The latest decision to nix the agency’s previous lottery-based method of selecting visa petitions is an attempt to address an issue that observers of the H-1B program have previously highlighted. That is, the H-1B program’s prevailing wage levels mean workers can hire foreign talent at prices that are “significantly lower” than local median salaries for certain occupations, according to a May analysis by the Economic Policy Institute. The organization found, for instance, that three-fifths of 2019 H-1B jobs were certified at the two lowest prevailing wage levels.
CIO Dive
November 9, 2020
Elise Gould, a senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute, said the number of job gains last month can “look huge in a historical context, but it’s misleading to look at those numbers in isolation.”
“I think it’s important to look at the hole that we still have, and how long it might take to fill that gap at that pace,” she said. “And what it means is that a full recovery is years away.”
In March and April, the U.S. economy lost some 22 million jobs.
ABC News
November 9, 2020
About a third of jobless Americans are now long-term unemployed, without a job and actively looking for six months or longer, said Elise Gould, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute.
“That is a devastating number,” she said. “As this drags on, I expect those numbers to reach the levels we saw in the Great Recession.”
Marketplace
November 9, 2020
The Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning research group, estimates that more than 30 million workers have lost jobs or had their hours or pay reduced in the coronavirus-related downturn.
New York Times
November 9, 2020
Daniel Costa, an immigration policy expert at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute, said the index preferred by the Trump administration might produce bigger increases for some higher-skilled workers on farms. But the vast majority of guest workers would see smaller wages than they would have under the current system, hence the “transfer payments” going to employers.
In an analysis, Costa found that fieldworkers’ wages rose an average of 3.6% each year between 2010 and 2019 based on the survey; under the index proposed in the new rule, they would have risen at an annual rate of just 2.3%.
Over time, Costa said, the impact could be significant. The fact that guest workers would receive smaller pay hikes could soften wage increases for U.S. workers as well. The change would also allow farms to advertise lower pay than they would have under the survey, making the positions less attractive to U.S. workers.
Huffpost
November 9, 2020
Supporters of Amendment 2 say the increase gives workers fair pay for their hard work, a chance to save for unexpected expenses or time off, and the ability to put more money into the local economy. An economist with the nonpartisan Economic Policy Institute says that gradually increasing the minimum wage to $15 by 2024 would be good for businesses, employees, and the economy. Higher wages would also reduce reliance on food stamps and other forms of government financial assistance, supporters say.
Miami New Times
November 6, 2020
Heidi Shierholz, senior economist and director of policy at the nonprofit Economic Policy Institute, said the colder months could mean less outdoor dining and subsequent cuts to food service staff at a time when there are already millions more unemployed job-seekers than positions available in the U.S.
San Francisco Chronicle
November 6, 2020
However, as important as savings may be, many Americans simply aren’t making it happen. One study from GOBankingRates showed that 57% of the 8,000 people it polled had under $1,000 in savings and 39% had nothing saved at all. And, according to the Economic Policy Institute, almost half of American families have nothing in retirement savings.
The Daily News
November 6, 2020
The sum total of all this? Heidi Shierholz, Policy Director for the Economic Policy Institute, who also objected, calculated workers would lose at least $3.3 billion each year in overtime and minimum wages and that Social Security, Medicare, unemployment insurance, and workers comp would take a combined $750 million hit.
People’s World
November 6, 2020