Palm Springs Desert Sun
Here are the top 10 California employers who hired H-1B visa workers in 2024
Jason Hidalgo and James Ward – January 3, 2025
The H-1B visa program for skilled foreign workers is in the spotlight nationwide after causing a split among President-elect Donald Trump’s supporters.
The visa program is fueling a debate within the conservative MAGA faction even before Trump takes office for a second time, pitting H-1B supporters such as Elon Musk on one side against H-1B critics like Steve Bannon on the opposing side.
At the crux of the issue is immigration.
Immigration is one of the key cornerstones of Trump’s agenda — which includes pushing for a border wall between the United States and Mexico — and remains a focus for the Republican leader as he gets ready for another term as U.S. president.
That leads to a question: How many H-1B workers were hired in California last year?
Here’s what you need to know about the H-1B program both nationwide and in California.
Who were the top California employers for new H-1B visa workers in 2024?
In California, the H-1B program was used to hire just more than 78,000 workers in 2024, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency.
https://flo.uri.sh/visualisation/21015878/embed
Most 2024 H-1B recipients were in the tech industry, with Silicon Valley powerhouses Google, Meta (Facebook’s parent company), and Apple leading the hires.
Since 2009, California has had the highest number H-1B recipients of any state, with just over 1 million workers, driven by the tech industry.
https://flo.uri.sh/visualisation/21016359/embed
Since 2009, India-based IT services company HCL has led all California employers with just over 41,000 H-1B recipients, followed by Google with just over 40,000. The other leading H-1B-hiring companies include Silicon Valley-based companies Google, Apple and Meta.
https://flo.uri.sh/visualisation/21016715/embed