A recent survey conducted by job placement company Howdy.com asked 1,004 tech workers on their views of their industry, and nearly half believe the tech workforce in the U.S. is falling behind the rest of the world.
Here’s what the survey found:
Forty-six percent of U.S. tech workers say America is falling behind in the tech sector. Over half (51%) think America’s education system is failing to prepare the next generation of tech workers, and 28% feel behind themselves when it comes to education. This results in anxiety: 27% worry their jobs will be outsourced internationally.
Fifty-five percent of the tech workers have H1B coworkers; they comprise an average of 17% of staff. These tech workers noted that nearly 2 in 3 H1B visa holders occupy jobs formerly held by U.S. citizens; this might be why 1 in 5 tech workers fear they will be replaced by an H1B visa holder in the future.
Many companies also outsource staff or hire workers abroad; 57% of tech workers surveyed have outsourced coworkers, who represent about 44% of staff at their respective employers. Some companies avoid aligning time zones by hiring a bit closer to home: 65% engage in nearshoring, or hiring workers based in either Canada or Latin America.
Are tech companies hiring internationally in 2025?
Thirty-four percent of tech companies are hiring more H1B visa holders according to tech workers, and 21% are planning on outsourcing internationally; 10% are planning on nearshoring this year to Latin America or Canada.
One in 4 tech workers say the H1B visa is not a fair arrangement for workers, while 75% of tech workers say H1B visa holders fill skill gaps in the workplace and 86% say they’re held to the same standard as U.S. citizens at their companies.
Of the H1B visa holders that were surveyed, a shocking 57% said their immigration status had been threatened at some point in their workplace.
According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the vast majority of H1B visa holders come from India at 74.5% of all H1B visas; after India, China (11.8%), Canada (1%), South Korea (.9%), and the Philippines (.6%) round out the top 5.
Most tech workers (82%) believe H1B visa holders good for the U.S. economy. 19% disagreed.
