DOES: Sources of Occupational Information

Sources of Occupational Information

Most key national labor market indicators are developed by a relatively few organizations, such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census Bureau, and Bureau of Economic Analysis. Similarly, the National Center for Education Statistics is the principal source for many national education data sets and indicators.

There are various sources of occupational information:

At the state level, most occupational data is developed by state labor market information units and state commerce and education departments.

Some current trends in the workplace:

Total employment is expected to grow at a slower pace: however, the service-producing sector is projected to lead employment growth.
One of the industry groups within durable manufacturing that is expected to grow includes the computer manufacturing industry.
The impact of defense cutbacks on employment is expected to continue through the 2005. However, growth in air travel is expected to offset most of the effects of the defense cutbacks.
Labor force participation rates for women will continue to increase, but less rapidly than in the past 13 years.
Banks, credit unions, and savings and loans are expected to have high rates of growth, but it is expected that mergers and consolidation in the industry will continue, resulting in employment loss.
Employment in the services division is expected to grow. Within this division, most of the projected job growth is in business services and the health services industry.
The 10 fastest growing occupations include workers at all levels of educational attainment; half are health-related occupations.
Administrative support occupations, including clerical, are projected to grow much more slowly than the average and much more slowly than they have in the past, reflecting the increasing impact of office automation.