SCIENCE & ENGINEERING INDICATORS

The industrialized nations of the world have long benefited from the inflow of foreign-born scientists and engineers and the S&E skills and knowledge they bring. In the United States, a large proportion of S&E workers are foreign born, and both the number and proportion of foreign-born S&E workers have risen over time (Table 3-21).^{​Foreign born is a broad category, ranging from long-term U.S. residents with strong roots in the United States to recent immigrants who compete in global job markets and whose main social, educational, and economic ties are in their places of birth. When interpreting data on foreign-born workers, the range of individuals in this category should be kept in mind.} In 2017, foreign-born individuals accounted for 30% of workers (with a bachelor’s or higher-level degree) in S&E occupations compared to less than one-fifth of the overall population (18%) and of all college graduates (17%).^{​All college graduates and overall population data are for employed individuals ages 25 or older from NCSES calculations using ACS 2017 Public Use Microdata Sample data.}

Foreign-born workers employed in S&E occupations tend to have higher levels of education than those born in the United States. Among individuals employed in S&E occupations, 17% of foreign-born workers have a doctorate, compared to 9% of U.S. native-born individuals in these occupations. In most S&E occupations, the higher the degree level, the greater the proportion of the workforce who are foreign born (Figure 3-24). In 2017, foreign-born S&E doctorate holders comprised nearly a third of the U.S.-trained academic doctoral workforce (30%) (Table S3-21). In terms of demographic groups, Asians were a greater percentage (60%) of foreign-born workers in S&E occupations relative to 3% of U.S. native-born workers in S&E occupations. The opposite was true for whites who were a lower percentage (24%) of foreign-born workers in S&E occupations relative to 82% of native-born workers in these occupations (Table S3-22).

In 2017, half of the foreign-born individuals in the United States with an S&E highest degree were from Asia, with India (23%) and China (10%) as the leading countries of origin (Figure 3-25). For the foreign-born holders of S&E doctorates, however, China provided a higher proportion (24%) than India (15%) (Figure 3-25). These patterns by source region and country for foreign-born S&E highest degree holders in the United States have been stable since at least 2003.

The number of temporary work visas issued for high-skill workers, such as researchers, faculty and scholars, or doctorate holders, for example, provides an indication of how many new immigrant workers are entering the U.S. labor force.^{​For all types of temporary work visas, the actual number of individuals using them is less than the number issued. For example, some individuals may have job offers from employers in more than one country and may choose not to foreclose any options until a visa is certain.} After several years of growth, the largest classes of these temporary visas declined during the 2007–09 economic downturn and then increased post-recession (Figure 3-26).^{​The J-1 exchange visitor visa is used for many different skill levels.} H-1B visas^{​The H-1B program allows companies in the United States to temporarily employ foreign workers in occupations that require the theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge and a bachelor’s degree or higher (or its equivalent) in the specific specialty. H-1B specialty occupations may include such fields as science, engineering, and information technology.} account for a significant proportion of foreign-born, high-skill workers employed by U.S. firms on temporary visas. In 2017, the United States issued about 179,000 H-1B visas, up 63% from the recent low in 2009 (110,000). The majority of H-1B visa recipients work in S&E or S&E-related occupations with computer-related occupations accounting for 62% of new H-1B visas issued in FY 2017 (DHS/USCIS FY17 H-1B Workers: Table 8A).^{​However, precise counts of H-1B visas issued to individuals in these occupations cannot be obtained because the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services does not classify occupations with the same taxonomy used by NSF.} The total number of newly initiated H-1B visas for workers in computer-related fields has increased substantially since 2010, following a steep decline between 2008 and 2009 during the economic downturn (DHS/USCIS 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017). H-1B visa recipients tend to possess a bachelor’s or higher-level degree (DHS/USCIS FY17 H-1B Workers: Table 7). In FY 2017, 63% of new H-1B visa recipients were from India, and 14% were from China (DHS/USCIS FY17 H-1B Workers: Table 4A).

