The sudden rehiring of foreign workers by major tech companies shortly after the announcement of mass layoffs raised concerns and drew criticism. Many tech behemoths, including Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta, started laying off a sizable portion of their workforces in the latter part of last year. These companies are now hiring low-paid foreign workers to fill technical positions, according to a recent report.
Google submitted applications for low-paid H1-B workers to fill highly specialised tech positions in the US, according to data from the US Department of Labour cited in an article by investigative journalist Lee Fang. H1-B visas are frequently issued to these workers.
The positions for which Google submitted applications include software engineers, analytical consultants, user experience researchers, and more. A Google subsidiary called Waymo which specialises in self-driving cars also requested visa applications for engineering positions. The majority of the visas, many of which were issued to new employees, began on August 17.
According to data from the Department of Labour, organisations like Meta Platforms, Amazon, Zoom, Salesforce, and Microsoft had requested thousands of H1-B foreign worker visas. Significant layoffs have recently occurred at these businesses.
The irony that the US layoffs directly impacted thousands of H1-B visa holders, including those from India, is highlighted by the most recent hirings. These employees either lost or will soon lose their right to remain in the US after being fired. On the other hand, the same company is making job offers to a large number of recent H1-B applicants.
In response to the shrinking US tech sector, CEO Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, formerly known as Facebook, declared it the “year of efficiency” and laid off 21,000 employees in a short period of time. Google laid off 12,000 employees in January, and over the course of two rounds of layoffs, Amazon laid off about 27,000 employees.
Microsoft disclosed a 5% global workforce reduction, or the loss of 10,000 jobs, in January. CEO Satya Nadella emphasised that the company would continue hiring in important strategic areas despite the job cuts.
