As the debates intensify on the advantages and disadvantages of labor migrant workers, William R. Kerr’s new book explains why the flow of talent across the globe is crucial to developing a nation’s economy and security. The book’s excerpt, as well as an interview with the author.

Martha LagaceWhy you decide to focus the book you wrote on international flows of talent?

William Kerr: I concentrate on the implications of business policies and laws of immigration to high-skilled workers due to how global talent ties to our organizations and the unique policy framework that governs their admission. I would like to understand how this aspect of our economy, business, and social environment operates and discuss, with a more easy-to-read format, ways to improve this process.

Some managers and readers might need to realize that, for example, around half of all skilled immigrants are women. Businesses and nations that wish to profit from the global workforce must be able and willing to welcome women. In the same way, certain managers might need to be made aware of the crucial role played by firms and universities in deciding those who are eligible to move to the US for education and later job. These pathways differ for high-skilled migrants to America from the ones we observe in other countries with points-based systems, for instance. A critical starting point is the firm. An organization such as Apple or Vodafone asks questions such as: “How are we going to manage our most recent advertising campaign on the internet? How do we create the team of analysts for our upcoming operations? Who will be responsible for designing and maintain our chatbots?” There are many specific requirements and tasks companies face when they are looking at global talent. Businesses battle for access to talent in the present, and this short-to-medium-term policy and business environment is the subject of this book. We also acknowledge that, over time, the effects of migration on our ability to attract talent to our country of origin in the United States. It is not a secret that there is no doubt that the American Dream has always been that a person could start in poverty and climb the ladder through education and establishing their own company, etc., If not for themselves, but for their children. I appreciate and respect the aspirations and goals of these people; however, the book spends less time discussing this issue because the policies about general family-based migration to America differ significantly from those employed by employers seeking global talent.

lagaceNot everybody benefits in the same way in the way you describe.

Kerr: Right. The book reveals those who benefit from global talent, who get the most benefit from this opportunity–and those who don’t or suffer. It is immediately apparent to the reader that the overall movement of talented individuals around the globe has brought an enormous benefit. The ability to connect people with the most suitable locations to apply their talents and talents can lead to incredible economic growth, which we all profit from this growth.

However, this doesn’t mean everyone gets to share the benefits. The book identifies some easy winners: the salary increases for immigrants, the advantages to companies who sponsor and employ migrants, as well as other benefits. These are simple instances, as are more extraordinary innovations. But we must also recognize that certain people suffer. The book focuses on older tech workers that face fewer opportunities for employment and lower wage growth because of the flow of talent across the globe. I also begin the chapter with protests against tech companies that were ablaze within Silicon Valley due to the increasing inequality and the high living costs in San Francisco as global talent is crowded into. The tensions have grown more evident. When I highlight pain points, I will always bring it back to basics: Here are the economic principles that underlie them as well as the business logic behind how companies approach the visa process, as well as the policy environment that governs the actions that skilled immigrants are allowed to take in the process of bringing them to the US. This helps us understand how these outcomes occur. My book is called The Gift of Global Talent. I’m clearly in the belief that high-skilled talent flow is a blessing. However, the gift could be better now; however, you can improve it. The LagaceThe H-1B Visa process was started by The Immigration Act of 1990, according to your explanation. What are the trends you’re seeing?

KerrThere are many programs for migrant workers who are employed in America. One that has caught our attention and is still retaining elements from its inception during the 1990s is the H-1B. Science and engineering were an integral part of the program initially, but it was less prevalent now. For instance, any person in a particular job, such as a pastor, an executive in advertising, or an academic, could be admitted to the country with an H-1B. The book’s subject is why STEM work, specifically computer programming, is becoming crucial. Nowadays, these fields account for around three-quarters of admissions into companies.

I will explain the process in depth. However, it’s an open-ended visa. It has a few regulations and requirements as well as it’s different from one that is based on points. Businesses have discovered that the H-1B is an essential lever to use that can be used to obtain a limited visa, whether it is a US-based company or a foreign-owned company setting up US operations. The migrants can work as software developers, computer programmers, scientists, engineers, and scientists or even collaborate on outsourcing projects. Since the H-1B visa is flexible, more tech firms and companies plugged to STEM activities and computing are waiting to sign up and claiming ever-greater portions in the program.