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Frequently asked questions
A link for contacting us is at the bottom of this page.
However, before contacting us, please see if your question is covered in this list of frequently asked questions.
Most questions we receive are covered by the information below.
Topics:
Will you hire me or provide information on a specific job for me?The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) hires primarily economists, mathematical statisticians, and computer specialists. Information on jobs with the BLS and how to apply for them may be found at http://www.bls.gov/bls/jobshome.htm.
Additional career information is available at America's Career InfoNet at http://www.acinet.org/acinet/. Information on job search methods and addresses of local sources of information is available in the Sources of Career Information section of the Occupational Outlook Handbook at http://www.bls.gov/oco/oco2002.htm.
If you are not a U.S. citizen, you should check immigration rules with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) (http://uscis.gov/graphics/index.htm) before attempting to get a job in the United States.
The Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) provides information on nature of work; working conditions; employment; training, advancement, and other qualifications; job outlook; earnings; related occupations; and sources of additional information for over 250 different occupations covering 9 out of 10 jobs in the economy. The OOH is available at http://www.bls.gov/oco/. Occupations may be searched both in the index or in the table of contents.
The Career Guide to industries (CGI) provides similar information as found in the OOH: nature of the industry; working conditions; employment; occupations in the industry; training and advancement; earnings; and sources of additional information for over 40 different industries covering 2 out of 3 wage and salary jobs in the economy.
The CGI is available at http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg/.
Both the OOH and CGI are broken up into clusters. In order to find an occupation or industry, browse the clusters of interest. There is also an index if you know the specific occupation or industry.
Many occupations and job titles are included within occupations that are covered in the Occupational Outlook Handbook. If you cannot find an occupation you are interested in, look under the alphabetical index using alternate or similar occupational titles to search for an occupation. Also, the Occupational Outlook Quarterly, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, publishes articles on some occupations and other fields that are not covered in the Handbook or Career Guide to Industries. Recent issues of the Occupational Outlook Quarterly are available online at http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/ooqhome.htm.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not provide specific career guidance advice. Nevertheless, most Occupational Outlook Handbook statements do give general guidance on the education and training needed to enter occupations. The outlook sections of occupations of interest to you also should be consulted.
America's Career Info Net at http://www.acinet.org/acinet/library.htm?category=1.5 has links to career guidance associations and services.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics develops projections only for the Nation as a whole. Almost all States make projections for their States and some local areas. These projections are available at www.projectionscentral.com. In addition, current employment data by occupation for States and areas are available from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey at http://www.bls.gov/oes/. Employment by industry by States and areas is available from the Current Employment Statistics survey at http://www.bls.gov/sae/. Local area unemployment statistics are available at http://www.bls.gov/lau/.
The Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections home page at http://www.bls.gov/emp/ has a great deal of data on and links to projected employment by occupation and industry. It also has links to data on the projected labor force, industry output, earnings, education and training data, data on the aggregate economy, and the National Employment Matrix, which, for each occupation,provides base year and projected employment by each industry, and for each industry, provides base year and projected employment by detailed occupation.
You will find data on employment by detailed occupation, sex, race, and hispanic origin at ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/special.requests/lf/aat11.txt. These data are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Population survey, a survey of households. The Current Population Survey data uses a different occupational classification from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey that is the primary source of employment data for the Occupational Outlook Handbook, so the coverage of some occupations may not match.
Data on unemployment, prices, and other labor statistics-related topics are available through the Bureau of Labor Statistics home page at http://www.bls.gov/.
Although the Bureau of Labor Statistics does not have any information regarding your legal employment rights, America's Career Info Net has links to Department of Labor and labor law sites at http://www.acinet.org/acinet/library.htm?category=2.5 and from the Department of Labor at http://www.dol.gov/compliance/.
A list of the occupations projected to grow the fastest is available at http://www.bls.gov/emp/emptab21.htm.
Occupations with the largest projected growth are available at http://www.bls.gov/emp/emptab3.htm.
A list of industries with the fastest projected employment growth is available at http://www.bls.gov/emp/empfastestind.htm.
Although the Bureau of Labor Statistics does not make projections for States or areas, almost all States make projections for their States and some local areas. These projections are available at http://www.projectionscentral.com
The Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections page at http://www.bls.gov/emp/ has a great deal of data on and links to projected employment by occupation and industry, including the National Employment Matrix, which, for each occupation, provides base year and projected employment by each industry, and for each industry, provides base year and projected employment by detailed occupation.
- Why might there be a difference between estimated employment in a particular occupation in the Occupational Outlook Handbook and estimated employment in that same occupation from surveys such as the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) Survey or the Current Population Survey (CPS)?
The source of estimated employment in a particular occupation in the Handbook is the Bureau's National Employment Matrix. Data in the matrix come primarily from the establishment-based OES Survey, which reports employment of wage and salary workers only, for each occupation in every industry except agriculture and private households. Matrix data also come from the household-based CPS, which provides information on the number of self-employed and unpaid family workers in each occupation. The matrix also incorporates CPS employment data for all classes of workers—wage and salary, self-employed, and unpaid family—in the agriculture and private household industries. The estimate of total employment (all classes of workers) in each Handbook occupation combines data from several different sources. Furthermore, some Handbook occupations combine several matrix occupations. For these reasons, employment numbers cited in the Handbook often differ from employment data provided by the OES, CPS, and other employment surveys.
The Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program, (http://www.bls.gov/oes/) produces employment and wage
estimates for over 700 occupations. These are estimates of the number of people employed in certain occupations, and estimates of the wages paid
to them. These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual
States, and for metropolitan areas; national occupational estimates for specific industries are also available.
Self-employed persons are not included in the estimates.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not collect data on starting salaries. Some job outlook statements in the Occupational Outlook Handbook present information on starting salaries provided by selected outside sources.
A tabulation showing 2006 median earnings by educational attainment can be found at
http://www.bls.gov/emp/emptab7.htm.
To get a sort on 2006 median annual earnings for occupations by selected education/training level, go to
http://data.bls.gov/servlet/
oep.noeted.servlet.ActionServlet?Action=empeduc.
Listed below are the 25 occupations with the highest median annual earnings in May 2006. The source is the Bureau of Labor
Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics survey. For more information on and data from this survey, go to
http://www.bls.gov/oes/.
Occupations with the highest median earnings, May 2006
| Occupation |
Median earnings |
Chief executives |
greater than $145,600 |
Physicians and Surgeons |
greater than $145,600 |
Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers |
141,090 |
Dentists |
136,960 |
Air traffic controllers |
117,240 |
Podiatrists |
108,220 |
Engineering managers |
105,430 |
Lawyers |
102,470 |
Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates |
101,690 |
Computer and information systems managers |
101,580 |
Natural sciences managers |
100,080 |
Marketing managers |
98,720 |
Petroleum engineers |
98,380 |
Astronomers |
95,740 |
Pharmacists |
94,520 |
Physicists |
94,240 |
Computer and information scientists, research |
93,950 |
Sales managers |
91,560 |
Optometrists |
91,040 |
Financial managers |
90,970 |
Nuclear engineers |
90,220 |
Political scientists |
90,140 |
Computer hardware engineers |
88,470 |
Aerospace engineers |
87,610 |
Mathematicians |
86,930 |
- Where can I find a school that offers the training or education
I need to enter this occupation?
- What courses should I take to enter this occupation?
- Do you have information on licensing requirements?
BLS does not have information on specific providers of education or training.
America's Career Info Net at http://www.acinet.org/acinet/exp_skills.htm has a great deal of information on
finding sources of education and training.
Most occupational statements (pages) describe the general educational preparation necessary to enter the occupation. This information
is usually available under the training, other qualifications, and advancement section in each OOH statement. Beyond this, we are unable
to advise you on the specific courses to take. However, a page on America's Career Info Net
at http://www.acinet.org/acinet/library.htm has links to career guidance associations and services that may be able to advise you.
Beyond the general information on licensing presented in the training, other qualifications, and advancement sections of some occupational statements,
we do not have information on specific licensing requirements because these requirements often vary by State. However, America's Career Info Net at
http://www.careerinfonet.org/acinet/
licensedoccupations/lois_state.asp
allows you to search for occupational
licensing requirements by State, occupation, or agency.
- How do I get a copy of the print version of the Occupational Outlook Handbook or the Career Guide to Industries?
- Who is the author of the Occupational Outlook Handbook or Career Guide to Industries? How do I make a citation for this site
- May I reproduce material from the Occupational Outlook Handbook or Career Guide to Industries sites?
- May I link to this site?
- How do I contact the webmaster?
The Occupational Outlook Handbook and Career Guide to Industries sites contain virtually identical material to the print versions of
these publications. However, if you want a hard copy of these or other Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections publications,
ordering information for is available at http://www.bls.gov/emp/emppub2.htm.
The suggested citation for the Occupational Outlook Handbook web site is:
"Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor,
Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition, [date accessed] [http://www.bls.gov/oco/]."
The suggested citation for the Career Guide to Industries web site is:
"Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor,
Career Guide to Industries, 2008-09 Edition, [date accessed] [http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg/home.htm]."
The suggested citation for the print version of the Occupational Outlook Handbook is:
"Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition, Bulletin 2700.
Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 2006."
The suggested citation for the print version of the Career Guide to Industries is:
"Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Career Guide to Industries, 2006-07 Edition, Bulletin 2601.
Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 2006."
Material on these sites is in the public domain and, with appropriate credit, may be reproduced without permission.
Yes. You may link to this site without permission.
Address technical (web) questions to: webmaster@bls.gov
- How do I join the United States military?
- Can I join the United States military if I am not a US citizen?
The best way to get information on United States military entry requirements is to call or visit your local recruiter.
Phone numbers and addresses should be in your local phone book. In addition, the Defense Manpower Data Center, an agency of the
U.S. Department of Defense, publishes Military Career Guide Online (http://www.todaysmilitary.com/app/tm/careers), a
compendium of military occupational, training, and career information designed for use by students and jobseekers.
Also each military service publishes Handbooks, factsheets, and pamphlets describing entrance requirements,
training and advancement opportunities, and other aspects of military careers. These publications are widely available at all
recruiting stations, at most State employment service offices, and in high schools, colleges, and public libraries.
You must have U. S. citizenship or proof of permanent residency to join any branch of the U. S. military.
Immigration rules are set by the US Citizenship amd Immigration Services (http://uscis.gov/graphics/index.htm)
Last Modified Date: April 14, 2008
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