All nations can experience labor shortages in skilled professions, such as computer programming. But the United States has an easier time recovering from these than most. One explanation is the worldwide use of English among skilled workers. For some observers, such as Kaoru Yosana, Japan's minister of international trade and industry, English alone explains America's appeal to workers. It is no wonder that more people are choosing the riskier U.S.-bound path.
Stock options are a global magnet for the high-tech elite, regardless of their places of birth.
Fatigued by overregulation, high taxes, stifling career paths, and entrepreneurial impediments, a growing number of young Europeans, Asians, and other foreigners are ready to move to richer U.S. shores. But from the perspective of other nations, America's pull on the world labor market spells disaster. Foreign workers hoping to find their success in the United States are typically among the more ambitious and dynamic members of their societies. Just as these ambitious workers become productive, taxpaying citizens, they begin dreaming of coming to America. It is in America's interest to keep it that way.