The U.S. Engineers Shortage—How Real?

For 30 years, whenever there has been an upturn in the economic cycle, or the US has been perceived to be threatened militarily, economically or technologically, there has been an outcry that it was facing a major shortage of engineers. Congress responds by raising the ceiling on foreign engineers and foreign-born engineering graduate students, who are permitted by law to enter the US, and our elementary and secondary school teachers are blamed for teaching math and science poorly. Since it is again a period when an engineering shortage is thought to exist, it is worthwhile to examine the pros and cons of admission of foreign born engineers into the US. It is suggested that increasing the number of foreign-born engineers and engineering students who enter the US should be an action of last resort, and that this action should be preceded by a national retraining program aimed at extending the working lives of scientists and engineers to age 70.