How to Interpret Occupational Information Included in the Handbook

Unless otherwise noted, the source of employment and earnings data presented in the Handbook is the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many Handbook statements cite earnings data from the Current Population Survey (CPS), while other statements include earnings data from outside sources. Since the characteristics of these data vary, it is difficult to compare earnings precisely among occupations.

For any occupation that sounds interesting, use the Handbook to find out what the work entails; what education and training is required; what the advancement possibilities, earnings, and job outlook are; and what related occupations are. Each occupational statement in the Handbook follows a standard format, making it easier for you to compare occupations. The following highlights information presented in each section of a Handbook statement, and gives some hints on how to interpret the information provided.

About those Numbers at the Beginning of Each Statement

Significant Points

• Highlights key occupational characteristics.

Nature of the Work

• What workers do on the job, the equipment they use, and how closely they are supervised.
• How the duties of workers vary by industry, establishment and size of firm.
• How the responsibilities of entry-level workers differ from those of experienced, supervisory, or self-employed workers.
• How technological innovations are affecting what workers do and how they do it.
• Emerging specialties.

Working Conditions

• Typical hours worked.
• The workplace environment.
• Susceptibility to injury, illness, and job-related stress.
• Necessary protective clothing and safety equipment.
• Physical activities required.
• Extent of travel required.

Employment

• The number of jobs the occupation provided in 1996.
• Key industries employing workers in the occupation.
• Geographic distribution of jobs.
• The proportion of part-time (fewer than 35 hours a week) and self-employed workers in the occupation.

Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement

• Most significant sources of training, typical length of training, and training preferred by employers.
• Whether workers acquire skills through previous work experience, informal on-the-job training, formal training (including apprenticeships), the Armed Forces, home study, or hobbies and other activities.
• Formal educational requirements—high school, postsecondary vocational or technical training, college, or graduate or professional education.
• Desirable skills, aptitudes, and personal characteristics.
• Certification, examination, or licensing required for entry into the field, advancement, or for independent practice.
• Continuing education or skill improvement requirements.
• Advancement opportunities.

Job Outlook

• Forces that will result in growth or decline in the number of jobs.
• Relative number of job openings an occupation provides. Occupations which are large and have high turnover rates generally provide the most job openings—reflecting the need to replace workers who transfer to other occupations or stop working.
• Degree of competition for jobs. Is there a surplus or shortage of jobseekers compared to the number of job openings available? Do opportunities vary by industry, size of firm, or geographic location? Even in overcrowded fields, job openings do exist, and good students or well-qualified individuals should not be deterred from undertaking training or seeking entry.
• Susceptibility to layoffs due to imports, slowdowns in economic activity, technological advancements, or budget cuts.

Earnings

• Typical earnings of workers in the occupation.
• If earnings tend to vary with experience, location, and tenure.
• Whether workers are compensated through annual salaries, hourly wages, commissions, piece rates, tips, or bonuses.
• Earnings of wage and salary workers compared to self-employed persons, who held about 8 percent of all jobs in 1994.
• Benefits, including health insurance, pensions, paid vacation and sick leave, family leave, child care or elder care, employee assistance programs, summers off, sabbaticals, tuition for dependents, discounted airfare or merchandise, stock options, profit sharing plans, savings plans, or expense accounts.

Related Occupations

• Occupations involving similar aptitudes, interests, education, and training.

Sources of Additional Information

• Listings of mailing addresses for associations, government agencies, unions, and other organizations which provide useful occupational information. In some cases, toll-free phone numbers, Internet homepage addresses, FAX num-bers, and electronic mail addresses are provided.
• Free or relatively inexpensive publications offering more information, some of which may be available in libraries, school career centers, or guidance offices.

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