Overview
The Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program
conducts a semiannual mail survey designed to produce estimates of
employment and wages for specific occupations. The OES program collects
data on wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments in order to
produce employment and wage estimates for about 800 occupations. Data from
self-employed persons are not collected and are not included in the
estimates. The OES program produces these occupational estimates for the
nation as a whole, by state, by metropolitan or nonmetropolitan area, and
by industry or ownership. The Bureau of Labor Statistics produces
occupational employment and wage estimates for over 450 industry
classifications at the national level. The industry classifications
correspond to the sector, 3-, 4-, and selected 5- and 6-digit North
American Industry Classification System (NAICS) industrial groups.
The OES program surveys approximately 200,000 establishments per panel
(every six months), taking three years to fully collect the sample of 1.2
million establishments. To reduce respondent burden, the collection is on
a three-year survey cycle that ensures that establishments are surveyed at
most once every three years. The estimates for occupations in nonfarm
establishments are based on OES data collected for the reference months of
May and November.
The OES survey is a federal-state cooperative program between the
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). BLS
provides the procedures and technical support, draws the sample, and
produces the survey materials, while the SWAs collect the data. SWAs from
all fifty states, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and
the Virgin Islands participate in the survey. Occupational employment and
wage rate estimates at the national level are produced by BLS using data
from the fifty states and the District of Columbia. Employers who respond
to states' requests to participate in the OES survey make these estimates
possible.
The employment data are benchmarked to an average of the May and
November employment levels. The most recent wage data are for May 2015.
The OES survey began using the North American Industry Classification
System (NAICS) in 2002. In May 2012, the OES survey switched to the 2012
NAICS classification system from the 2007 NAICS. Data prior to 2002 are
based on the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system.
In 1999, the OES survey began using the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system. The May 2010 OES
estimates marked the first set of estimates based, in part, on data
collected for the 2010 Standard Occupational Classification system. The
May 2014 OES estimates are all 2010 SOC occupations.
Prior to 1996, the OES program collected only occupational employment
data for selected industries in each year of the three-year survey cycle,
and produced only industry-specific estimates of occupational employment.
The 1996 survey round was the first year that the OES program began
collecting occupational employment and wage data in every state. In
addition, the program's three-year survey cycle was modified to collect
data from all covered industries each year. 1997 is the earliest year
available for which the OES program produced estimates of cross-industry
as well as industry-specific occupational employment and wages.
The May 2015 OES estimates are benchmarked to the average of the May
2015 and November 2014 reference periods. May 2015 employment and wage
estimates are based on all data collected from establishments in the May
2015, November 2014, May 2014, November 2013, May 2013, and November 2012
semiannual samples. Wages for the current panel, May 2015, need no
adjustment. However, wages in the five previous panels have been adjusted
to the May 2015 reference period by using the over-the-year wage changes
in the most applicable national Employment Cost Index series. For
additional information, see the Technical Notes for May 2015 OES
Estimates.
Survey Coverage and Scope
- The OES survey covers all full-time and part-time wage and salary
workers in nonfarm industries. Surveys collect data for the payroll
period including the 12th day of May or November. The survey does not
cover the self-employed, owners and partners in unincorporated firms,
household workers, or unpaid family workers.
- The OES survey produces estimates of occupational employment and
wages at the NAICS sector, 3-digit, 4-digit, and selected 5- and 6-digit
industry levels. The OES survey covers the following NAICS industries:
11 Logging (1133), support
activities for crop production (1151), and support activities for animal
production (1152) only.
21 Mining
22 Utilities
23 Construction
31-33 Manufacturing
42 Wholesale trade
44-45 Retail
trade
48-49 Transportation and warehousing
51 Information
52 Finance and insurance
53 Real estate and rental and leasing
54 Professional, scientific, and
technical services
55 Management of
companies and enterprises
56 Administrative and support and waste
management and remediation services
61 Educational services
62 Healthcare and social assistance
71 Arts, entertainment, and recreation
72 Accommodation and food services
81 Other services (except federal,
state, and local Government)
99 Federal, state, and local government
(OES designation)
Occupational employment and wage estimates
available on the OES web site
Uses of OES data
- Analysis of occupational employment
- Analysis of occupational wages
- Development of occupational projections
- Vocational counseling and planning
- Industry skill and technology studies
- Market analysis
Last Modified Date: March 30, 2016