American skilled workers have distinct advantages over foreign workers, namely managerial ability, communication skills (because of language), and knowledge of firms and the U.S. market.

FORBES: Positive New Steps To Reform High-Skilled Immigration

Using patent analysis studying US semi-conductor firms, they examined the transfer of knowledge between pairs of firms: the firm from which the employee was poached and the poacher.

FORBES: Seeing your employees getting poached -- it's not all bad

Mr Dunlap himself admits that his approach will not work for many high-tech or knowledge-intensive firms.

ECONOMIST: Ready, fire, aim