Standard Occupational Classification System Explained

See also: National Occupational Classification.

The Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) System is a United States government system for classifying occupations. It is used by U.S. federal government agencies collecting occupational data, enabling comparison of occupations across data sets. It is designed to cover all occupations in which work is performed for pay or profit, reflecting the current occupational structure in the United States. The 2018 SOC includes 867 detailed occupations.[1]

Users of occupational data include human resources professionals, government program managers, industrial and labor relations practitioners, students considering career training, job seekers, vocational training schools, and employers wishing to set salary scales or locate a new plant.

An occupation is defined as a group of "jobs that are similar with respect to the work performed and the skills possessed by workers."[2] Therefore, different jobs with similar duties and job requirements would be in the same occupation. For example, a bank branch manager and a city treasurer would both be part of the Financial Manager occupation in the SOC.

The detailed occupations in the SOC can be combined into 459 broad occupations, 98 minor groups, and 23 major groups. The SOC codes have a hierarchical format, so for example the code "15-0000" refers to occupations in the "Computer and Mathematical Occupations" major group, and "15-1252" is a subset for the "Software Developers" detailed occupation.[3]

The SOC does not categorize industries or employers. There are parallel category systems for industries used with SOC data, most commonly NAICS.

Other countries have national occupational classification systems and the International Labour Organization, an agency of the United Nations, has developed the International StandardClassification of Occupations.[4]

Job Titles and SOC Codes

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) maintains the Direct Match Title File (DMTF) that contains job titles that match detailed occupations in the SOC.[5] For example, the following job titles all match to the occupation Bill and Account Collectors (SOC code of 43-3011): Collection Agent, Collections Clerk, Collections Representative, Debt Collector, Installment Agent, Installment Loan Collector, Insurance Collector, Payment Collector, Repossessor, and Billing Clerk.

In some cases a job title does not match one-for-one with an occupation. For example, the job title "painter" is not in the DMTF because it could be associated with a fine arts occupation or a maintenance occupation. In these and other cases, persons wishing to match a job with an occupation can examine the definitions of the detailed occupations. For example, the definition of the occupation of Painters, Construction and Maintenance (SOC code of 47-2141) is:"Paint walls, equipment, buildings, bridges, and other structural surfaces, using brushes, rollers, and spray guns. May remove old paint to prepare surface prior to painting. May mix colors or oils to obtain desired color or consistency." On the other hand, the definition of the occupation of Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators (SOC code of 27-1013) is: "Create original artwork using any of a wide variety of media and techniques."

Interested parties can submit suggested additions to the job titles included in the DMTF.[6]

Major Group Occupations

List

The detailed occupations in the SOC can be combined into 23 major groups.

Employment and Earnings

Across all occupations, BLS reports total employment to be 151,853,870 and the annual mean wage to be $65,470. Total employment and annual mean wage for each major group is in the following table.[7]

scope=col SOCscope=col Major Groupscope=col Employmentscope=col Annual Mean Wage
scope=row 11-0000scope=row Management Occupationsalign=right 10,495,770align=right $137,750
scope=row 13-0000scope=row Business and Financial Operations Occupationsalign=right 10,087,830align=right $90,580
scope=row 15-0000scope=row Computer and Mathematical Occupationsalign=right 5,177,400align=right $113,140
scope=row 17-0000scope=row Architecture and Engineering Occupationsalign=right 2,539,660align=right $99,090
scope=row 19-0000scope=row Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupationsalign=right 1,389,430align=right $87,870
scope=row 21-0000scope=row Community and Social Service Occupationsalign=right 2,418,130align=right $58,980
scope=row 23-0000scope=row Legal Occupationsalign=right 1,240,630align=right $133,820
scope=row 25-0000scope=row Educational Instruction and Library Occupationsalign=right 8,744,560align=right $66,400
scope=row 27-0000scope=row Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupationsalign=right 2,106,490align=right $75,520
scope=row 29-0000scope=row Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupationsalign=right 9,284,210align=right $102,060
scope=row 31-0000scope=row Healthcare Support Occupationsalign=right 7,063,530align=right $38,220
scope=row 33-0000scope=row Protective Service Occupationsalign=right 3,504,330align=right $57,710
scope=row 35-0000scope=row Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupationsalign=right 13,247,870align=right $34,490
scope=row 37-0000scope=row Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupationsalign=right 4,429,070align=right $38,320
scope=row 39-0000scope=row Personal Care and Service Occupationsalign=right 3,040,630align=right $38,430
scope=row 41-0000scope=row Sales and Related Occupationsalign=right 13,380,660align=right $53,280
scope=row 43-0000scope=row Office and Administrative Support Occupationsalign=right 18,533,450align=right $47,940
scope=row 45-0000scope=row Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupationsalign=right 432,200align=right $39,970
scope=row 47-0000scope=row Construction and Extraction Occupationsalign=right 6,225,630align=right $61,500
scope=row 49-0000scope=row Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupationsalign=right 5,989,460align=right $58,500
scope=row 51-0000scope=row Production Occupationsalign=right 8,770,170align=right $47,620
scope=row 53-0000scope=row Transportation and Material Moving Occupationsalign=right 13,752,760align=right $46,690

