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Working alone: jobs that required little personal interaction in 2017
December 06, 2017
Throughout the workday, many workers must cooperate with others, handle conflict, and respond to social cues, requests, and criticism. Some jobs, however, involve little contact with others. Among computer programmers, for example, 62.0 percent of jobs in 2017 involve communicating with regular contacts, such as supervisors, less than once an hour but more than once a workday. Computer programmers communicate with other contacts no more than once a day (or never) in 68.1 percent of jobs.
Percent of jobs in selected occupations that require little contact with others, 2017
Occupation
Communicate with regular contacts more than once per day but less than once per hour
Communicate with other contacts no more than once per day (or never)
Computer programmers
62.0%
68.1%
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
58.9
53.6
Carpenters
58.0
77.4
Laundry and dry-cleaning workers
53.0
79.9
Grinding/lapping/polish/buff machine tool setters, operators, and tenders — metal/plastic
52.0
100.0
Web developers
51.7
81.3
Electrical engineers
51.0
70.4
Assemblers and fabricators, all other
47.1
98.8
Industrial engineers
46.7
78.5
Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
43.7
72.6
Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners
43.4
68.9
Construction carpenters
40.4
79.1
Electrical and electronic equipment assemblers
38.6
90.9
Refuse and recyclable material collectors
37.2
74.3
Among web developers, 51.7 percent of jobs involve communicating with regular contacts less than once an hour but more than once a day. Web developers have contact with others no more than once a day in 81.3 percent of jobs.
Among assemblers and fabricators, 47.1 percent of jobs involve infrequent communication with regular contacts, and 98.8 percent of jobs involve contact with others no more than once a day.
These data are from the Occupational Requirements Survey. To learn more, see "Occupational Requirements in the United States — 2017" (HTML) (PDF). Regular contacts are people with whom a worker has an established working relationship. Regular contacts include coworkers, supervisors, clients and customers, or students seen regularly. People with whom the worker has no regular working relationship, including the public, are “other” contacts. The Handbook of Methods provides more information.
United States Department of Labor
