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Why is it so hard to find a job now? Enter Ghost Jobs

(arxiv.org)
391 points JSeymourATL | 6 comments | 14 Nov 24 14:35 UTC | HN request time: 1.015s | source | bottom
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shmatt ◴[14 Nov 24 14:56 UTC] No.42136701[source]▶
I have to put out a ghost job req and interview every person applying within reason for every green card a direct report is applying for. I have to show there are or aren’t any residents or citizens that can fill the job

The main problem is: even if the interviewee knocks it out of the park, is an amazing engineer, I still am not interested in firing my OPT/h1b team member who can still legally work for 2-3 years. So while I will deny their green card application and not submit it, I also won’t hire the interviewee

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indoordin0saur ◴[14 Nov 24 15:05 UTC] No.42136823[source]▶
Wait, this isn't clear to me. Are the interviewees citizens? So you're interviewing citizens to prove that there aren't any who can fill your jobs but even when they clearly could fill the job you don't hire them? Seems like the requirement of proving "there are or aren’t any residents or citizens that can fill the job" is going to be near impossible for the government to enforce
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1. zjdixhxjzkz ◴[14 Nov 24 15:16 UTC] No.42136974[source]▶
It is. Best case scenario H1Bs allow companies to avoid training citizens. Worst case (and most common) H1Bs are more exploitable labor compared to citizens.

H1Bs etc just suppress citizens wages and increase profits of capital holders. There’s a very very tiny % that actually aren’t replaceable domestically.

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2. calculatte ◴[14 Nov 24 19:43 UTC] No.42140318[source]▶
This is an excellent point and a real litmus test. If there really were a labor shortage companies would be providing training programs to build that labor force.

Instead they post job descriptions so niche only a liar could technically qualify.

3. JAlexoid ◴[14 Nov 24 20:26 UTC] No.42140805[source]▶
Fist - it is not companies' responsibility to train anyone. It is not their business.

Second - H1b are exploitable, because the system allows it.

H1b has demonstrably not suppressed software engineering wages at all.

Non-competes, have - on the other hand.

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4. carlosjobim ◴[14 Nov 24 21:41 UTC] No.42141531[source]▶
> Best case scenario H1Bs allow companies to avoid training citizens.

Best for who? Companies should train their workforce. Or get kicked out of the market, meaning that they should get kicked out of the nation.

5. John_Cena ◴[14 Nov 24 23:00 UTC] No.42142162[source]▶
> H1b has demonstrably not suppressed software engineering wages at all.

That's simply impossible; it's basic economics.

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6. projectazorian ◴[14 Nov 24 23:39 UTC] No.42142479{3}[source]▶
The lump of labor fallacy is usually covered in “basic economics” classes. There are multiplier effects from clustering of certain types of skilled workers. This increases overall demand and thus overall compensation for everyone in the market.

This is why ending the H1B program like posters propose here would be profoundly stupid - if companies can’t staff their teams here, they will staff them elsewhere, and either stop hiring here or close up shop entirely. This will lower salaries and increase unemployment in the relevant fields.

You already see this in microcosm due to real estate costs serving as a brake on internal migration, many companies have moved all net new hiring out of the Bay Area.

Now admit too many foreign workers at too low wages and you will hit diminishing returns, but we are way short of that point, especially if we can manage to curb abuses of the existing program.