Work, Jobs, and Occupations A Critical Review of the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (1980) / Chapter Skim
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1 INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY
1 INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY
Pages 1-17
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In 1939 this research program produced the first edition of the Dictionary of Occupational Titles. Subsequent editions of the Dictionary of Occupational Titles were produced in 1949, 1965, and 1977.
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A' plan to automate the operations of Employment Service offices using a descriptive system of occupational keywords rather than occupational titles has led to a claim that a dictionary of occupational titles and the occupational research program that produces it are outmoded. Since the automated keyword system does not rely explicitly on defined occupational titles, it is claimed that the new system would reduce costs by eliminating the need for a research program to supply the occupational definitions.
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The committee was next charged to consider a set of questions concerning the adequacy and usefulness of the current edition of the Dictionary of Occupational Titles and the types of research that would be needed to produce a more reliable and useful document. The committee's concerns in this regard centered on the reliability and validity of the occupational data collected and analyzed by the occupational analysis program of the Employment Service, the usefulness of the classification structure of the current edition, and the potential for improvement in the document through revisions in the kinds of data collected and data collection procedures.
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Chapters 5 and 6 describe how the Dictionary of Occupational Titles is produced: chapter 5 focuses on the organization of the occupational analysis program of the Employment Service, the unit charged with producing the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, and chapter 6 describes the process by which the current edition was created. Chapters 7 and 8 evaluate the Dictionary of Occupational Titles: chapter 7 focuses on the adequacy of the data it contains, and chapter 8 discusses the Dictionary of Occupational Titles and other classification systems as tools for assessing the similarity of occupations.
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First, the DOT provides a classification structure for organizing information about job openings in self-search job banks located in local Employment Service offices. Second, the dictionary aspect and, to a more limited extent, the classification structure are used by placement interviewers and employment counselors in Employment Service offices as aids in matching job applicants with job openings.
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. To determine the extent and nature of the use of the DOT, committee staff conducted three studies: a questionnaire survey of a probability sample of purchasers of the fourth edition DOT; site visits to federal agencies identified as major users, supplemented by a questionnaire survey of DOT users in state agencies; and a literature review of social science research uses of the DOT.
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and to match experimental groups with control groups with respect to occupational category and skill level. The worker traits and worker functions have been used in many capacities, most notably in describing the distribution of job characteristics across various sectors of the labor market and in examining shifts in labor force composition.
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More than 75,000 on-site job analyses were conducted in preparation for the fourth edition DOT. The sampling of jobs for observation was a complicated and somewhat indirect process: First, the national office assigned to each field center responsibility for coverage of particular industries; these industries were sometimes very broadly specified (e.g., retail trade)
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Job analysis schedules produced from 1965 to 1976, intended for use in compiling the fourth edition, were filed in the North Carolina field center according to third edition codes. The actual writing of occupational definitions for the fourth edition did not begin until 1976, the year before the scheduled publication of the fourth edition.
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, the fact that fewer job analyses were performed for clerical workers, for example, may certainly be expected to have an effect on the number of specific clerical occupations identified. Finally, with regard to the quality of source data, three fourths of the job analysis schedules used in compiling the fourth edition DOT do not meet the standards specified for a complete job analysis; the propensity to depart from standards increased during the period just prior to completion of the fourth edition DOT.
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A comparison of scores on these variables for the third and fourth editions suggests that while the charges were substantially correct regarding the third edition, the fourth edition scores are apparently free of bias. Despite deficiencies in the worker function and worker trait data for the fourth edition DOT, they remain the single most comprehensive set of occupational information available anywhere.
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Although the worker trait arrangement developed for the third edition DOT had as its rationale the illumination of cross-category linkages, it is clear from our review of Employment Service operations that it did not serve the purpose effectively; indeed, the worker trait arrangement was seldom used. The committee has concluded that such linkages must be developed as part of the research activity of the occupational analysis program and incorporated into the placement operation on a systematic basis so that the information is available to an applicant using the microfiche listings in the job bank as well as to placement staff.
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The general recommendations are the follow~ng: 1. The occupational analysis program should concentrate its efforts on the fundamental activity of job analysis and on research and development strategies for improving procedures, monitoring changes in job content, and identifying new occupations- that are associated with the production and continuous updating of the
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2. A permanent, professional research unit of high quality should be established to conduct technical studies designed to improve the quality of the Dictionary of Occupational Titles as well as basic research designed to improve understanding of the organization of work in the United States.
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Organizational and Administrative Issues 16. The leadership of the national office in the occupational analysis program should be strengthened, greater attention should be given to
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Appendix C is an annotated bibliography of research uses of the DOT, with approximately 150 entries. Appendix D provides a bibliography of publications of the occupational analysis program, including publications of both the national office and the field centers.
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Introduction and Summary provides scores for selected worker function and worker trait variables for each of the categories of the 1970 Census detailed occupational classification; these are intended to be an aid to researchers. The two remaining appendixes serve as background to chapter 8: Appendix G assesses the Employment Service's keyword system, an automated system for matching job applicants with job openings, and appendix H discusses the use of occupational mobility data to evaluate and construct occupational classifications.
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