According to a report compiled by the National Research Council, employers reportedly hire H-1B workers because of difficulties recruiting qualified U.S. workers and because of the substantial lags in obtaining a green card for foreign workers.

H-1B workers are concentrated in information technology (IT) fields. In 2001, almost 58 percent of H-1B visas were issued to workers in computer-related occupations. Computer systems design and related services accounted for 47 percent of total H-1B visas issued by the INS. H-1B workers make up about 10 percent of the IT labor force, and it has been estimated that new H-1B visa workers contributed about one-fourth of annual growth in the core IT workforce between 1995 and 2000. In 1999 alone, H-1B workers made up 54 to 60 percent of IT labor force growth.

During the 1998-2001 period, the number of IT workers increased by 20 percent. A substantial fraction of these IT workers were foreign born and worked in the U.S. with temporary nonimmigrant visas issued under the H-1B program. It was the H-1B program that allowed employers to temporarily employ a foreign worker in the United States on a nonimmigrant basis in a specialty occupation. H-1B workers are generally professionals and the visa requires at least a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent in the specific specialty. An H-1B visa is issued for an initial period of up to three years and can be renewed once, making employment for up to six years possible.

Using various data, mainly compiled from the labor condition applications, the authors of the report determined that there is little support for claims that the program has a negative impact on wages. However, some results do suggest a positive relationship between the number of LCAs and the unemployment rate a year later.