About the Numbers: National Industry-Occupation Employment Matrix

Sources of the data

The National Industry-Occupation Employment Matrix is developed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as part of its ongoing Occupational Employment Projections Program. Data from the 2006-16 matrix will underlie information on occupational employment growth presented in the 2008-09 edition of the Occupational Outlook Handbook and Career Guide to Industries. The 2006 matrix was developed primarily from the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey, the Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey, and the Current Population Survey (CPS). The 2016 matrix was developed as part of the procedures used to project occupational employment.

The 2006-2016 National Employment Matrix that presents employment for over 300 detailed industries and more than 700 detailed occupations was used to develop data for this web site. These matrices are available electronically for users who want to manipulate the data for other purposes. For information on how to access these files, visit our ftp site and follow the instructions in the readme file.

Occupational classification

The occupations covered reflect the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey, the source used to generate data to develop the 2006 National Employment Matrix. The OES survey data are consistent with the 2000 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system. Data on the self-employed, unemployment rate, and the percent working part time are based on Current Population Survey (CPS) data for equivalent occupations. A crosswalk was used to distribute CPS data to occupations in the National Employment Matrix.

Industry classification

Industries covered in the national employment matrix reflect the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Self-employed, unpaid family workers, and workers who have a second job in agricultural production, forestry, fishing, and private households are listed separately in order to derive total employment.

Data suppression

Occupation and industry cells with less than 50 workers are not displayed in the search results.

Projections methodology

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projections of industrial and occupational employment are developed in a series of six interrelated steps, each of which is based on a different procedure or model and related assumptions: labor force, aggregate economy, final demand (GDP) by consuming sector and product, industry output, employment by industry, and employment by occupation. The results produced by each step are key inputs to following steps, and the sequence may be repeated multiple times to allow feedback and to insure consistency.

Projections updates

National employment projections are developed every other year. The next National projections cycle will cover the 2008-2018 period. Those projections are scheduled to be published in the November 2009 Monthly Labor Review and to be available on this web site very soon after that date.

Note

The accuracy of projections for individual occupations is subject, of course, to error because of the many unknown factors that will affect the economy over the projection period. Furthermore, while occupational employment projections and related job outlook information can provide valuable inputs to the career decision-making process, they should not be the sole basis for a choice of career.

Home | Occupation Across Industries Search | Industry Employment Search | About the Numbers | Related Information

 

Last Modified Date: April 15, 2008