Only 1.6% of US job openings are “friendly to global talent”, according to analysis by Pittsburgh-based education technology company, F1 Hire.
The company, which launched in August 2023 in a bid to simplify the job search process for international students in the US, has released the International Talent Friendliness Index.
The Index – released daily on the F1 Hire website – is the first human resource index to benchmark US hiring companies’ willingness to accept international talents, the company noted.
Initial data collected between September 1-December 3, 2023, found that of over 713,000 U.S. job openings, only 1.6% had “international talent-friendly” wording.
Some 12% of the job openings stated “do not apply without U.S. citizenship or green card”, F1 Hire found.
ITFI calculates the ratio of job openings that are sponsorship-friendly by dividing by the total job openings with the number of sponsorship-friendly job openings.
“Our mission at F1 Hire is to empower international talents with the tools and information they need to succeed in the US job market,” said CEO of F1 Hire, Andrew Chen.
“We are dedicated to raising awareness among employers who have never hired international talents”
“The ITFI is a testament to our commitment to transparency and ensuring that talents make well-informed decisions about their career paths. We are dedicated to raising awareness among employers who have never hired international talents.”
F1 Hire is hoping to increase the index tenfold, to see 10% of job openings contain international talent-friendly wording.
Using advanced AI technology, the Index analyses job descriptions, pinpointing language that signifies the availability of visa sponsorship, or willingness to accept CPT/OPT/H1-B/H-1B Transfer.
The sponsorship lines in the job description are highlighted to users of the F1 Hire platform.
F1 Hire noted that president Biden’s Executive Order on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence from October last year “clearly seeks to enhance highly skilled immigrants’ and nonimmigrants’ capacity for STEM study, stay and employment in the US” by updating and simplifying visa processes.
The Federation of American Scientists said at the time that the Order would improve opportunities for international STEM students in the US.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services recently clarified that OPT after a STEM degree can now be used for employment at startups, as long as the startup meets certain criteria.
