CAUTION:
The information on this page relates to the 2000 SOC, for more recent information, see the 2010 SOC System.
SOC Federal Register Notice
October 5, 1995
Source: Office of Management and Budget Current Federal Register
Posting
Standard Occupational Classification Revision Policy Committee's
Proposals for Revising the SOC's principles of Classification,
Purpose and Scope, and Conceptual Framework.
Agency: Office of Management and Budget, Executive
Office of the President.
Action: Notice of solicitation of comments.
Summary: Under title 44 U.S.C. 3504, the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB) is seeking public comment on the
Standard Occupational Classification Revision Policy Committee's
(SOCRPC) proposals for revising the 1980 Standard Occupational
Classification (SOC) Manual's principles of classification,
purpose and scope, and conceptual framework. In a prior Federal
Register notice ( February 28, 1995, 60 FR 10998-11002),
the public was provided the opportunity to comment on the uses
of occupational data; propose changes to the existing 1980 SOC
classification principles, purpose and scope, and conceptual options;
and review the SOCRPC's proposed revision process. OMB plans another
public comment period on the SOCRPC's final recommendations in
the fall of 1996 when the SOCRPC will propose changes to the existing
SOC Manual at the detailed occupation level based
on an agreed upon set of classification principles, purpose and
scope, and unified conceptual framework. The SOC revision is tentatively
scheduled for implementation beginning in July 1997. All Federal
agencies that collect occupational data are expected to utilize
the new system.
Request for comments. The SOCRPC welcomes comments
with respect to any topic related to occupational classification,
but is specifically interested in comments concerning:
- the classification principles underlying the new SOC,
- the purpose and scope of the new SOC,
- the unified conceptual framework used to guide the revision,
and
- public proposals for changes to the existing SOC at the detailed
4-digit level based on the principles, purpose and scope, and
conceptual framework presented in this notice.
Dates: To ensure consideration in the development
of the SOC, all comments must be in writing and received on or
before November 17, 1995.
Addresses: Please send comments to Standard Occupational Classification Revision Policy Committee, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Suite 4945, 2 Massachusetts Avenue, N.E., Washington, DC 20212.
Electronic availability and comment. 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 "/bls/l"
then select "Surveys and Programs," then select "Occupational
Employment Statistics," then select "Standard Occupational
Classification Documents." To obtain this document via E-mail
or to submit comments, send a message to socrevision@bls.gov (use
only lower case letters). Comments received at this address by
the date specified above will be included as part of the official
record.
Supplementary Information:
Background
The Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Manual was last
revised in 1980. Furthermore, it has not been fully utilized by
Federal occupational data gathering agencies which have frequently
departed from the standard over the years as new occupations have
emerged and opportunities for improvements have presented themselves.
In view of these circumstances, the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) has acknowledged the need to develop a new SOC and obtain
the cooperation of all Federal occupational data collection agencies
in using the new standard.
In its February 28, 1995, Federal Register notice,
OMB announced the formation of the Standard Occupational Revision
Policy Committee, chaired by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS),
with representatives from the Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department
of Commerce; the Employment and Training Administration (ETA),
U.S. Department of Labor; the Office of Personnel Management;
and the Defense Manpower Data Center, U.S. Department of Defense.
Ex officio members include the Office of Management and Budget,
the National Science Foundation, and the National Occupational
Information Coordinating Committee. The SOCRPC reports to OMB,
which has responsibility for all economic classification systems
(other than those for international trade).
Following the issuance of the first Federal Register
notice, the Employment and Training Administration and the Bureau
of Labor Statistics sponsored a Seminar on Research Findings in
April 1995, on behalf of the SOCRPC. The seminar papers provided
insights useful in the decision making process concerning conceptual
issues, principles of classification, compatibility with existing
databases, and measurability. The seminar provided a forum for
discussion of key issues related to the development of the new
SOC. These were separated into three main topics: (1) user needs,
(2) conceptual options, and (3) measurement issues. In addition
to the authors who presented their papers, the seminar was attended
by representatives of agencies involved directly with the SOC
revision and by other interested parties from government, private
industry, and research organizations. The papers from the seminar
were published in the SOCRPC's Seminar on Research Findings,
April 11, 1995 and are available through the BLS information
contact.
