SIIA Letter Highlights Critical Importance of Highly Skilled Foreign
Workers to U.S. Economy; Calls for Support of H.R. 5882 and Reform of
Employment-Based Green Card Program
WASHINGTON, July 31 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Software and
Information Industry Association (SIIA), the principal trade association of
the software and online content industries, today called on congressional
leaders to support H.R. 5882, bipartisan immigration reform legislation
sponsored by Representatives Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Jim Sensenbrenner
(R-WI).
"The software and information industries are a major driver of the U.S.
economy, yet these industries are facing a workforce skills shortage that
has risen to crisis level," said David LeDuc, SIIA Director of Public
Policy. "The bipartisan legislation introduced by Representatives Lofgren
and Sensenbrenner would provide critical workforce relief to American
businesses by allowing foreign-born highly skilled workers to continue to
working in the United States."
H.R. 5882 would help reduce the U.S. workforce shortage by making
available to highly skilled foreign-born workers those employment-based
green cards from previous years that have gone unused because of government
processing delays.
As part of its effort to support immigration reform, SIIA sent a letter
to the House of Representatives today, in which SIIA President Ken Wasch
says:
"On behalf of the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA)
and its more than 550 member companies, I urge your support for H.R. 5882,
bipartisan legislation that would provide critical workforce relief for
U.S. businesses. H.R. 5882 would help to alleviate the current U.S. skills
shortage by enabling much-needed, highly-skilled foreign workers to
contribute to our innovation-based economy...
"The software and information industries are a major engine of growth
for the U.S. economy, and are among the fastest growing and highest paying
industries in the country...Yet, the software and information industries
face a workforce skills shortage that is rising to crisis proportions. The
Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that demand for computer software
engineers alone will increase by almost 450,000 jobs by the year 2016, to a
total of nearly 1.2 million.
"In the Information Age, intellect and innovation give the United
States its competitive edge in the global marketplace and make a highly
educated and skilled workforce essential. If H.R. 5882 is not enacted this
year, thousands of the talented professionals that currently work for
American employers -- many of whom were educated at U.S. colleges and
universities -- will be forced to leave to take jobs with competitors
abroad."
For the full text of SIIA President Ken Wasch's letter to Members of
Congress, please visit:
http://www.siia.net/govt/docs/pub/SIIA_HR5882-King_073008.pdf
About SIIA
The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) is the principal
trade association for the software and digital content industry. SIIA
provides global services in government relations, business development,
corporate education and intellectual property protection to more than 550
leading software and information companies. For further information, visit:
http://www.siia.net.
CONTACT: Brian Kaminski, +1-202-429-4942, briankaminski@rationalpr.com,
for the Software & Information Industry Association; or Eileen Bramlet of
the Software & Information Industry Association, +1-202-789-4469 or
ebramlet@siia.net
SOURCE Software & Information Industry Association
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Related links:
http://www.siia.net
CONTACT:
Brian Kaminski, +1-202-429-4942,
briankaminski@rationalpr.com, for the Software & Information
Industry Association; or Eileen Bramlet of the Software &
Information Industry Association, +1-202-789-4469,
ebramlet@siia.net
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