Employers Face Talent Crunch as College Foreign Enrollment Dips

Firms that struggled to hire enough US-born workers in science, technology,

engineering, and mathematics fields even before an unprecedented labor shortage

have come to rely on colleges and grad programs to find skilled foreign workers.

An enrollment dip from outside the country will put an even bigger squeeze on recruitment.

That makes international graduates like Yash Chopada, a data engineer from India, a

hot commodity for employers. Chopada said he hoped to experience the work

culture in the US firsthand. After completing a master’s degree at the University of

Texas at Dallas in May, he joined the software firm Salesforce.com Inc. through a

program that allows foreign graduates to work up to three years after completing a degree.