So the H-1B creates 2.62 jobs per H-1B?

by

Testing the “2.62 Jobs Per H-1B” Claim

An Analysis Using Actual Employment Data (1990-2024)

The Claim

“Each H-1B visa holder creates 2.62 additional jobs for U.S. workers”

This statistic originates from a 2011 study by economist Madeline Zavodny, frequently cited by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP). The study specifically analyzed foreign-born workers with advanced U.S. degrees in STEM fields.

The Data

H-1B Visas Issued (FY1990-2024)

Total: 4,545,134 H-1B visas

Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs

U.S. Nonfarm Payroll Employment

Period Employment Source
October 1990 ~109.5 million BLS/FRED
December 2024 ~159.0 million BLS/FRED
Net Growth 49.5 million jobs

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics

Testing the Claim

If the 2.62 multiplier were universally accurate:

Jobs “created” by H-1B program:

  • 4,545,134 H-1B visas × 2.62 jobs/visa = 11,908,251 jobs

This would represent:

  • 11,908,251 / 49,500,000 = 24.1% of ALL job growth from 1990-2024

The Verdict: HIGHLY IMPLAUSIBLE

The claim fails basic scrutiny for multiple reasons:

1. Attribution Problem

Attributing 24% of all U.S. job growth over 34 years to H-1B visas alone ignores:

  • Population growth (251 million → 345 million Americans)
  • GDP growth ($6 trillion → $29 trillion nominal)
  • Technological change
  • Business cycle dynamics
  • Policy changes
  • Consumer demand growth
  • Natural business expansion
  • Productivity improvements
  • And hundreds of other economic factors

2. The H-1B Workers Themselves Are Counted

  • H-1B visa holders are themselves employed and counted in nonfarm payroll
  • So the 4.5 million H-1B visas represent 4.5 million jobs directly
  • The “2.62” multiplier supposedly refers to additional jobs created
  • This would mean 4.5M direct + 11.9M indirect = 16.4M jobs = 33% of all job growth
  • This is economically implausible

3. Temporary Nature of H-1B Status

  • H-1B is a temporary visa (3-6 years typically)
  • Many H-1B holders:
    • Return to their home countries
    • Switch to other visa categories
    • Adjust to permanent resident status
  • The 4.5 million visas ≠ 4.5 million concurrent workers
  • Estimated concurrent H-1B population in 2019: ~583,000 (USCIS)
  • This is far less than cumulative issuances

4. The Original Study Was Much More Narrow

The 2.62 multiplier was based on:

  • Only foreign-born workers with advanced U.S. degrees
  • Only STEM fields
  • Only S&P 500 technology companies (according to critics)

But H-1B program reality:

  • Many have only bachelor’s degrees
  • Not all are in STEM
  • Includes outsourcing companies
  • Much broader than the study’s scope

5. Correlation ≠ Causation

Even if high-skilled immigration correlates with job growth:

  • Both could be caused by economic expansion
  • Growing companies hire more workers (including H-1Bs)
  • Growing companies also expand overall employment
  • The H-1B hiring might be a result not a cause

6. Alternative Calculation with Concurrent Workers

If we use concurrent H-1B population instead:

  • ~583,000 H-1B workers in 2019 (USCIS estimate)
  • 583,000 × 2.62 = 1,527,460 jobs created
  • This is 3.1% of total job growth (1990-2024)
  • Still very high for a single visa program
  • But at least mathematically plausible

What The Data Actually Shows

Job Growth Context (1990-2024)

Total growth: 49.5 million jobs

Major contributing factors:

  1. Population growth: +94 million Americans (+37%)
  2. Women’s labor force participation (peaked 1999)
  3. Technology sector expansion (dot-com boom, internet, smartphones)
  4. Healthcare sector growth (aging population, Affordable Care Act)
  5. Service sector expansion
  6. Educational attainment increases
  7. Housing boom (1990s-2007)
  8. Recovery from recessions (1991, 2001, 2008-09, 2020)
  9. Trade expansion (NAFTA, China WTO accession)
  10. Monetary and fiscal policy

H-1B program contribution: Likely positive, but modest and impossible to isolate

What We Can Say Confidently:

  1. ✅ H-1B workers fill specialized roles
  2. ✅ High-skilled immigration can drive innovation
  3. ✅ Some H-1B workers found companies that create jobs
  4. ✅ Technology sector growth (heavily H-1B dependent) created many jobs

What We Cannot Say:

  1. ❌ Each H-1B visa “creates” 2.62 specific additional jobs
  2. ❌ The effect is the same across all H-1B workers
  3. ❌ The effect is stable over time
  4. ❌ The effect is causal rather than correlational

The Math Problem

Scenario 1: Universal 2.62 Multiplier

  • 4.5M visas × 2.62 = 11.9M jobs
  • Plus 4.5M H-1B workers themselves = 16.4M total
  • 16.4M / 49.5M = 33% of all job growth
  • Verdict: Implausible

Scenario 2: Concurrent Workers

  • ~583K concurrent workers × 2.62 = 1.5M jobs
  • Plus 583K H-1B workers = 2.1M total
  • 2.1M / 49.5M = 4.2% of job growth
  • Verdict: Possibly plausible, but unprovable

Scenario 3: Reality Check

  • Job growth driven by hundreds of interacting factors
  • H-1B is one small component
  • Effect varies by:
    • Sector (tech vs. outsourcing)
    • Education level
    • Company type (startup vs. established)
    • Economic conditions
    • Geographic location

Conclusion

The claim that H-1B visas created 2.62 jobs each is NOT supported by the aggregate employment data.

Why the claim persists:

  1. Political advocacy: Used by pro-immigration groups
  2. Simplified messaging: Easy sound bite
  3. Cherry-picked research: Narrow study generalized broadly
  4. Correlation confusion: Economic growth and H-1B hiring both reflect prosperity

What we actually know:

  • High-skilled immigration can boost innovation and growth
  • The effect size is debatable and context-dependent
  • Attributing 24-33% of all U.S. job growth to H-1B visas is economically unrealistic
  • The original study’s findings don’t generalize to the entire H-1B program
  • Many other factors explain the 49.5 million jobs created since 1990

Bottom Line:

The 2.62 multiplier is:

  • Oversimplified (from a narrow study)
  • Overgeneralized (applied to all H-1B workers)
  • Overstated (when applied to cumulative visas)
  • Unverifiable (using macro employment data)

The reality is far more nuanced than any single multiplier can capture.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of State – Nonimmigrant Visa Statistics (1990-2024)
  2. Bureau of Labor Statistics – Current Employment Statistics (PAYEMS)
  3. Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) – Total Nonfarm Payroll
  4. USCIS – H-1B Authorized to Work Population Estimate (2019)
  5. Zavodny, M. (2011) “Immigration and American Jobs” – American Enterprise Institute
  6. National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) – various reports
  7. Center for Immigration Studies – critiques of multiplier claims