H‑1B Prevailing Wage and SOC Selection with OEWS, FLAG, O*NET, and NIOCCS

This practical guide shows immigration attorneys how to operationalize OEWS prevailing wages (via FLAG/OFLC), align job duties to the correct SOC using O*NET (and, where helpful, NIOCCS as a title‑to‑SOC crosswalk), and insert results directly into drafts using Parley’s Research Agent and Word add‑in. It fits naturally into H‑1B LCA and petition drafting flows, and the same approach applies to H‑1B1, E‑3, and PERM.

For attorneys: Map duties to SOC (O*NET/NIOCCS), pull L1–L4 from OFLC Wage Search (OEWS), note GeoLevel and wage year, then insert Parley’s formatted wage table and SOC memo into your draft.

Introduction

Selecting the correct SOC code and prevailing wage is foundational to H‑1B, H‑1B1, E‑3, and PERM filings. This guide shows precisely how Parley’s Research Agent operationalizes SOC matching and OEWS‑based prevailing wage lookups inside your drafting workflow, with three worked examples and authoritative sources.

The data Parley relies on (and why)

• Standard Occupational Classification (SOC): canonical taxonomy for classifying U.S. occupations. Parley maps job duties to SOC using ONET content and SOC definitions. See the SOC framework and profiles via ONET (e.g., Software Developers 15‑1252.00, Data Scientists 15‑2051.00, Electrical Engineers 17‑2071.00).

• Prevailing wage source: DOL’s OEWS survey as delivered through OFLC’s Wage Search/Downloads. As of July 1, 2024, the former FLCDataCenter was discontinued; use the OFLC Wage Search and Wage Data Downloads pages. See OFLC announcement, OFLC Wage Search, and Wage Data Downloads.

• Wage year and publications: OFLC publishes wage files annually (e.g., 7/2025–6/2026 files updated August 1, 2025) on the downloads page noted above.

• Wage levels methodology: Under current guidance, OFLC derives four wage levels from OEWS distributions for similarly employed workers in the area of intended employment. Historical DOL materials describe these as percentile‑based tiers within the four‑level structure. See DOL’s prevailing wage overview (ETA/OFLC) and Federal Register discussion of the four‑tier structure and its mapping to the OEWS distribution (85 FR 63872, Oct. 8, 2020).

• Geography and GeoLevel fallback: OFLC’s Wage Search uses local MSA/NECTA/non‑MSA data; if unavailable, it falls back to contiguous areas, state, or national (GeoLevel 1–4). See FLAG FAQ: GeoLevel.

Step‑by‑step: using Parley’s Research Agent

1) Provide inputs

• Paste the job description and minimum requirements (education, experience, special skills, supervision, travel, telework site[s]). Add worksite address(es) to fix the area of intended employment.

• Indicate ACWIA status if applicable (higher education/affiliated entities); otherwise default to All Industries in the wage search. See FLAG FAQ: Data Sources.

2) SOC selection

• Prompt Parley: “Map these duties to the most specific O*NET/SOC code. Explain any close alternatives and why they do/do not fit.”

• Parley returns a ranked SOC list with duty‑to‑task alignment (ONET) and cites the chosen SOC profile (ONET links above).

3) Prevailing wage lookup (OEWS → OFLC)

• Prompt Parley: “Using OFLC Wage Search, return the current wage year L1–L4 for [SOC], [area name + CBSA code], All Industries, with GeoLevel noted and effective dates.”

• Parley records: SOC, O*NET code, OFLC Area (CBSA/non‑MSA), GeoLevel, Wage Year, L1–L4 hourly and annual rates, Data Source (All Industries/ACWIA).

4) Insert into drafts

• In Microsoft Word via Parley’s add‑in, insert a formatted wage table and a short footnote citing OFLC Wage Search and Wage Data Downloads. See product details on Parley and About Parley.

Worked examples (repeatable queries with sources)

Below are three common roles showing the exact identifiers and where to verify the numbers. Dollar amounts for L1–L4 change each wage year; retrieve them in seconds via OFLC Wage Search.

Example 1 — Software Developer in San Francisco–Oakland–Hayward, CA

• Title/SOC: Software Developers — SOC 15‑1252; O*NET 15‑1252.00. Profiles: O*NET, BLS OEWS profile for 15-1252.00.

• Area: San Francisco–Oakland–Hayward, CA; CBSA (OFLC Area) 41860.

• Source and method: Query OFLC Wage Search → SOC/O*NET 15‑1252.00 → Area 41860 → Data Source “All Industries” → Wage Year 7/2025–6/2026 → capture L1–L4 and GeoLevel.