Environmental Conditions

Across all occupations, 6.9 percent of all workers are exposed to hazardous contaminants.

Across all occupations, about 67 percent of all workers are not exposed to the outdoors. However, among all workers, 4.1 percent are constantly exposed to the outdoors, 3.7 percent are frequently exposed to the outdoors, 15.1 percent are occasionally exposed to the outdoors, and 10.2 percent are seldomly exposed to the outdoors. Exposure to hazardous contaminants and exposure to the outdoors (seldom, occasional, frequent, or constant) for each major group are in the following table.[8]

scope=col SOCscope=col Major Groupscope=col Exposure to Hazardous Contaminants (%)scope=col Exposure to Outdoors (%)
scope=row 11-0000scope=row Management Occupationsalign=right 1.9align=right 23.8
scope=row 13-0000scope=row Business and Financial Operations Occupationsalign=right 0.7align=right 9.1
scope=row 15-0000scope=row Computer and Mathematical Occupationsalign=right <0.5align=right 1.6
scope=row 17-0000scope=row Architecture and Engineering Occupationsalign=right 6.3align=right 31.8
scope=row 19-0000scope=row Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupationsalign=right 26.6align=right 36.3
scope=row 21-0000scope=row Community and Social Service Occupationsalign=right 0.8align=right 24.2
scope=row 23-0000scope=row Legal Occupationsalign=right <0.5align=right 1.6
scope=row 25-0000scope=row Educational Instruction and Library Occupationsalign=right 1.8align=right 42.9
scope=row 27-0000scope=row Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupationsalign=right 0.8align=right 27.7
scope=row 29-0000scope=row Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupationsalign=right 6.8align=right 7.3
scope=row 31-0000scope=row Healthcare Support Occupationsalign=right 2.8align=right 33.1
scope=row 33-0000scope=row Protective Service Occupationsalign=right 22.8align=right 89.4
scope=row 35-0000scope=row Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupationsalign=right 1.3align=right 33.5
scope=row 37-0000scope=row Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupationsalign=right 18.4align=right 73.8
scope=row 39-0000scope=row Personal Care and Service Occupationsalign=right 9.2align=right 51.5
scope=row 41-0000scope=row Sales and Related Occupationsalign=right 1.2align=right 28.1
scope=row 43-0000scope=row Office and Administrative Support Occupationsalign=right <0.5align=right 4.7
scope=row 45-0000scope=row Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupationsalign=right 8.9align=right 82.5
scope=row 47-0000scope=row Construction and Extraction Occupationsalign=right 28.9align=right 92.4
scope=row 49-0000scope=row Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupationsalign=right 31.7align=right 79.4
scope=row 51-0000scope=row Production Occupationsalign=right 18.9align=right 11.4
scope=row 53-0000scope=row Transportation and Material Moving Occupationsalign=right 5.6align=right 57.6

Minimum Education Requirements

Minimum education is the minimum education required by a job, not the educational attainment of the worker. A worker may have attained more education than the minimum required by a job.

Among all workers, 30.0 percent are in jobs with no minimum education requirement, 40.1 percent are in jobs where a high school degree is the minimum requirement, 19.3 percent are in jobs where a bachelor's degree is the minimum requirement, and 10.6 percent are in jobs with some other minimum requirement (for example, a graduate degree).