As a result of responses to the previous Federal Register
notice and the Committee's other activities, the SOCRPC, with
the concurrence of OMB, has agreed that a common occupational
classification system for the United States is needed and should
be put in place.
Part 1: Standard Occupational Classification Principles
The SOCRPC recommends that the new Standard Occupational Classification
system should conform to a set of common principles, the immediate
purpose of which would be to guide the development of the new
classification structure:
(1) The Classification should cover 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 should exclude occupations unique to volunteers.
(2) The Classification should reflect the current occupational
structure of the United States and have sufficient flexibility
to assimilate new occupations into the structure as they become
known.
(3) While striving to reflect the current occupational structure,
the Classification should maintain linkage with past systems.
The importance of historical comparability should be weighed against
the desire for incorporating substantive changes to occupations
occurring in the work force.
(4) Occupations should be classified based upon work performed,
skills, education, training, licensing, and credentials.
(5) Occupations should be classified in homogeneous groups that
are defined so that the content of each group is clear.
(6) Each occupation should be assigned to only one group at the
lowest level of the Classification.
(7) The employment size of an occupational group should not be
the major reason for including or excluding it from separate identification.
(8) Supervisors should be identified separately from the workers
they supervise wherever possible in keeping with the real structure
of the world of work. An exception should be made for professional
and technical occupations where supervisors or lead workers should
be classified in the appropriate group with the workers they supervise.
(9) Apprentices and trainees should be classified with the occupations
for which they are being trained, while helpers and aides should
be classified separately since they are not in training for the
occupation they are helping.
(10) Comparability with the International Standard Classification
of Occupations (ISCO-88) should be considered in the structure,
but should not be an overriding factor.
Request for Comments: The Committee invites comments
on the classification principles proposed for the new SOC.
Part 2: Purpose And Scope
In addition to developing classification principles, it is also
important to define the purpose and scope of the new SOC. The
Committee agrees with many of the original goals and purposes
of the 1980 SOC. The current effort will emphasize the OMB mandate
for the use of the SOC by all Federal occupation data gatherers
and the need for collecting and maintaining the data required
to adjust and improve the SOC on a regular basis.
The basic purpose of the Standard Occupational Classification
is to provide a mechanism for referencing and aggregating occupation-related
data. The system is designed to maximize the analytical utility
of statistics on labor force, employment, income, and other occupational
data collected for a variety of purposes by various agencies of
the United States Government, State and local government agencies,
professional associations, labor unions, research organizations,
and private industry.
The SOC provides a coding system and taxonomy for identifying
and classifying occupations within a framework suitable for a
wide variety of users both in and out of government. Due to the
extensive amount of occupational detail existing within the SOC
and the myriad uses for the data, different users will likely
have varying needs for levels of detail. The SOC is constructed
with the flexibility to allow for this range of detail requirements.
It is intended that all major Federal occupational data gatherers
will use this classification as the basic framework for their
information collections. The SOC thus will serve as the Nation's
comprehensive occupational classification system.
To allow for changes in the structure of occupations, periodic
reviews and revisions will draw on the experience gained in using
the system.
Request for Comments: The Committee invites comments
on the purpose and scope of the SOC.
Part 3: The Conceptual Framework for the New Standard
Occupational Classification
The February Federal Register notice provided
four options for a conceptual framework for the new SOC. These
were: (1) type-of-work performed, (2) the International Standard
Classification of Occupations (ISCO-88), (3) skills-based systems,
and (4) economic-based systems.
Based upon comments received in response to the Federal
Register notice, evaluation of the papers from the Seminar
on Research Findings, and much deliberation by members of the
SOCRPC, the Committee has selected a hybrid concept that focuses
on type-of-work performed but incorporates skills-based considerations
as the conceptual framework for the new SOC. The committee based
its decision, in part, on the need to maximize the ability of
users to link the new system with the historical system. The SOCRPC
recognized that, in view of the predominant uses of the classification
system, a skills-based taxonomy is also needed.
A skills-based system is defined as one that considers the person's
ability to carry out the tasks and duties of a given job. Skill
has two dimensions. The first is related to the complexity and
range of tasks and duties including knowledge and experience,
which are often defined by preparation levels and credentials,
considered necessary for new entrants to an occupation (skill
level). The second is related to both the type-of-work performed
and the nature of the work activities. These encompass all aspects
of the work including materials handled, tools and equipment used,
and kinds of goods and services produced (skill type). Though
both will be considered, it is expected that skill type will be
the predominant dimension considered in developing the new SOC,
because type is more measurable than level.
