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Occupational Requirements Survey
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The Occupational Requirements Survey (ORS) is a product of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The ORS provides job-related information regarding physical demands; environmental conditions; education, training, and experience; as well as cognitive and mental requirements for jobs in the U.S. economy.
Notices
- Implementing the 2018 SOC and changes to occupational detail available Read More »
- Link to notice on the BLS page of impact on COVID-19 on ORS. Read More »
Graphics
Click the graphic to enlarge chart: what is ors.
Click the graphic to enlarge chart: why it matters.
Latest Numbers
Physical demands of civilian workers
Sedentary work strength level
27.0% in 2019
Light work strength level
33.8% in 2019
Medium work strength level
28.5% in 2019
Heavy work strength level
9.3% in 2019
Very heavy work strength level
1.5% in 2019
Environmental conditions of civilian workers
Exposed to outdoors
33.4% in 2019
Quiet noise intensity level
14.2% in 2019
Moderate noise intensity level
76.9% in 2019
Loud noise intensity level
8.6% in 2019
Education, training, and experience of civilian workers
No minimum education requirement
31.0% in 2019
High school diploma education requirement
40.0% in 2019
Associate's degree education requirement
4.2% in 2019
Bachelor's degree education requirement
18.1% in 2019
Master's degree education requirement
2.6% in 2019
Professional degree education requirement
1.2% in 2019
Doctorate degree education requirement
0.5% in 2019
Cognitive and mental requirements of civilian workers
Interaction with the general public
75.3% in 2019
Varying work pace
61.1% in 2019
Telework available
9.2% in 2019
Historical Data
News Release
News Releases
In 2019, about 75% of civilian workers were required to interact with the general public
05/28/2020
Interaction with the general public was required for 75.3 percent of civilian workers. In office and administrative support occupations, 86.5 percent of workers were required to interact with the general public and 10.2 percent of workers in production occupations had this requirement.
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Next Release
The Occupational Requirements Survey (ORS) for
2020
is scheduled to be released on
December 22, 2020
at 10:00 A.M. Eastern Time.
Publications
Spotlight on Statistics
Using BLS Data to Match People with Disabilities with Jobs
BLS has many data products that can be used to help individuals with disabilities plan their career paths. This Spotlight on Statistics highlights these products and demonstrates how they can be used to evaluate potential jobs, using two specific occupations as examples. read more »
The Economics Daily
Three-fourths of workers had to interact with the public in 2019; 4.3 percent worked around crowds
In 2019, 75.3 percent of civilian workers were required to interact with the general public. One hundred percent of lawyers, healthcare social workers, and emergency medical technicians were required to interact with the general public. Additionally, 72.0 percent of compliance officers, 61.8 percent of accountants and auditors, and 28.1 percent of restaurant cooks were required to interact with the general public. read more »
Beyond the Numbers
A look at teachers’ job requirements, employer costs, and benefits
In light of this traditional fall routine, this Beyond the Numbers article uses data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Requirements Survey (ORS) program and the National Compensation Survey (NCS) to explore the educational and physical requirements for teachers at different levels in the educational services industry. read more »