PDF: 2962 pages, 5.2 MB - Bay Area Council Economic Institute

Global Reach
assistance. The added restrictions, on top of the economic downturn,
slowed H-1B applications in 2009. As of May 2009, U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reported receiving
only 45,500 applications toward the cap and was continuing to
accept applications.
At the same time, while the system has its flaws, the U.S. clearly
confronts a major IT workforce challenge. The Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS) has estimated that 854,000 professional IT jobs will
be added from 2006–2016, a 24% increase in demand. Add replacement
jobs, and the number climbs to 1.6 million jobs. BLS has
predicted that 1 in 19 new jobs created through 2016 will be in IT
services, software, and related fields. With the number of university
graduates with bachelor’s degrees in computer science and engineering
falling, and more than half of doctoral students coming from
overseas, the U.S. will be challenged to fill these positions internally.
Top H-1B Visa Applicants, 2008
Firm
Visas Approved
1. Infosys Technologies 4,559
2. Wipro Ltd. 2,678
3. Satyam Computer Services 1,917
4. Tata Consultancy Services 1,539
5. Microsoft Corp. 1,037
6. Accenture LLP 731
7. Cognizant Technology Solutions 467
8. Cisco Systems Inc. 422
9. Larsen & Toubro Infotech Ltd. 403
10. IBM India Pvt. Ltd. 381
11. Intel Corp. 351
12. Ernst & Young LLP 321
13. Patni Americas Inc. 296
14. Terra Infotech Inc. 281
15. Qualcomm Inc. 255
Source: BusinessWeek/U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
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