Hiring High-Skilled Labor through Mergers and Acquisitions

Using random H-1B visa lotteries as a natural experiment, we document that firms respond to shortages of high-skilled workers by acquiring firms that have such workers and own negligible amounts of tangible assets. Additional tests show that desire for the targets’ skilled labor is an important driver of these acquisitions. Using the near-universe of employee LinkedIn profiles and H-1B visa microdata, we also provide direct evidence that skilled workers are hired through these acquisitions. Our findings suggest skilled labor is an important driver of acquisitions and acquisitions are an effective means of hiring skilled labor