Implementing the 2018 Standard Occupational Classification System in the Federal Statistical System

• Activity Number: 124 - Implementing the 2018 Standard Occupational Classification System in the Federal Statistical System
• Type: Topic Contributed
• Date/Time: Monday, July 29, 2019 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
• Sponsor: Social Statistics Section
• Author(s): Lynda Laughlin* and Laurie Salmon* and Kerrie Leslie* and Stella Fayer*
• Companies: U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics and and Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Keywords: Occupation ; Federal surveys ; Employment ; STEM; goverment statistics

Abstract

Every eight to ten years, the federal statistical system updates the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) manual. All federal statistical agencies use the SOC to classify workers and jobs into occupational categories for the purpose of collecting, calculating, analyzing, or disseminating data. In late 2017, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released the 2018 SOC. This session will provide an overview of the 2018 SOC as well as discuss how various federal agencies are or are planning to implement the updated classification system into federal household and employer surveys. These surveys include the American Community Survey, the Current Population Survey, the Occupational Employment Statistics program, as well as many others. Speakers will also discuss options for defining Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) occupations under the 2018 SOC system.