The percentages in the various minimum requirement categories for each major group in the SOC are shown in the following table.[9]

scope=col SOCscope=col Major Groupscope=col No Minimum Requirement (%)scope=col High School (%)scope=col Bachelor's (%)scope=col Other (%)
scope=row 11-0000scope=row Management Occupationsalign=right 4.7align=right 24.7align=right 56.6align=right 14.0
scope=row 13-0000scope=row Business and Financial Operations Occupationsalign=right 1.7align=right 21.7align=right 69.9align=right 6.7
scope=row 15-0000scope=row Computer and Mathematical Occupationsalign=right 2.8align=right 17.7align=right 65.5align=right 14.0
scope=row 17-0000scope=row Architecture and Engineering Occupationsalign=right 1.9align=right 12.5align=right 69.5align=right 16.1
scope=row 19-0000scope=row Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupationsalign=right 2.1align=right 18.7align=right 52.0align=right 27.2
scope=row 21-0000scope=row Community and Social Service Occupationsalign=right 1.6align=right 16.5align=right 40.9align=right 41.0
scope=row 23-0000scope=row Legal Occupationsalign=right 0.6align=right 19.4align=right 10.9align=right 69.1
scope=row 25-0000scope=row Educational Instruction and Library Occupationsalign=right 1.5align=right 17.2align=right 59.4align=right 21.9
scope=row 27-0000scope=row Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupationsalign=right 19.8align=right 27.7align=right 42.9align=right 9.6
scope=row 29-0000scope=row Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupationsalign=right 0.9align=right 21.1align=right 22.7align=right 55.3
scope=row 31-0000scope=row Healthcare Support Occupationsalign=right 26.8align=right 63.4align=right 0.7align=right 9.1
scope=row 33-0000scope=row Protective Service Occupationsalign=right 9.4align=right 82.3align=right 3.1align=right 5.2
scope=row 35-0000scope=row Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupationsalign=right 78.3align=right 21.2align=right <0.5align=right <0.5
scope=row 37-0000scope=row Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupationsalign=right 68.7align=right 30.0align=right <0.5align=right <0.5
scope=row 39-0000scope=row Personal Care and Service Occupationsalign=right 32.0align=right 60.7align=right 3.2align=right 4.1
scope=row 41-0000scope=row Sales and Related Occupationsalign=right 50.7align=right 39.6align=right 7.9align=right 1.8
scope=row 43-0000scope=row Office and Administrative Support Occupationsalign=right 13.1align=right 75.6align=right 5.7align=right 5.6
scope=row 45-0000scope=row Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupationsalign=right 49.4align=right 42.6align=right 6.2align=right 1.8
scope=row 47-0000scope=row Construction and Extraction Occupationsalign=right 49.6align=right 47.1align=right 0.8align=right 2.5
scope=row 49-0000scope=row Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupationsalign=right 27.5align=right 61.2align=right 1.2align=right 10.1
scope=row 51-0000scope=row Production Occupationsalign=right 39.2align=right 55.5align=right 1.5align=right 3.8
scope=row 53-0000scope=row Transportation and Material Moving Occupationsalign=right 60.2align=right 39.2align=right <0.5align=right <0.5

Physical Requirements

The maximum weight lifted or carried averaged 25.58 pounds for all workers. For all workers, the percentage of the workday a person is required to stand averaged 56.3 percent of the workday. The figures for each major group in the SOC are in the following table.[10]

scope=col SOCscope=col Major Groupscope=col Maximum Weight Lifted or Carried, Average (Pounds)scope=col Percent of the Workday Required to Stand, Average (Percentage)
scope=row 11-0000scope=row Management Occupationsalign=right 9.30align=right 27.4
scope=row 13-0000scope=row Business and Financial Operations Occupationsalign=right 5.55align=right 13.2
scope=row 15-0000scope=row Computer and Mathematical Occupationsalign=right 7.87align=right 11.1
scope=row 17-0000scope=row Architecture and Engineering Occupationsalign=right 13.11align=right 26.4
scope=row 19-0000scope=row Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupationsalign=right 18.10align=right 37.3
scope=row 21-0000scope=row Community and Social Service Occupationsalign=right 10.53align=right 29.6
scope=row 23-0000scope=row Legal Occupationsalign=right 6.80align=right 15.2
scope=row 25-0000scope=row Educational Instruction and Library Occupationsalign=right 14.61align=right 60.2
scope=row 27-0000scope=row Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupationsalign=right 14.78align=right 32.7
scope=row 29-0000scope=row Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupationsalign=right 33.06align=right 63.3
scope=row 31-0000scope=row Healthcare Support Occupationsalign=right 34.72align=right 69.4
scope=row 33-0000scope=row Protective Service Occupationsalign=right 53.71align=right 56.8
scope=row 35-0000scope=row Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupationsalign=right 26.34align=right 97.2
scope=row 37-0000scope=row Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupationsalign=right 37.23align=right 88.2
scope=row 39-0000scope=row Personal Care and Service Occupationsalign=right 23.70align=right 75.7
scope=row 41-0000scope=row Sales and Related Occupationsalign=right 21.68align=right 68.6
scope=row 43-0000scope=row Office and Administrative Support Occupationsalign=right 9.13align=right 20.6
scope=row 45-0000scope=row Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupationsalign=right 35.40align=right 77.5
scope=row 47-0000scope=row Construction and Extraction Occupationsalign=right 51.18align=right 81.5
scope=row 49-0000scope=row Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupationsalign=right 53.93align=right 79.6
scope=row 51-0000scope=row Production Occupationsalign=right 37.45align=right 81.2
scope=row 53-0000scope=row Transportation and Material Moving Occupationsalign=right 43.74align=right 65.2

