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Bureau of Labor Statistics > Office of Survey Methods Research > Publications > Browse Research Papers

Seeing Through the Data: Data Visualization Methods of the Occupational Requirements Survey

Jenette Muhar and Michelle Myers

Abstract

The Occupational Requirements Survey (ORS) is the newest survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Created as a way for the Social Security Administration (SSA) to be able to determine what abilities workers need to have in order to perform a job, we rely on workers, managers or HR specialists, during collection, to provide us with levels and/or durations of time spent doing things like lifting, driving, making decisions, etc. The ORS, although similar in some ways to the DOT, measures a unique mix of elements. This lead to the need for us to provide data reviewers and the validation team with some context to better understand the relationship between elements. In response to this need, we have enhanced our review systems by integrating data visualizations to aid reviewers in identifying outlier data and pinpointing relationships among variables that can be brought back to the field, increasing the efficiency of the process. This paper details the usefulness of data visualizations, the process of creating relevant visualizations, and the outcomes we have seen since the implementation of the data visuals in ORS micro data review and estimate validation processes. Key Words: Consumer Price Index (CPI), nonlinear optimization,