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ORS Home Page

The Occupational Requirements Survey (ORS) is a product of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The ORS provides job-related information regarding physical demands; environmental conditions; education, training, and experience; as well as cognitive and mental requirements for jobs in the U.S. economy.

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Click the graphic to enlarge chart: What is ORS.

Click the graphic to enlarge chart: Why It Matters.

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Latest Numbers

Physical demands of civilian workers

Sedentary work strength level 30.3% in 2025

Light work strength level 33.7% in 2025

Medium work strength level 29.1% in 2025

Heavy work strength level 6.2% in 2025

Very heavy work strength level 0.7% in 2025

Environmental conditions of civilian workers

Exposed to outdoors 35.2% in 2025

Quiet noise intensity level 14.4% in 2025

Moderate noise intensity level 82.4% in 2025

Loud noise intensity level 3.3% in 2025

Education, training, and experience of civilian workers

No minimum education requirement 32.5% in 2025

High school diploma education requirement 39.3% in 2025

Associate's degree education requirement 5.9% in 2025

Bachelor's degree education requirement 17.7% in 2025

Master's degree education requirement 2.6% in 2025

Professional degree education requirement 1.7% in 2025

Cognitive and mental requirements of civilian workers

Basic people skills 39.2% in 2025

Varying work pace 43.3% in 2025

Telework available 14.7% in 2025

News Releases

The ability to pause work is present for 53.5% of workers in 2025

01/16/2026

The ability to pause work was present for 53.5 percent of workers in 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. In 2025, greater than 95 percent of software developers had the ability to pause work.
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Next Release

The Occupational Requirements Survey (ORS) for 2026 is scheduled to be released in early 2027 at 10:00 A.M. Eastern Time.

Publications

Beyond the Numbers

Minds at work: what’s required according to the Occupational Requirements Survey

How much problem-solving time goes into an architect’s job? What types of mental capabilities are required of employees who work in a telework environment? What types of interpersonal skills are required for customer service jobs? Mental and cognitive job requirements provide job seekers with important information on the soft skills needed for specific jobs and a sense of the demands of different occupations read more »

Monthly Labor Review

Has the pandemic permanently changed job requirements?

This article reports on an examination of whether the pandemic led to changes in job requirements measured in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Requirements Survey. read more »

The Economics Daily

78 percent of amusement and recreation attendants were required to interact verbally with the public every few minutes

Some of the biggest state fairs take place during the summer and early fall, including the Ohio State Fair, New York State Fair, Minnesota State Fair, The Big E of New England (the only multi-state fair), and the State Fair of Texas. These fairs promote agricultural education and innovation while also offering carnival rides, food, games, music, and more—something for everyone. State fair organizations increase their workforce by hundreds of employees, and businesses providing goods and services at state fairs add hundreds or thousands of temporary workers. read more »

Spotlight on Statistics

Using BLS Data to Match People with Disabilities with Jobs

BLS has many data products that can be used to help individuals with disabilities plan their career paths. This Spotlight on Statistics highlights these products and demonstrates how they can be used to evaluate potential jobs, using two specific occupations as examples. read more »