NDTV Profit: Cognizant’s President Talks About the Shortage of STEM Talent in the U.S.

“We’re struggling to find enough talent in the U.S. There’s a shortage of STEM workers. We have more openings than we can fill right now,” says Gordon Coburn. “If I cannot leverage global workforce, that’s a real problem for my clients because for them to be competitive on a global landscape from a cost and innovation standpoint, they need to tap the best minds in the world.”

Coburn says that Cognizant is a large user of visas, but is also among the single largest users of Green Cards. “Our model is to bring people here and keep them here, so they can make lives here in America: that’s what America is all about. The challenge is the Green Card process is broken.”

Clients, says Coburn, clearly state that they want the best minds in the world to solve their business problems, and that’s what Cognizant is doing for them. “The best minds could be from India, Argentina, the Philippines or China, the places that have very deep education systems and technology skills; that’s the common attribute for finding the talent,” he says.

“When you look more broadly at comprehensive immigration reforms, it’s not to stop outsourcing,” says Coburn. “It’s to make sure you are growing the American economy and growing American jobs. And outsourcing and growing jobs in America can co-exist.”