Occupational Outlook Handbook: a review of 50 years of change - career services of the Bureau of Labor Statistics - Statistical Data Included

Monthly Labor Review, May, 1999 by Michael J. Pilot

From this nadir, the Office of Employment Projections conducted new occupational studies at a gradual pace over the next 15 years, adding to both occupational content and employment coverage. Employment mentioned in the approximately 250 occupational statements covered in detail in the main body of the current 1998-99 Handbook accounts for 6 out of 7 jobs in the economy. The chapter presenting summary data on occupations not examined in detail lists just 73 occupations, accounting for only about 5 percent of all jobs.

Much of the increase in coverage reported was accomplished by grouping related occupations in a single statement. For example, starting with the 1986-87 edition of the Handbook, the statement on machine tool operators expanded coverage to include all metalworking and plastics-working machine operators, and the statement on welders and flame cutters broadened to include welding machine operators. Program managers believed that grouping these closely related occupations into one statement, rather than several, would make it easier to use the statement in exploring one's career options. In the 1988-89 edition, three industry-specific occupational groupings were added: apparel workers, textile workers, and woodworking occupations. In the 1990-91 edition, an entire major occupational group--handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers--was covered in a single statement.

Starting with the 1990-91 Handbook, the Bureau grouped all professional specialty occupations under a single banner and combined two technician groups, thereby reducing the number of major clustering groups from 20 to 12. The 1998-99 Handbook combined professional specialty and technician occupations and dispersed the agriculture, forestry, fishing, and related occupations, further reducing the occupational arrangement to the following 10 major clusters: executive, administrative, and managerial occupations; professional and technical occupations; marketing and sales; administrative support, including clerical occupations; services; mechanics, installers, and repairers; construction trades; production; transportation and material-moving occupations; and handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers.(8) Industries. The first Handbook contained occupational outlook reports for eight "industries." A separate section covered agricultural production occupations and farm service jobs. A section titled "Trades and Industrial Occupations" included occupational reports covering seven industries: foundries, fur manufacturing, furniture manufacturing, hotels, printing, radio and television broadcasting, and railroads.

During the 1950s, the Bureau developed nearly two dozen industry employment outlook reports, on the following industries: aircraft, the Armed Forces, atomic energy, baking, banking, air transportation, department stores, electric power. electronics, the Federal Government, industrial chemicals, insurance, iron and steel, men's tailored clothing, automobiles, paper and allied products, petroleum production and refining, plastics products, radio and television broadcasting, retail food stores, shipbuilding and ship repairing, State and local government, and the telephone industry. Two of the original industries--fur manufacturing and furniture manufacturing--were dropped after the 1951 edition. Shipbuilding and ship repairing appeared only in that edition. Plastics products would become part of industrial chemicals, men's tailored clothing part of apparel. Petroleum production and refining eventually would be split into petroleum and natural gas production and processing, and petroleum refining.