The Committee proposes the use of the BLS Occupational Employment
Statistics (OES) occupational classification system as the starting
point for the new SOC framework. The Committee also proposes the
use of the O*NET (The Occupational Information Network), ETA's
new automated replacement for the Dictionary of Occupational Titles
(DOT), to inform the development of the new SOC.
During the period of preparation of the new system, the SOCRPC
will continue to monitor developments in the field, including
experience in other countries, and will evaluate adding skills-based
components to the SOC when agencies can measure and collect them,
or when a dependable skills-oriented database is established.
In particular, the SOCRPC will continue to evaluate the measurability
of competencies—those attributes that the person brings to the
job that reflect, in addition to skill level and type, attitudes
and the like.
Request For Comments: The Committee invites comments
on the proposal for the conceptual basis of the SOC, and on the
proposal to use the BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES)
occupational classification system as the starting point for the
creation of the new SOC framework.
Part 4: Detailed occupational level changes to the existing
SOC based on the principles and conceptual framework presented
in this Federal Register notice.
The Committee is interested in obtaining as much information as
possible concerning the needs of the public for changes to specific
occupational categories. Many of the issues related to the concepts
and principles for the new SOC are broad-based, e.g., whether
or not emerging, highly-technical jobs are adequately represented.
However, as part of the revision, occupations at the most detailed
levels must be considered. Thus, the SOCRPC is seeking suggestions
for detailed occupational changes that add or delete current occupations
within the 1980 SOC.
Request For Comments: All comments, however specific
or general in nature, whether comprehensive to the entire occupational
structure or pertinent to only one occupation, are welcome.
Work Plan
The SOCRPC intends to begin the detailed development of the new
SOC with the formation of work teams from the Federal agencies
in December 1995. Public comments and the input from member agencies
will form the basis for the development of the new classification
structure. The specific milestones for activities of the SOCRPC
are as follows:
(1) Work teams established to begin work on the SOC detailed revision.
(December 1995)
(2) Draft SOCRPC recommendations on the detailed SOC revision
completed. (June 1996)
(3) Seminar to discuss the draft SOCRPC recommendations and the
implications of the new SOC for other occupational classification
systems. (August 1996)
(4) Publish Federal Register notice of final
SOCRPC recommendations for public comment. (September 1996)
(5) Publish Federal Register notice of final
OMB decisions on SOC. (January 1997)
(6) Development and publication of new SOC Manual.
(July 1997)
Public Review Procedure: All comments and proposals
received in response to this notice will be available for public
inspection at the Bureau of Labor Statistics during normal business
hours, 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., in Suite 4945, 2 Massachusetts
Avenue, N.E., Washington DC 20212. Please call BLS on (202) 691-6511
to obtain an appointment to enter the suite. The SOCRPC final
recommendations will be published in the Federal Register
for public review and comment prior to final action by OMB.
References
(1) The Standard Occupational Classification Manual, 1980,
was published by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Federal
Statistical Policy and Standards and can be found in many reference
libraries. It is now available in print and 9-track magnetic tape
formats from the National Technical Information Service, 5285
Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161, catalog number PB81-162521,
telephone number (703) 487-4650, FAX (703) 321-8547.
(2) Standard Occupational Classification Revision Policy Committee,
"Summary of Comments on the February 28, 1995 Federal Register
Notice concerning the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC)
Revision Policy Committee Proposal to Revise the SOC," May
1995. Available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2 Massachusetts
Avenue, N.E., Washington DC, 20212, telephone number (202) 691-6511,
FAX (202) 691-6645.
(3) Standard Occupational Classification Revision Policy Committee,
Seminar on Research Findings, April 11, 1995, September
1995. Available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2 Massachusetts
Avenue, N.E., Washington DC, 20212, telephone number (202) 691-6511,
FAX (202) 691-6645.
(4) The definitions and occupational structure for the Occupational
Employment Statistics (OES) occupational classification system
can be obtained electronically or in hard copy by contacting the
Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Program, Suite 4840, 2 Massachusetts
Avenue, N.E., Washington DC, 20212, telephone number (202) 691-6569,
FAX (202) 691-6645.
Sally Katzen
Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Last Modified Date: October 26, 2009