Most foreign-born noncitizen recipients of U.S. S&E doctorates remain in the United States for subsequent employment. Among temporary visa holders who received their S&E doctoral degrees approximately 5 and 10 years prior to 2017, nearly three-quarters remained in the United States in 2017—71% and 72%, respectively (Figure 3-27). These rates are referred to as “stay rates” and indicate the degree to which foreign-born noncitizen recipients of U.S. S&E doctorates enter and remain in the U.S. workforce to pursue their careers.^{​For a particular graduating cohort of foreign-born noncitizen S&E doctorate recipients, the proportion of that cohort who report living in the United States a given number of years after receiving their degrees is an indicator of the cohort’s stay rate. For example, 10-year and 5-year stay rates in 2017 refer to the proportion of 2007 and 2012 graduating cohorts, respectively, who reported living in the United States in 2017. To reduce the standard error of the estimates, a 3-year average was used to calculate the long-term stay rates. For example, the 10-year stay rate was based on the pooled proportion of the 2006, 2007, and 2008 cohorts who reported living in the United States in 2017.}

Stay rates vary by place of citizenship. Students from China and India, the two largest source countries for U.S. S&E doctoral degree recipients on temporary visas, have relatively high stay rates (Table 3-22). Stay rates also vary somewhat by field of degree: doctoral recipients in the social sciences have lower stay rates than other broad S&E fields of study (Table 3-23).

The 5- and 10-year stay rates have increased since 2001, with a temporary decline during the economic recession of 2007–09 (Figure 3-27). These rates are calculated every 2 years for the individuals graduating 5 and 10 years earlier, respectively. Although the overall trend was upward, this varied by country of citizenship at the time of degree. In particular, the two largest source countries for S&E doctorates, China and India, saw a decline in their respective 5-year stay rates from 93% and 90% in 2003 to 84% and 85% in 2013; the rates remained stable from 2013 through 2017 (Table S3-23). The 5-year stay rate for Europe increased from 63% in 2003 to 71% in 2017. South Korea increased from 36% in 2003 to 57% in 2017.^{​Stay rates from 2001 to 2011 are from Finn (2014) and are based on data obtained from the U.S. Social Security Administration. Stay rates for 2013, 2015, and 2017 are calculated using data from the Survey of Doctorate Recipients. They are based on an average from 3-year cohorts to reduce the error of the estimates.}

In addition to 5-year and 10-year stay rates, there are data on the period immediately after graduation, a pivotal point that can substantially affect long-term career trajectories. At the time that they receive their doctorates, foreign-born students (including those on temporary and permanent visas) at U.S. universities report whether they intend to stay in the United States and whether they have a firm offer to work in the United States (either a postdoc or a non-postdoc job) the following year.^{​This question is part of the Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED), which is administered to individuals receiving research doctoral degrees from all accredited U.S. institutions. For information on the SED, see https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvydoctorates/. The information on plans to stay or definite commitments to stay reflects intentions in the year after graduation as reported by the doctorate recipients around their graduation date. Therefore, any changes in intentions after survey completion are not captured.} Consistent with 5-year and 10-year stay rates, most foreign-born noncitizen recipients of U.S. S&E doctorates (including those on temporary and permanent visas) plan to stay in the United States immediately after graduation (Table S3-24). In the 2014 to 2017 graduating cohort, 77% of foreign-born noncitizen recipients of U.S. S&E doctorates planned to stay in the United States, and 46% had either accepted an offer of a postdoc or other employment or were continuing employment in the United States. The overall rising trend over time and the trends by degree fields largely follow those of 5-and 10-year stay rates (Table S3-24). For information on international labor force estimates, see sidebar Global S&E Labor Force.^{Stay rates from 2001 to 2011 are from Finn (2014) and are based on data obtained from the U.S. Social Security Administration. Stay rates for 2013, 2015, and 2017 are calculated using data from the Survey of Doctorate Recipients. They are based on an average from 3-year cohorts to reduce the error of the estimates.}