Temporary Professional, Managerial, and Skilled Foreign Workers: Legislation in the 113 th Congress

"The admission of professional, managerial, and skilled foreign workers raises a complex set of policy issues as the United States competes internationally for the most talented workers in the world, without adversely effecting U.S. workers and U.S. students entering the labor market. Legislative proposals that Congress has considered include streamlining procedures that govern the admission of professional, managerial, and skilled foreign workers; increasing the number of temporary professional, managerial, and skilled foreign workers admitted each year; requiring employers of professional, managerial, and skilled foreign workers to make efforts to recruit U.S. workers and offer wages and benefits that are comparable to similarly employed U.S. workers;..."

Foreign skilled workers

Immigration of Foreign Workers: Labor Market Tests and Protections
"Economic indicators confirm that the U.S. economy sunk into a recession in December 2007.
Although some economic indicators suggest that growth has resumed, unemployment remains
high and is projected to remain so for some time. Historically, international migration ebbs during
economic crises; for example, immigration to the United States was at its lowest levels during the
Great Depression. While preliminary statistical trends hint at a slowing of migration pressures, it
remains unclear how the current economic recession will affect immigration. Addressing these
contentious policy reforms against the backdrop of economic crisis sharpens the social and
business cleavages and narrows the range of options.

Some employers maintain that they continue to need the “best and the brightest” workers,
regardless of their country of birth, to remain competitive in a worldwide market and to keep their
firms in the United States. While support for increasing employment-based immigration may be
dampened by the high levels of unemployment, proponents argue that the ability to hire foreign
workers is an essential ingredient for economic growth..."

A Chartbook of International Labor Comparisons
"Governments across the globe are grappling with a worldwide recession and its impact on their workers, their families, and their communities. As we confront these challenges, it is useful to track how key labor market and other national economic measurements compare, so as to gauge trends and to provide government officials and citizens worldwide the opportunity to learn from each other.

This Chartbook is a gateway to explore the wealth of data produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Division of International Labor Comparisons and the international labor policy and research programs maintained by the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB)..."

Labor Force Characteristics of Foreign-Born Workers
" Foreign-born workers' share of the U.S. labor force continued to grow, the
Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. In
2007, 24.0 million persons, or 15.7 percent of the U.S. civilian labor force
age 16 and over, were foreign born. Their share of the labor force was up from
15.3 percent in 2006. The unemployment rate for the foreign born increased by
0.3 percentage point over the year to 4.3 percent in 2007. From 2003 to 2006,
it had declined by 2.6 percentage points. The jobless rate of the native born,
at 4.7 percent in 2007, was unchanged from the prior year."

Monitoring International Labor Standards (MILS) Database
Search a database and find information on labor standards by country.

Around the World in Eight Charts
"Jules Verne isn't the only one who can take you on a worldwide adventure. Travel the globe in eight charts with the Bureau of Labor Statistics! Although BLS is the premier source for U.S. labor statistics, the Bureau is also widely recognized for providing comparable international data. BLS provides information on employment, unemployment, productivity, compensation costs, and other labor-related measures for countries in the Americas, Europe, and Asia and the Pacific. Let's begin our tour!"