[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 94 (Tuesday, May 16, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28536-28538]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-7415]



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Part VI





Office of Management and Budget





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 Standard Occupational Classification--Revision for 2010; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 94 / Tuesday, May 16, 2006 / 
Notices  

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OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET


Standard Occupational Classification--Revision for 2010

AGENCY: Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and 
Budget.

ACTION: Notice of solicitation of comments.

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SUMMARY: Under 44 U.S.C. 3504(e), the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) announces the review of the 2000 SOC for possible revision in 
2010 and solicits public comment on: (1) The Standard Occupational 
Classification (SOC) Classification Principles, (2) corrections to the 
2000 SOC Manual, (3) the intention to retain the current SOC Major 
Group structure, (4) changes to the existing detailed occupations, and 
(5) new detailed ccupations to be added to the 2010 SOC. Details about 
these topics may be found in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section 
below. As indicated in the 2000 SOC Manual, OMB established a Standard 
Occupational Classification Policy Committee (SOCPC) to maintain the 
current SOC to ensure that it remains applicable to the world of work. 
The SOCPC welcomes comments related to any aspect of occupational 
classification, the 2000 SOC, or the revision process. The review and 
revision of the SOC for 2010 is intended to be completed by the end of 
2008.

DATES: Effective Date: To ensure consideration by the SOC Policy 
Committee, all comments must be received in writing on or before July 
17, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Please send all comments to: Standard Occupational 
Classification Revision Policy Committee, U.S. Bureau of Labor 
Statistics, Suite 2135, 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE., Washington, DC 
20212. Telephone number: (202) 691-6500, fax number: (202) 691-6444. 
All comments submitted in response to this notice will be made 
available to the public. For this reason, please do not include in your 
comments information of a confidential nature, such as sensitive 
personal information or proprietary information. Comments may be 
submitted electronically to [email protected]. Inquiries concerning the 
definitions of particular occupations and requests for electronic 
copies of the SOC structure should be made to the address listed above.
    Electronic availability. This document is available on the Internet 
from the Bureau of Labor Statistics via World Wide Web (WWW) browser 
and e-mail. To obtain this document via WWW browser, connect to http://www.bls.gov/soc then select ``Standard Occupational Classification 
Documents.'' To obtain this document via e-mail or to submit comments, 
send a message to [email protected]. Comments received at this address by 
July 17, 2006 will be included as part of the official record.
    Availability of comment materials. All comments received will be 
available to the public at the Bureau of Labor Statistics during normal 
business hours, 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., in Suite 2135, 2 Massachusetts 
Avenue, NE., Washington DC 20212. Please call BLS at (202) 691-6500 to 
make an appointment if you wish to view the comments received in 
response to this notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anne Louise Marshall, U.S. Bureau of 
Labor Statistics, Suite 2135, 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE., Washington, 
DC 20212; e-mail [email protected]; telephone (202) 691-5054.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

History of the 2000 SOC Revision

    The 2000 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC), which replaced 
the 1980 SOC, was developed in response to a growing need for a 
universal occupational classification system. Such a classification 
system allows government agencies and private industry to produce 
comparable data. Users of occupational data include government program 
managers, industrial and labor relations practitioners, job seekers, 
employers wishing to set salary scales or locate an establishment, and 
educational institutions--including teachers, guidance counselors, and 
students exploring careers and identifying career education and 
training alternatives.
    The SOC is designed to reflect the current occupational structure 
of the United States; it classifies all occupations in which work is 
performed for pay or profit. The 2000 SOC covers all jobs in the 
national economy, including occupations in the public, private, and 
military sectors.
    The 2000 SOC is the result of a cooperative effort by all Federal 
agencies that use occupational classification systems to maximize the 
usefulness of occupational information collected by the Federal 
Government and is the result of four years of research by the SOC 
Revision Policy Committee (SOCRPC) and work groups composed of members 
from more than fifteen government agencies.
    In 1994, the Office of Management and Budget formed the SOCRPC with 
members from: the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics and 
Employment and Training Administration, the Department of Commerce's 
Census Bureau, the Department of Defense's Defense Manpower Data 
Center, the Department of Education, the Office of Personnel 
Management, and the Office of Management and Budget, as well as 
participants from the Departments of Agriculture, Health and Human 
Services, and Transportation, and the National Science Foundation and 
the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
    The SOC Revision Policy Committee was charged with identifying the 
major statistical uses of occupational classifications and creating a 
classification system that reflected the current occupational structure 
in the United States. The SOCRPC used the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 
Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) classification system as the 
starting point for the new SOC framework. To carry out the bulk of the 
revision effort, the committee created six work groups to examine 
occupations in the following areas: Administrative and Clerical 
Occupations; Natural Science, Law, Health, Education, and Arts 
Occupations; Services and Sales Occupations; Construction, Extraction, 
and Transportation Occupations; Mechanical and Production Occupations; 
and Military Occupations. The work groups were charged with ensuring 
that the occupations under their consideration conformed to the 
classification principles adopted by the SOCRPC.
    In carrying out their charge, the work groups and the SOCRPC 
carefully considered all proposals received in response to Federal 
Register notices issued by OMB and the committee. Federal Register 
notices requested comments on the uses of occupational data; the 
existing 1980 SOC classification principles, purpose and scope, and 
conceptual options; the SOCRPC's proposed revision process; the 
composition of detailed occupations; the hierarchical structure and 
numbering system; and the update procedures.

