The U.S. is suffering from a shortage of high-skilled technical workers, the chief executive of Indian outsourcing firm Tech Mahindra has told CNBC, who predicts no drop-off in demand for staff despite reports of proposed visa changes by the incoming Trump administration.
"Ultimately it's the American consumer who is paying for it. So it is not Tech Mahindra paying for it," CP Gurnani said at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
He added that his firm had around 60 percent of its business out of the United States and explained that his company "invests" in these local economies. The Indian multinational is based in Mumbai and provides information technology and networking technology solutions.
Trump's transition team has been considering ways to change the country's temporary visa program for high-skilled foreign workers, according to reports. However, it's unclear how this is likely to proceed. The Wall Street Journal noted last year that there was no longer mention of these H1-B visas on Trump's website. Many U.S. technology firms, including Apple, use these temporary visas for foreign workers.
Meanwhile, Fortune magazine reported this week that the U.S. House Judiciary Committee is reviewing a bill that would require companies to pay high-skilled foreign temporary workers hired under the "exempt" category of this H-1B visa program more money. It said that pay could increase to at least $100,000 a year, up from a current minimum of $60,000.
CP Gurnani said that he would "hope and pray" that Tech Mahindra would be able to convey to the new administration what his company "brings to the table," mentioning the highly-skilled workers that Tech Mahindra has and "high-skilled technology entrepreneurs."
