Amazon, Meta and Google are among the several tech companies who are looking to hire low-paid H1B workers from foreign countries after wave of layoffs in the sector, independent investigative journalist Lee Fang reported.
Citing US Department of Labor data, the report stated the tech giants, including Microsoft, Salesforce and Palantir, have applied for thousands of H1B worker visas this year.
Thousands of workers, including many Indians, have been affected by the layoffs in the sector in last six months.
According to the report, Google filed applications for H1B visas to hire software engineers, analytical consultants, user experience researchers and other roles just a month after CEO Sundar Pichai announced plans to cut 12,000 jobs around the world.
Several Google’s visa requests slated the joining date of new employees to be in August, the report added.
Layoffs at Meta had affected around 25% workforce of the company in what CEO Mark Zuckerberg has called company’s “year of efficiency”.
Amazon has also carried out several layoffs in the last few months, with the company annoucing plans to axe 9,000 jobs in March. The e-commerce giant had also announced plans to remove around 18,000 jobs in January.
CEO Andy Jassy had called the move necessary after strong hiring during the pandemic when online activity of users surged.
The wave of layoffs has also affected Microsoft and Salesforce. However, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella had said in an email to employees that the firm will continue to hire in key strategic areas.
The tech industry has been reeling under a slowdown with several companies forced to cut costs by laying off employees amid fears of recession in the United States.