Review of the 2000 SOC and Request for Comments

    The Office of Management and Budget has requested the Standard 
Occupational Classification Policy Committee to review the 2000 SOC for 
possible revision by 2010. The SOCPC solicits and welcomes comments 
related to any aspect of occupational

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classification, especially comments concerning:
     The Revised Classification Principles for the 2010 SOC 
proposed by the SOCPC,
     The SOCPC's intention to retain the 2000 SOC Major Group 
Structure,
     Public proposals for corrections and changes to the 
existing detailed occupations, and
     Public proposals for new detailed occupations to be added 
to the 2010 SOC.
    Each of these topics is discussed in turn below.

The Revised Principles for the 2010 SOC Proposed by the SOCPC

    The SOCPC proposes the following revised principles, which are 
based in large part on those that governed the 2000 SOC:
    1. The Classification covers all occupations in which work is 
performed for pay or profit, including work performed in family-
operated enterprises by family members who are not directly 
compensated. It excludes occupations unique to volunteers. Each 
occupation is assigned to only one occupational category at the lowest 
level of the classification.
    2. Occupations are classified based on work performed and on 
required skills, education, and training.
    3. Supervisors of professional and related occupations (Major 
Groups 13-0000 through 29-0000) usually have a background similar to 
that of the workers they supervise, and therefore are classified with 
the workers they supervise. Likewise, supervisors of service 
occupations; sales and office occupations; natural resources 
occupations; construction and maintenance occupations; and production, 
transportation, and material moving occupations (Major Groups 31-0000 
through 53-0000), who spend 20 percent or more of their time performing 
work similar to the workers they supervise, are classified with the 
workers they supervise.
    4. First-line supervisors/managers of workers in Major Groups 31-
0000 through 53-0000, who spend more than 80 percent of their time 
performing supervisory activities, are classified separately in the 
appropriate supervisor category because their work activities are 
distinct from those of the workers they supervise.
    5. Workers primarily engaged in planning and directing will be 
classified in management occupations in Major Group 11-0000.
    6. Apprentices and trainees should be classified with the 
occupations for which they are being trained, while helpers and aides 
should be classified separately.
    7. If an occupation is not included as a distinct detailed 
occupation in the structure, it is classified in the appropriate 
residual occupation. Residual occupations contain all occupations 
within a major, minor or broad group that are not classified 
separately.
    8. When workers may be classified in more than one occupation, they 
should be classified in the occupation that requires the highest level 
of skill. If there is no measurable difference in skill requirements, 
workers are included in the occupation in which they spend the most 
time.
    9. For a detailed occupation to be included in the SOC, either the 
Bureau of Labor Statistics or the Census Bureau must be able to collect 
data on that occupation.
    10. Data collection and reporting agencies should classify workers 
at the most detailed SOC level possible. Different agencies may use 
different levels of classification and aggregation, depending on their 
ability to collect data and on the requirements of users.
    Please note that in addition to inserting two new principles 
(numbered 5 and 9) and providing some clarifying language, the SOCPC 
has removed ``credentials'' from the list of classification criteria 
for Principle 2 due to the complexity, variability, and frequency of 
change in credential requirements. In particular:
    (1) There are many different types of credentials that apply to 
occupations--State occupational licensing, Federal occupational 
licensing, private sector occupational certifications, as well as 
certifications of particular skill sets that may apply to multiple 
occupations, such as certification in facility with a certain type of 
software, equipment, or safety or regulatory procedures.
    (2) Credentialing requirements vary not only from State to State, 
but may also vary by locality, by industry size class, or by firm.
    (3) There is no current data collection mechanism to obtain 
comprehensive information on occupational credentialing and keep it 
updated; therefore, it is not feasible to adequately factor in 
credentialing requirements when classifying or defining an occupation.
    (4) As technology and other requirements change, credentials change 
over time more rapidly than other variables and these changes could not 
be reflected in a classification that is to remain stable over a 5 to 
10 year period--as attested to by the hundreds of Information 
Technology certifications that have come into existence during the last 
5 to 10 years--the period during which the 2000 SOC was developed and 
put into use.
    The SOCPC invites comments on its proposed revised principles for 
the 2010 SOC.

