There is no shortage. Offshore consulting firms and HR collude to create impossible reqs that can only be filled by liars. HR gets a kickback, offshore consulting firm gets a cut, and some useless loser gets a shitty pointless job.

There is a mismatch between employer expectations and employee expectations. Employees expect things like WFH and pay comparable with previous years. Employers expect to do more with less. Inviting the additional foreign workers reduces pressure on employers to engage.

> because there are no Americans applying for the long list of tech positions.

This seems completely incorrect and repudiates much of what you've said and countless others have experienced.