant workers are less dependent on their employers for their right to stay in the country and would hold accountable employers who abuse the system and their workers.
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/11/26/qa-with-senator-barack-obama-on-key-technology-issues/
The word “temporary” is just a fallacy. I’m sure their idea of professionals includes farm workers. Once these workers come here they will do everything in their power to stay here even it means going awall.
I agree. First the libs destroy the educational system. Next, they make as many people as possible dependent on government, taking them out of the work force. Then they encourage a flood of illegals into the country, citing Americans don't want to work or won't work for minimum wage.
Who wants to clean toilets when they can get on welfare and food stamps and work under the table? The middle class was built on hard work and staying in the work force and working your way up the ladder. Of course the middle class is decaying.
Strangely enough, these very same people are screaming “Bush” when it comes to unemployment figures, even though ours are among the lowest in the Free World.
What we should do is demand a CUT in federal college tuition plans.
This would have the effect of causing a reduction in college tuition FOR AMERICANS, resulting in a better-educated and hopefully a more-highly-skilled workforce.
Colleges today set their tuition rates so high at the undergraduate level because they presume that everyone has either a federal grant or a low-interest loan. And at the graduate level, they assume most are getting employers to pay the fare.
As a result, college tuition has increased considerably faster than the rate of inflation.
Ignorance will get you nowhere.
Do some homework on industries that will undergo serious issues due to the lack of skilled labor.
Your faith in the American workforce is misplaced. There are plenty of unemployed... and believe me.. there is a reason for it.
Minus out for workers in declining industries who were and still are “skilled” laborers... most of the other unemployed beginning and last job was probably McDonalds.
“Funny how the Free Traders and Illegal Alien Panderers all work in unison.”
That is so true.
“
“Funny how the Free Traders and Illegal Alien Panderers all work in unison.”
That is so true.”
Not by accident. These ‘free trade agreements’ are nothing more than cheap labor contracts. The shoe fits.
Getting a tech themed IT degree is not very useful in getting a job. It just makes the HR people, that hold the gateway to employment, feel all warm and fuzzy. Many of the higher paying jobs require hands on knowledge and certifications that are self taught or gained from classes provided by the vendor(usually at insanely high prices). The Hardware side of IT industry is collapsing. I have to compete with people that have undergrad. and graduate degrees for $30-40,000 a year job. These are just a step above entry level. Plus to add that is is primarily white people. That doesn’t even get into the whole getting more minorities into tech jobs.
On the software side there is plenty of work, but there is also a lot of people to fill the positions. So salaries are staying around $30-50,000 a year on that. Assuming that you even have job after a project is completed. Its always better to be a consultant so that you can charge higher rates to cover the month or two you are looking for a new job.
You have look at the fact that people looking to get into IT field are having to spend $30-40,000 just on education and training to get $30-40,000 a year. Doesn’t make much economic sense. It would if there was a chance at upward movement, but not much of that is available.
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