This is part of series on H-1B visas and the STEM crisis
Post 1 H-1Bs Are Driving American Students Away from STEM
What Real Labor Shortages Look Like
A genuine labor shortage normally produces one predictable result. Wages rise.
When employers cannot find enough workers, they compete for available talent. Salaries increase. Benefits improve. Working conditions become more attractive. Companies recruit aggressively.
That is how labor markets are supposed to function. But the companies who take advantage of the H-1B program are not experiencing a shortage of workers. They are experiencing a shortage of workers willing to accept the wages they wish to pay. That distinction is important.
A shortage of workers is a national problem.
A shortage of workers willing to work below prevailing market wages is a business problem.
The difference between those two propositions lies at the heart of the H-1B debate.
What Students Actually See
For decades, the American public has been told that the United States faces a critical shortage of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) workers. If that shortage truly existed, qualified scientists, engineers, and programmers should be among the most sought-after workers in the economy. Yet many experienced STEM professionals report increasing difficulty finding positions, while students considering STEM careers see little evidence of the labor shortage they have been told exists.
The Message Sent to American Students
The consequences extend far beyond today’s labor market. American students observe what is happening. They watch experienced STEM professionals struggle to find employment. They hear employers claim there is a shortage of workers while wages remain stagnant. They conclude that the promised rewards of STEM education may never materialize.
A Self-Inflicted Shortage
The central policy question is not whether America needs foreign scientists and engineers but whether current H-1B policies have helped create the shortage.
As employers rely increasingly on H-1B foreign workers, American-born students become less likely to pursue STEM careers. The domestic talent pipeline closes. The labor shortage created by refusal to pay prevailing market wages becomes the justification for importing still more workers.
The Cost to America
A nation that discourages its own students from becoming scientists and engineers should not be surprised when it eventually loses the scientific and technological leadership it once held.
The Myth of the STEM Labor Shortage
June 12, 2026 | Education
This is part of series on H-1B visas and the STEM crisis
Post 1 H-1Bs Are Driving American Students Away from STEM
What Real Labor Shortages Look Like
A genuine labor shortage normally produces one predictable result. Wages rise.
When employers cannot find enough workers, they compete for available talent. Salaries increase. Benefits improve. Working conditions become more attractive. Companies recruit aggressively.
That is how labor markets are supposed to function. But the companies who take advantage of the H-1B program are not experiencing a shortage of workers. They are experiencing a shortage of workers willing to accept the wages they wish to pay. That distinction is important.
A shortage of workers is a national problem.
A shortage of workers willing to work below prevailing market wages is a business problem.
The difference between those two propositions lies at the heart of the H-1B debate.
What Students Actually See
For decades, the American public has been told that the United States faces a critical shortage of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) workers. If that shortage truly existed, qualified scientists, engineers, and programmers should be among the most sought-after workers in the economy. Yet many experienced STEM professionals report increasing difficulty finding positions, while students considering STEM careers see little evidence of the labor shortage they have been told exists.
The Message Sent to American Students
The consequences extend far beyond today’s labor market. American students observe what is happening. They watch experienced STEM professionals struggle to find employment. They hear employers claim there is a shortage of workers while wages remain stagnant. They conclude that the promised rewards of STEM education may never materialize.
A Self-Inflicted Shortage
The central policy question is not whether America needs foreign scientists and engineers but whether current H-1B policies have helped create the shortage.
As employers rely increasingly on H-1B foreign workers, American-born students become less likely to pursue STEM careers. The domestic talent pipeline closes. The labor shortage created by refusal to pay prevailing market wages becomes the justification for importing still more workers.
The Cost to America
A nation that discourages its own students from becoming scientists and engineers should not be surprised when it eventually loses the scientific and technological leadership it once held.