According to a report, Google swiftly filed H1B visa applications for international H1B hires, including software engineers, consultants, researchers, and various other roles, just a month after Sundar Pichai’s announcement of the company’s plan to cut 12,000 jobs.

SAN FRANCISCO (TIP): Even as global tech giants are carrying out mass layoffs, several top Silicon Valley companies are reportedly looking to hire lower-paid tech workers from foreign countries. Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, Zoom, Salesforce and Palantir have applied for thousands of H1B worker visas this year, according to a US Department of Labor data, reported independent investigative journalist Lee Fang.

Ironically, thousands of workers on H1B visa, including Indians, have been affected by the layoffs in the United States, with many taking to social media to share the news and seek new opportunities.

Just a month after Sundar Pichai announced Google’s plan to cut 12,000 jobs around the world in January, the company filed applications for H1B visas to hire software engineers, analytical consultants, user experience researchers and other roles from outside the United States, with several requests aimed for new Google employees to join in August, the report states. Google parent Alphabet owned Waymo too has reportedly filed similar H1B applications to hire engineers. Meta has laid off nearly 25 per cent of its estimated workforce in just a few months in what CEO Mark Zuckerberg has called the company’s “year of efficiency” as the US tech sector continues to downsize. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy in March laid out a plan to cut 9,000 more jobs from the online retail giant’s workforce, following the 18,000 that were axed in January.

The layoffs account for a smaller percentage of Amazon’s total workforce, which ran up to 1.5 million people in December 2022, than the cuts seen at some other tech giants.
Jassy told workers that the extra layoffs were necessary as the company seeks to downsize after years of hiring, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic when people turned to the internet for shopping.

In January, Microsoft said it would eliminate 10,000 jobs, almost 5 per cent of the global workforce, as it braces for a potential recession. In an email to employees, CEO Satya Nadella said, “While we are eliminating roles in some areas, we will continue to hire in key strategic areas.

(Source: Money Control)