Four out of five H-1B visa holders get higher wages than US average: Study

Pune: Four out of five employers who hire H-1B visa holders in the US pay 20 per cent higher wages to those with the work permit than average market salaries, an analysis of data from US labour department shows, reflecting continued demand for hi-tech talent.
The average offered wage for all 61,420 H-1B requesting employers in FY 2019 was $100,461, while the average prevailing wage determination for that skill level was $83,619, according to the analysis done by American think-tank Cato Institute. As much as 78 per cent of H-1B employers had average wage offers above their average prevailing wage determination, David J Bier, an immigration policy analyst at Cato Institute’s Centre for Global Liberty and Prosperity, wrote in a study released last week.
It contradicts a recent study by another US think-tank, Economic Policy Institute that had said 60 per cent of H-1B workers are paid below the local median wage for the job.