DOL Report on H1B Positions, States and Employers

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) has released statistical data on labor condition applications (LCAs) filed by U.S. employers sponsoring H1B workers during fiscal year 2014 (FY14). The statistics provide data on the overall number of filings, as well as top occupations requested, the top filing states in which the sponsored positions were located, and the employers that sponsored the most H1B workers.

LCA Filings Predict H1B Trends

Before filing an H1B petition, an employer must first obtain a certified LCA from the DOL. Therefore, LCA statistics tend to be good predictors of the current trends and developments in H1B filings. These latest statistics released by the DOL account for the LCAs filed in FY14, which ran from October 1, 2013 to September 30, 2014.

Note that the LCA should not be confused with the PERM labor certification, which is used in the permanent residence (commonly, “green card”) process.

LCA Filing Volume and Turnaround Time

The DOL reports having received a total of 494,467 LCAs. The heaviest volume of filings, 231,401 applications, occurred during the second quarter. This is because the second quarter includes the months of January through March, which, of course, is when employers prepare H1B cap-subject filings. The third quarter accounted for the second heaviest volume, with 101,629 applications.

The DOL provided timely decisions in 97.1 percent of the cases filed. The first quarter was the only one in which the processing time was sometimes slower than the standard 7-day turnaround. In all other quarters, the DOL reports 100 percent compliance with the 7-day processing time.

Leading H1B Occupations IT-Related

The top general field of employment in LCA filings was information technology (IT). The position of computer systems analyst accounted for more than one-quarter of all these IT filings, followed by computer programmer and software developer. Beyond IT, other top fields included accountants and auditors, management and financial analysts, and electronics engineers, each accounting for about one percent to four percent (1% – 4%) of all LCAs filed in FY14.

Leading H1B Filing States: CA, NY, and TX

Not surprisingly, the three most common locations for positions listed in LCAs are also America’s three most populous states – California, Texas, and New York. A full 19 percent of all LCAs filed were for positions located in California, followed by nine percent (9%) in Texas, and eight percent (8%) in New York.

Leading H1B Employers: PWC, Cognizant, and Deloitte Consulting

The employers that filed the largest number of LCAs in FY14 were: Price Waterhouse Coopers, LLP; Cognizant Technology Solutions U.S. Corporation; Deloitte Consulting, LLP, Wipro Limited; Tata Consultancy Services, Limited; Infosys Limited; Deloitte & Touche, LLP; iGate Technologies; Mphasis Corporation; and Syntel Consulting, Inc.

Conclusion

The statistics and data shared by the DOL can help shed light on trends in H1B filings. With the U.S. economy continuing to rebound, albeit slowly, it would not be surprising to see similar increases in the number of H1B filings over the coming year.

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Disclaimer: The information provided here is of a general nature and may not apply to any specific or particular circumstance. It is not to be construed as legal advice nor presumed indefinitely up to date.