Pace of Work and Breaks

Across all occupations, 38.9 percent of all workers are required to work at a consistent and generally fast pace, 52.9 percent are required to work at a pace that varies, and 8.2 percent at a consistent and generally slow pace.

About 56.2 percent of workers have the ability to “pause work and take short, unscheduled breaks throughout the workday.”

Pace of work and the ability to pause work for each major group are in the following table.[11]

scope=col SOCscope=col Major Groupscope=col Fast Work Pace (%)scope=col Ability to Pause Work (%)
scope=row 11-0000scope=row Management Occupationsalign=right 41.3align=right 97.5
scope=row 13-0000scope=row Business and Financial Operations Occupationsalign=right 39.3align=right 97.0
scope=row 15-0000scope=row Computer and Mathematical Occupationsalign=right 40.9align=right 96.0
scope=row 17-0000scope=row Architecture and Engineering Occupationsalign=right 36.9align=right 95.1
scope=row 19-0000scope=row Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupationsalign=right 34.3align=right 82.6
scope=row 21-0000scope=row Community and Social Service Occupationsalign=right 38.0align=right 80.3
scope=row 23-0000scope=row Legal Occupationsalign=right 52.3align=right 95.3
scope=row 25-0000scope=row Educational Instruction and Library Occupationsalign=right 37.0align=right 38.9
scope=row 27-0000scope=row Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupationsalign=right 39.4align=right 74.3
scope=row 29-0000scope=row Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupationsalign=right 48.2align=right 40.9
scope=row 31-0000scope=row Healthcare Support Occupationsalign=right 38.3align=right 37.6
scope=row 33-0000scope=row Protective Service Occupationsalign=right 18.3align=right 13.2
scope=row 35-0000scope=row Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupationsalign=right 31.0align=right 22.6
scope=row 37-0000scope=row Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupationsalign=right 41.8align=right 73.7
scope=row 39-0000scope=row Personal Care and Service Occupationsalign=right 33.6align=right 35.0
scope=row 41-0000scope=row Sales and Related Occupationsalign=right 24.2align=right 45.5
scope=row 43-0000scope=row Office and Administrative Support Occupationsalign=right 37.2align=right 70.8
scope=row 45-0000scope=row Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupationsalign=right 41.6align=right 67.3
scope=row 47-0000scope=row Construction and Extraction Occupationsalign=right 46.1align=right 61.5
scope=row 49-0000scope=row Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupationsalign=right 32.7align=right 71.8
scope=row 51-0000scope=row Production Occupationsalign=right 55.8align=right 42.5
scope=row 53-0000scope=row Transportation and Material Moving Occupationsalign=right 48.7align=right 31.4

History

The SOC was established in 1977, and revised by a committee representing specialists from across U.S. government agencies in the 1990s.[12] SOC codes were updated again in 2010, and on November 28, 2017, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published a Federal Register notice detailing the final decisions for the 2018 SOC.[13]

See also

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.bls.gov/soc/ Standard Occupational Classification System (SOC)
  2. https://www.bls.gov/bls/glossary.htm Glossary
  3. https://www.bls.gov/soc/2018/major_groups.htm 2018 SOC Major Groups
  4. https://ilostat.ilo.org/resources/concepts-and-definitions/classification-occupation/ International Standard Classification of Occupations
  5. https://www.bls.gov/soc/2018/home.htm#match Direct Match Title File
  6. https://www.bls.gov/soc/2018/home.htm#match Direct Match Title File
  7. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm May 2023 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
  8. https://www.bls.gov/ors/data.htm Occupational Requirements Survey
  9. https://www.bls.gov/ors/data.htm Occupational Requirements Survey
  10. https://www.bls.gov/ors/data.htm Occupational Requirements Survey
  11. https://www.bls.gov/ors/data.htm Occupational Requirements Survey
  12. Revising the Standard Occupational Classification System, June 1999, pages iii, 1.
  13. Web site: Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) System.

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