MIT Sloan Management Review Article on The Plight of the Graying Tech Worker

If you’re in tech and over 40, your experience is probably underappreciated. A global talent pool complicates matters.

High-skilled immigration is dramatically transforming the tech sector in the United States. In 1975 immigrants accounted for one in 12 inventors in America. Today it’s one in 3.5. This surge is due to immigrant concentration in science and engineering fields, and factors that make the United States attractive, such as access to the latest technologies and high pay levels. The impact has been most evident in advanced technology sectors in areas such as Boston and Silicon Valley, but nontech companies including JPMorgan Chase, KPMG, and Walmart are also pursuing more global talent. Studies tout the benefits that skilled immigrants bring to the workforce, including their roles in facilitating global teams and contributions as taxpayers.

But not everyone is happy with the current system, most notably older tech workers.

About the Author

William R. Kerr (@william_r_kerr) is the D’Arbeloff Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and codirector of Harvard’s Managing the Future of Work project. He is the author of The Gift of Global Talent: How Migration Shapes Business, Economy & Society.

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