The SOCPC's Intention To Retain the 2000 SOC Major Group Structure

    The 2000 SOC classifies workers at four levels of aggregation: (1) 
Major Group; (2) Minor Group; (3) Broad Occupation; and (4) Detailed 
Occupation. All occupations are clustered into one of the following 23 
Major Groups:

11-0000 Management Occupations
13-0000 Business and Financial Operations Occupations
15-0000 Computer and Mathematical Occupations
17-0000 Architecture and Engineering Occupations
19-0000 Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations
21-0000 Community and Social Services Occupations
23-0000 Legal Occupations
25-0000 Education, Training, and Library Occupations
27-0000 Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations
29-0000 Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations
31-0000 Healthcare Support Occupations
33-0000 Protective Service Occupations
35-0000 Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations
37-0000 Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations
39-0000 Personal Care and Service Occupations
41-0000 Sales and Related Occupations
43-0000 Office and Administrative Support Occupations
45-0000 Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations
47-0000 Construction and Extraction Occupations
49-0000 Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations
51-0000 Production Occupations
53-0000 Transportation and Material Moving Occupations
55-0000 Military Specific Occupations

    In order to ensure consistency and the potential to satisfy a 
strong user mandate for time series continuity in occupational 
employment and wage data, the SOCPC proposes that no changes be made to 
the current Major Groups as denoted in the 2000 SOC Manual. The SOCPC 
invites comments

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on the proposed decision not to entertain changes to the current Major 
Groups.

Public Proposals for Corrections and Changes to the Existing Detailed 
Occupations

    Generally, the definitions in the SOC contain the minimum 
description needed to let users know which workers would be classified 
in a particular occupation. The SOCPC invites comments on corrections 
concerning typographical or definitional errors and changes to the 
existing detailed occupations. Suggested changes to existing detailed 
occupations may address the occupational title, definition, or 
Illustrative Examples. The SOCPC will also accept comments on the 
possibility of combining some titles into one occupation group and 
separating new titles from existing groups.

Public Proposals for New Detailed Occupations to be Added to the 2010 
SOC

    Changes in the economy, technology, and the workplace may warrant 
additional detailed occupations in the SOC. Changes to the list of 
detailed occupations should be guided by principles established by the 
SOC Policy Committee, and, in the interest of maintaining the 
usefulness of the SOC system, should be easily cross-walked to the 2000 
SOC. The SOCPC invites proposals for new detailed occupations to be 
added to the 2010 SOC. Proposals that include a detailed description of 
the occupation together with an estimate of employment and address the 
ability to collect data on this occupation are welcomed as well as 
comments indicating how suggested changes will better reflect the 
current occupational structure in the U.S. economy.
    The SOCPC recognizes a difference between a job and an occupation. 
Workers in an establishment perform a combination of tasks that is 
largely dependent on factors such as the establishment's industry, what 
tasks other workers in the establishment are performing, and the 
employment size of the establishment. This combination of tasks makes 
up an individual worker's job. The exact group of tasks is often, but 
not always, unique to that worker. Almost every job, however, is 
similar to a number of other jobs.
    Occupational classification schemes examine and organize the 
millions of jobs in the economy into occupations based upon their 
similarities as determined by the scheme's classification principles 
(see above: ``The Revised Principles for the 2010 SOC Proposed by the 
SOCPC''). The schemes define the content of the individual occupations. 
Thus, an occupational definition is a collective description of a 
number of similar individual jobs performed, with minor variations, in 
different establishments. An example of a job is ``Producer Price Index 
supervisory economist'' while the occupation would be ``Economist.'' 
The job ``NBA player'' is specific to a relatively small group, while 
``Athletes and Sports Competitors'' is an occupation. When reviewing 
and evaluating individual proposals, the SOCPC will consider the degree 
to which a proposed addition relates to an occupation rather than a 
job.
    The review and revision of the SOC for 2010 is intended to be 
completed by the end of 2008.

Donald R. Arbuckle,
Acting Administrator and Deputy Administrator, Office of Information 
and Regulatory Affairs.
 [FR Doc. E6-7415 Filed 5-15-06; 8:45 am]
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