I downloaded five years of H-1B data from the US DOL website (4M+ records) | Hacker News Reader

I downloaded five years of H-1B data from the US DOL website (4M+ records)

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32 pointssergiotapia8 comments

> To start with, this program is MASSIVELY popular with employers. The program has a statutory limit of 85,000 visas per year, but employers routinely receive approval for more than 800k applications per year (868k, or 10x the limit, in 2024).

The entire thread is deliberately misleading. 868k applications were "approved" to enter the lottery. Because of how the lottery works employers are incentivized to file as many applications as possible. So doing any kind of analysis on pre-lottery data is pointless. Why not show the same charts for actual visas that were stamped? I guess because cutting all the numbers by >90% doesn't push your narrative as much?

>So doing any kind of analysis on pre-lottery data is pointless

Why is this pointless? It clearly shows the sheer amount of applications. I think it's a very important piece of data.

0% of that number is still pointless.

At the beginning he states:

"Before I start, one note: All charts in this thread are for applications that were “certified” (in other words, (approved for entry into the H-1B lottery)."

It's up to the reader to keep this in mind. So maybe not deliberately misleading - but many of X will read with bias due to the nature of Elon's "Town Square".

Google, Meta, Amazon hiring low-paid H1B workers after US layoffs - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37444386 - Sept 9, 2023 (478 comments)

How middlemen are gaming the H-1B program - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41123945 - Jul 2024 (57 comments)

Most H1B applications go to a few companies. It’s interesting that the sentiment that it hurts employment of American citizens goes far beyond those few companies though.

  https://xcancel.com/RobertMSterling/status/1873174358535110953

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