The United States is failing to retain technology talent, according to Mark Hurd, CEO of computing giant HP, with many of the best candidates heading for – or staying in – Asia instead.

Speaking at his daughter’s school in California, Hurd revealed the degree to which HP’s workforce has changed to reflect the global availability of skills. Previously, two-thirds of its engineering workforce was based in the US; now only 40% of its engineers are located there.

"We have a problem," said Hurd. "The source of this country's greatness has been its technical talent. But you have to go where the tech talent is, and right now it's in Asia."

Hurd’s comments echo the findings of a report published earlier this week by outsourcer Evalueserve. The survey found that graduates of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) – regarded by some as equal to or better than MIT – are becoming less interested in migrating to the US, choosing instead to pursue opportunities at home.

Between 1964 and 2001, 35% of IIT graduates went to work in the US after graduation. In 2006, only ten per cent left India.

When asked which geographical location promised the most potential success, 72% of ‘IITians’ surveyed said India, compared to 17% who chose the US and just five per cent for Europe.

In 2001, 13% of IIT graduates believed that they could find a better quality of life in the US than in India but in 2006 that figure dropped to below one per cent. Some respondents said they were put off by stringent immigration laws.

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