Information technology (IT) professionals play a critical role in digital transformation, innovation, and entrepreneurship, contributing to significant economic growth. The use of temporary work visas and related immigration policies has attracted significant controversy and policy debates in developed nations. On the one hand, foreign IT professionals can complement domestic IT professionals by bringing new skills and knowledge, which benefit domestic workers. On the other hand, foreign IT professionals may substitute for their domestic counterparts due to intensified labor-market competition. In this study, we focus on an extension in the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program in the U.S. for foreign science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduates from U.S. institutions. We explore the effects of the STEM OPT extension on the number and wage of domestic workers in STEM occupations and how these effects differ between IT and non-IT STEM occupations. We found that an increase in the supply of foreign STEM professionals from the OPT extension has boosted the employment of domestic workers in STEM occupations and that the effects are stronger for IT occupations. This study contributes to the information systems literature by demonstrating the unique effects of immigrant policies on IT occupations and provides significant implications for evidence-driven policy making.

中文翻译：

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创造还是毁灭？ STEM OPT 延期和信息技术专业人员的就业


信息技术 (IT) 专业人员在数字化转型、创新和创业中发挥着关键作用，为显着的经济增长做出了贡献。临时工作签证的使用和相关移民政策在发达国家引起了重大争议和政策辩论。一方面，外国IT专业人员可以通过带来新的技能和知识来补充国内IT专业人员，这使国内工人受益。另一方面，由于劳动力市场竞争加剧，外国IT专业人员可能会替代国内同行。在这项研究中，我们重点关注美国院校为外国科学、技术、工程和数学 (STEM) 毕业生提供的可选实践培训 (OPT) 计划的扩展。我们探讨了 STEM OPT 延期对从事 STEM 职业的家庭工人的数量和工资的影响，以及这些影响在 IT 和非 IT STEM 职业之间有何不同。我们发现，OPT延期带来的外国STEM专业人员供应的增加促进了国内工人在STEM职业中的就业，并且对IT职业的影响更大。这项研究通过展示移民政策对 IT 职业的独特影响，为信息系统文献做出了贡献，并为证据驱动的政策制定提供了重要启示。