On January 21, 2009, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published a Federal Register notice detailing the final decisions for the 2010 SOC. Please refer to the PDF version available below for more detailed information.
- Federal Register Notice, January 21, 2009 (PDF)
- Federal Register Notice, May 22, 2008 (PDF)
- Federal Register Notice, May 16, 2006 (PDF)
As noted in the Federal Register notice of January 21, 2009, the SOCPC responses to the comments received are provided below.
Plans for the next SOC Revision
The next major review and revision of the SOC is expected to begin in 2013 in preparation for the 2018 SOC. The intent of this revision schedule is to minimize disruption to data providers, producers, and users by promoting simultaneous adoption of revised occupational and industry classification systems for those data series that use both. Given the multiple interdependent programs that rely on the SOC, this is best accomplished by timing revisions of the SOC for the years following North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) revisions, which occur for years ending in 2 and 7. The next such year is 2018, which has the additional benefit of coinciding with the beginning year of the American Community Survey 5-year set of surveys that bracket the 2020 Decennial Census. Thus, OMB intends to consider revisions of the SOC for 2018 and every 10 years thereafter.
Tentative schedule for revising the 2010 SOC for 2018
Federal Register Notice soliciting proposals
SOCPC review of proposals
Federal Register Notice with SOCPC recommendations to OMB |
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Late 2013
Ongoing through 2014
Late 2014 or Early 2015 |
Updating the Direct Match Title File
Overview. The Direct Match Title File (DMTF) lists associated job titles for detailed SOC occupations. Each of these titles is a direct match to a single SOC occupation. All workers with a job title listed in the DMTF are classified in only one detailed SOC occupation code. For example, because a "criminal law professor" would only be classified under 25-1112 Law Teachers, Postsecondary, the SOCPC would consider it a direct match. However, because a title such as "painter" could be classified in more than one occupation, including 27-1013 Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators 47-2141 Painters, Construction and Maintenance, or 51-9122 Painters, Transportation Equipment, the title "painter" is not a direct match.
Requests for additions to the DMTF. Although the SOC revision for 2010 is complete, the SOCPC will continue to serve as a standing committee and periodically consult with OMB, particularly to consider new and emerging occupations and additional titles for the DMTF. Interested parties should submit their request and materials in support of their recommendation to the SOCPC. Supporting materials should include the specific job title in question and the specific SOC code and title believed to be a direct match. The SOC is a task-based classification that does not differentiate occupations based on education or certification, but rather on the work performed. Therefore, the SOCPC will require information regarding the work of individuals with that particular job title. Once all of the materials have been received, the SOCPC will consider the activities involved in the specific job, and whether these activities are unique to that job.
All submissions must coincide with the SOC Classification Principles. The SOCPC encourages individuals and organizations to recommend additions to the DMTF by sending an email with the supporting material described above to soc@bls.gov. Requests will be accumulated throughout the year and presented to the entire SOCPC for approval on a quarterly basis.
