Managers say immigration policies are affecting tech hiring

Dive Brief:

One in three hiring managers in a recent survey reported tightened American immigration policies have directly impacted their access to talent, according to new data in the 2019 Developer Skills Report from HackerRank.
Additionally, one in four developers said that strict American immigration policies have discouraged them or someone they know from applying to jobs in the U.S. Overall, four in 10 developers said they were negatively impacted by immigration policies in 2018. About 18% of respondents said they were unable to obtain a work visa.
In other findings, the report said that lack of clarity about a potential role turns more developers off from employers than a lack of follow up or a lack of alignment of culture or value. "Hiring and retaining skilled developers is critical for businesses everywhere," HackerRank Co-Founder and CEO Vivek Ravisankar said in a statement. "Recruiters and hiring managers need a deep understanding of who developers are, what they care about and what they want from their employers."

Dive Insight:

Taking a global approach to hiring makes practical sense in a labor market with severe talent shortages. But for U.S. businesses, expanding the talent pool abroad has become more challenging since the Trump administration tightened the H-1B process.

By mid-2018, denials for H-1B visas and requests for evidence had swelled. Developers haven't escaped the problem, as the recent survey makes clear. And the situation may grow even more complicated; the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is considering new rules that would require employers to pre-register for the H-1B process.

Developers' frustration with lack of clarity or with poor alignment of cultures or values may point HR back to the hiring process. HR must ensure information about available jobs remains accurate and, therefore, consistent throughout the recruiting process.

More than 80% of HR professionals find it difficult to manage postings on multiple job boards, research has found. But job seekers who glean inaccurate information from those posts may be reluctant to accept a job offer down the road.

As such, the interview process can provide a space for candidates to express what they hope to find in a company culture and for interviewers to deliver information about how their workplace would deliver on those expectations.