FINDINGS from a new report by TechNet found that increasing high-skilled immigration will result in job creation and increased innovation and economic growth in the Granite State. Currently, nearly a sixth of New Hampshire’s STEM workforce are immigrants, and eight percent of self-employed residents are immigrants who generated about $200 million in revenue in 2018.

THAT same report discovered how vital immigrants are to the tech industry in New Hampshire, as they make up 11 percent of employment in computer systems design and 19 percent in software design, nearly three times their share of the overall population (6 percent). Immigrants with a master’s degree is about 50 percent higher than U.S.-born residents, making them well qualified to fill skilled positions.

IN 2020, New Hampshire ranked 30th in the number of tech jobs added to the workforce, and is expected to increase 14 percent in tech job postings in the next eight years. However, hirings must grow by more than 20 percent in order to maintain the state’s current tech employment levels.

A Robert Half survey about candidate “ghosting” — potential hires not returning calls or emails — has revealed that 56 percent of employers miss out on a new hire because they didn’t allow enough schedule flexibility (40 percent), took too long to make an offer (35 percent) or failed to meet salary expectations (24 percent). Thirty-nine percent of employers say candidate ghosting has gotten worse in the last two years.

LAST month, a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center discovered that, if an employee can complete their work responsibilities from home, 59 percent say they choose to work from home all or most of the time — a decrease of 12 percentage points since October 2020. Of those working from home, 64 percent cite an easier work-life balance as a reason why they choose to telework.