• OEWS context: Mean hourly wage for Software Developers in CBSA 41860 (May 2023) is $87.13; annual mean $181,220. See BLS area tables for CBSA 41860 and regional releases for further details.

Example 2 — Data Scientist in New York–Newark–Jersey City, NY‑NJ‑PA

• Title/SOC: Data Scientists — SOC 15‑2051; O*NET 15‑2051.00. Profiles: O*NET, BLS OEWS profile.

• Area: New York–Newark–Jersey City, NY‑NJ‑PA; CBSA (OFLC Area) 35620.

• Source and method: Query OFLC Wage Search → SOC/O*NET 15‑2051.00 → Area 35620 → Data Source “All Industries” → Wage Year 7/2025–6/2026 → capture L1–L4 and GeoLevel.

• OEWS context: Mean hourly wage for Data Scientists in CBSA 35620 (May 2023) is $68.01; annual mean $141,460. See BLS area table (BLS 35620).

Example 3 — Electrical Engineer in Austin–Round Rock, TX

• Title/SOC: Electrical Engineers — SOC 17‑2071; O*NET 17‑2071.00. Profiles: O*NET, BLS OEWS profile.

• Area: Austin–Round Rock, TX; CBSA (OFLC Area) 12420.

• Source and method: Query OFLC Wage Search → SOC/O*NET 17‑2071.00 → Area 12420 → Data Source “All Industries” → Wage Year 7/2025–6/2026 → capture L1–L4 and GeoLevel.

• OEWS context: Mean hourly wage for Electrical Engineers in CBSA 12420 (May 2023) is $63.93; annual mean $132,970. See BLS area table (BLS 12420).

Quick reference (identifiers you’ll use)

Worked example table — Software Developer, San Francisco–Oakland–Hayward, CA (CBSA 41860)

L1–L4 wage snippet format (paste‑ready; populate from OFLC):

Prevailing Wage (OFLC Wage Search, OEWS; All Industries; SOC 15‑1252.00; CBSA 41860; Wage Year 7/2025–6/2026; GeoLevel [1–4]) — L1: [hourly/annual], L2: [hourly/annual], L3: [hourly/annual], L4: [hourly/annual].

Verify numbers and identifiers here:

• O*NET 15‑1252.00 (Software Developers): https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/15-1252.00

• OFLC Wage Search (enter SOC 15‑1252.00 and CBSA 41860): https://flag.dol.gov/wage-data/wage-search

• BLS OEWS area table for CBSA 41860: https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/May/oes_41860.htm

CBSA quick lookups (BLS OEWS area tables):

• 41860 — San Francisco–Oakland–Hayward, CA: https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/May/oes_41860.htm

• 35620 — New York–Newark–Jersey City, NY‑NJ‑PA: https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/May/oes_35620.htm

• 12420 — Austin–Round Rock, TX: https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/May/oes_12420.htm

Quality checks and level selection notes

• Match duties, not titles: Align duty lists to ONET tasks/technology skills for the proposed SOC; document why close alternatives were rejected. ONET profiles above.

• Leveling criteria: Evaluate experience, education, supervision, special skills, and job complexity to support the proposed wage level. See DOL’s prevailing wage materials and discussion of the four‑tier structure in the Federal Register (85 FR 63872) and DOL’s overview (ETA/OFLC Wages).

• ACWIA vs All Industries: Use All Industries unless the employer qualifies under ACWIA. See FLAG FAQ.

• GeoLevel fallback: If local MSA data is not releasable, OFLC will return contiguous area, state, or national wages with GeoLevel 2–4 noted on the result. See FLAG FAQ.

• Current files: Confirm the wage year on OFLC Wage Data Downloads (e.g., 7/2025–6/2026 files updated Aug 1, 2025) and ensure your draft cites the correct effective year.

Executing inside Parley

• Generate a SOC memo: In the Word add‑in, ask Parley to create a short memo summarizing duties, the chosen SOC, O*NET alignment, nearby alternatives, and why the chosen SOC best fits. Insert into the petition/support letter.

• Insert wages and citations: Use the “Insert Wage Table” action to place L1–L4 (hourly/annual) with a footnote citing OFLC Wage Search and the applicable wage year. Parley stores the query metadata (SOC, area code, GeoLevel, data source) for re‑use across cases.

• Keep evidence synchronized: Save the wage snapshot and SOC analysis to the case record so RFE responses can reference the exact wage year and source. See capabilities on About Parley and a sample case output.

Related resources

• Product overview and security posture: Parley and About Parley.

• Contact the team for a workflow review or demo: Contact Parley.

• For a broader discussion of drafting and research automation beyond wages, see Parley’s use‑case materials (cross‑reference your internal use‑case overview).