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Research and Development

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O*NET provides fundamental occupational information for:

  • labor market information specialists
  • career information delivery systems (CIDS) developers
  • software developers
  • industrial/organizational psychologists
  • curriculum developers
  • job analysts
  • business forecasters
  • efficiency experts
  • organizational consultants
  • industry analysts
  • workforce researchers

O*NET Overview

O*NET is a new system for identifying and organizing data that define the world of work.

O*NET will replace the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT), currently the nation's primary source of occupational information. Offering more than merely updated data, O*NET provides a new conceptual framework that reflects the advanced technologies, adaptable workplace structures, and wide-ranging skills required by today's changing workplace.

O*NET can help all Americans make informed employment decisions. O*NET's usefulness will expand as its data become increasingly accessible to the public.

O*NET Content Model

The O*NET database identifies, defines, describes, and classifies occupations. O*NET provides users with the following types of occupational information:

  • Experience Requirements — Training, Experience, Licensing
  • Worker Requirements — Basic and Cross-Functional Skills, General Knowledges, Education
  • Occupation Requirements — Generalized Work Activities, Work Context, Organizational Context
  • Worker Characteristics — Abilities, Interests, Work Styles
  • Occupation Specific Information — Occupational Knowledges, Occupational Skills, Tasks
  • Occupation Characteristics — Labor Market Information, Occupational Outlook, Wages

O*NET classifies data into these domains, giving you six "windows" to look into all aspects of the workplace.

O*NET Data: A Foundation to Build On

No one effort, public or private, can capture all aspects or target all the dimensions involved in the changing workplace. Government's participation helps insure objectivity and fairness in data collection, but government alone cannot build the extensive occupational information network today's economy demands.

The O*NET database will serve as the publicly funded hub of a vast network of developers, agencies, and organizations working with a common goal: to create materials that enhance the employment potential of all Americans.

O*NET is part of the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration's comprehensive workforce development strategy to build and display critical information for job seekers and employers in a user-friendly manner.

O*NET is designed to serve as an occupational/labor market information resource for public and private sector use and development.

Development of O*NET Data

Technical reports are available which describe the development of O*NET data. See Development of Occupational Interest Profiles for O*NET and Determining the Occupational Reinforcer Patterns of O*NET Occupational Units.