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Occupational Requirements Survey
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Occupational Requirements Survey: Occupational Profiles
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Based on the 2024 Occupational Requirements Survey
- All workers (PDF)
- Architecture and engineering occupations (PDF)
- Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations (PDF)
- Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupation (PDF)
- Business and financial operations occupations (PDF)
- Community and social service occupations (PDF)
- Computer and mathematical occupations (PDF)
- Construction and extraction occupations (PDF)
- Educational instruction and library occupations (PDF)
- Food preparation and serving related occupations (PDF)
- Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations (PDF)
- Healthcare support occupations (PDF)
- Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations (PDF)
- Legal occupations (PDF)
- Life, physical, and social science occupations (PDF)
- Management occupations (PDF)
- Office and administrative support occupations (PDF)
- Personal care and service occupations (PDF)
- Production occupations (PDF)
- Protective service occupations (PDF)
- Sales and related occupations (PDF)
- Transportation and material moving occupations (PDF)
- Archived profiles
- Technical note▸
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The Occupational Requirements Survey (ORS) is conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The ORS is an establishment-based survey and provides job-related information about the physical demands; environmental conditions; education, training, and experience; as well as cognitive and mental requirements of jobs in the U.S. economy. Job requirements do not include modifications or adjustments to a job or change in the work environment that enables a person with a disability to compete equally or carry out the occupational critical tasks in support of the critical job functions.
Additional estimates for detailed occupations and occupational groups are available at www.bls.gov/ors/data.htm.
Sample size
For information regarding the sample size see the technical note in the current News Release. The ORS Handbook of Methods provides information on the sample design.
Measures of reliability
To assist users in ascertaining the reliability of ORS estimates, standard errors are available for each estimate. For more information on standard errors see: www.bls.gov/ors/se.htm.
Occupational classification
BLS uses the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system to code and publish occupations to the 6-digit level of detail. The occupational groups in this publication reflect the 2-digit aggregation of occupations as defined using the 2018 SOC. Military specific occupations (55-0000.00) are out of scope for the ORS.
Definitions of major terms
The complete list of terms is available within the ORS collection manuals and ORS Handbook of Methods. The glossary below contains some major terms used in these occupational group profiles.
General terms
- Civilian workers – includes private industry and state and local government workers. Excluded are the federal government, the military, agricultural workers, private household workers, and the self-employed.
- Critical job function - This is the main purpose and the primary pay factor for the job. It consists of critical tasks that are integral to the job.
- Critical tasks - Activities workers must perform to carry out their critical job function(s).
- Duration levels:
- Seldom – up to 2 percent of the workday
- Occasionally – from 2 percent up to 1/3 of the workday
- Frequently – from 1/3 up to 2/3 of the workday
- Constantly – from 2/3 or more of the workday
- Job – group of workers in an establishment that have the same position. The term job refers to a single position within an establishment, whereas occupation refers to a profession or trade. Example: “waiters at Smith’s Restaurant” is a job, whereas “waiters” is an occupation.
Cognitive and mental requirements
- Crowds - Working around crowds is present when the following five conditions are met:
- many unfamiliar people are present considering the space available,
- movement is restricted,
- any given arrangement of the crowd is temporary,
- a certain level of disorganization is present, and
- workers are not separated from unfamiliar people by counters, dividers, or other objects.
- General public - Includes interacting with individuals other than coworkers to perform critical tasks.
Education, training, and experience requirements
- Preparation time – the amount of time required by a typical worker to learn the techniques, acquire the information, and develop the facility needed for average performance in a specific job/worker situation. This is also referred to as specific vocational preparation (SVP) and is measure in nine levels from a “short demonstration” to “over 10 years”. For more information see the Calculation section of the Handbook of Methods.
- Minimum education – the lowest level of formal coursework required in a job and excludes general education, see the Minimum formal education factsheet for more information.
- Credentials – the amount of time needed to complete required training as a condition for hiring which may include certifications, licenses, and educational certificates.
- On-the-job training – the amount of training time that occurs after an employee has been hired.
- Prior work experience – the amount of prior relevant work activity. This excludes any non-vocationally specific requirements.
Environmental conditions
- Extreme cold – 40 degrees or below when exposed 2/3 or more of the workday or 32 degrees or below when exposed up to 2/3 of the workday.
- Extreme heat – above 90 degrees in a dry environment or above 85 degrees in a humid environment.
- Hazardous contaminants – exposure that negatively affects the respiratory system, eyes, skin, or other living tissue via inhalation, ingestion, or contact.
- Noise intensity level – amount of noise that a worker experiences while working. Examples of noise level:
- Quiet – settings such as a private office or art museum;
- Moderate – business office, department store, fast food restaurant;
- Loud – large earth moving equipment or can manufacturing department;
- Very loud – rock concert or jackhammer work.
- Outdoors – is considered present when two conditions exist, (1) a worker performs typical job duties outdoors or a worker moves between different work sites during the workday and (2) a worker is unprotected and exposed to the elements.
- Personal protective equipment (PPE) – gear used or worn to minimize exposure to serious workplace injuries and illnesses.
- Proximity to moving mechanical parts – refers to moving materials, mechanical parts, settings, or any moving objects that could cause bodily injury.
- High and exposed places – when a worker is at risk of falling five feet or more from the worker’s center of gravity.
Physical demands
- Fine manipulation – touching, picking, pinching, or otherwise working primarily with fingers rather than with the whole hand or arm.
- Gross manipulation – seizing, holding, grasping, turning, or otherwise working with the hands; and also often present when lifting involves the hands.
- Strength level – A job is classified into strength five levels: sedentary, light, medium, heavy, and very heavy. The strength level is determined by how much weight a worker is required to lift or carry, how often they have to lift or carry that weight, as well as standing and walking in some special cases. Pushing or pulling – Pushing or pulling can be done with the hands and arms, feet and legs, or feet only. Additional detail on the calculation of strength levels is available in the Handbook of Methods.
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