SQLLabor EconomicsAzure MySQLWage Modeling
U.S. Labor Market & H-1B Sponsorship Analysis
problem · Quantify real purchasing power of STEM roles across U.S. cities to optimize job search ROI for international graduates.
what shipped
- Processed 500K+ FY2024 LCAs on Azure MySQL to identify high-probability STEM sponsors (Amazon, Infosys, etc.).
- Engineered a cost-of-living wage model that flipped the ranking, showing Austin and Atlanta beat traditional tech hubs on real wage.
repository readme
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U.S. Labor Market & H-1B Sponsorship Analysis
Executive Summary
In response to the 2025 H-1B fee increase, this project analyzes 500,000+ FY2024 Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) to identify the most viable employment pathways for international STEM graduates. By adjusting nominal wages for Cost-of-Living (COL) using Bureau of Economic Analysis data, the study challenges the "Tech Hub" bias, revealing that emerging cities offer superior real purchasing power.
Tools Used
- Language: SQL (Azure MySQL) for data aggregation and filtering
- Analysis: Cost-of-Living (COL) Indexing, Wage Gap Analysis
- Focus: STEM-designated roles (Software Developers, Data Scientists, BI Analysts)
Key Findings
- The "Real Wage" Shift: While California and New York offer the highest nominal salaries, Austin (TX) and Atlanta (GA) provide comparable or higher purchasing power when adjusted for local cost of living.
- Top Roles: Sponsorship demand is highest for Software Developers, Data Scientists, and Business Intelligence Analysts.
- Strategic Employers: Identified a specific tier of employers (e.g., Amazon, Infosys) that consistently sponsor F-1 STEM OPT graduates, recommending a targeted recruitment strategy for these firms to minimize immigration risk.