Submit the Employment Projections for Occupation-Industry for Each Occupation Cited

Last month, we discussed why the Equal Distribution Method of Estimating Job Numbers Conflicts with the DOT.  This reverts back to the basic mantra of cross-examination of vocational experts -- cough up the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) groups and the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes.  After that data, we just need the number of DOT codes that share the same SOC-NAICS intersection. 

Destroying the vocational expert's testimony on job numbers starts with that basic premise: SOC, NAICS, and number of co-existing DOT codes.  Once the representative has that data, one easy step remains to complete this circle:  submit the employment projections sorted by occupation for that occupational group. When we look at an Occu Collect report, the evidence is there:

Quick Facts: Helpers--production workers
Typical Entry-Level Education	High school diploma or equivalent
Work experience in a related occupation	None
On the job training	Short-term on-the-job training
Number of jobs, 2016	426,000
Employment Projections	XLSX

Industry - Occupation Matrix Data, By Occupation

Education And Training By Occupation

The XLSX link in the box is the OOH that appears in every occupation covered in detail in the OOH on the "job outlook" tab.  For the occupations not addressed in detail, the OOH links to the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) page and to the O*NET OnLine page which contain different occupational numbers.  The O*NET OnLine reports the 2016 employment projects job number, as does the OOH.  The OES currently reports the 2017 job number estimate.  Because the OOH reports the employment projections job numbers for occupations not covered in detail and the employment projections are the foundation for the OOH, use the employment projections.  The Industry-Occupation Matrix Data, By Occupation has a complete list of all SOC codes with the employment projections of each occupation and the number of estimated jobs within the statistically relevant industries.  We typically do not need to see them all, just the employment projections for the occupation at issue in the particular case.  We should use the XLSX link.  

Those simple steps preserve the issue of job numbers.  The OOH report preserves the conflict with the vocational testimony by serendipity -- typical entry-level education is high school diploma or equivalent.  (An improved OOH report from Occu Collect will provide the educational levels of incumbents after Labor Day.)  If the ALJ denies the claim, the claimant has the full array of arrows in the quiver to use at the Appeals Council and in the courts.  The take-away is simple, submit the employment projections for the occupation-industry for each occupation cited by the vocational expert.  

Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment -- Social Interaction

We addressed the occasional contact with others in the context of hand sewer, SOC 51-6051.  We move to another occupation that has low social requirements, including contact with others.  Cleaners of vehicles and equipment, 53-7061.  The Standard Occupational Classification code contains 57 separate DOT codes.  Of those codes, 48 of them are unskilled; 11 of them are light and unskilled:

529.687-190	Stone cleaner (beverage)
529.687-194	Suction-plate-carrier cleaner (tobacco)
590.684-034	Photo mask cleaner (electronic component)
599.687-022	Net washer (rubber goods)
680.687-014	Roller cleaner (textile)
683.687-026	Lingo cleaner (textile)
704.687-010	Cleaner (engraving)
732.687-046	Mold cleaner (toy-sport equipment)
788.687-082	Last cleaner (boot & shoe)
809.687-026	Mold preparer (ship-boat building)
915.667-010	Car-wash attendant, automatic (automotive service)

The question is the nature of the social requirements of work as a cleaner of vehicles and equipment pulled out of the O*NET OnLine as reported by Occu Collect..

Interpersonal Relationships	%	Response
Contact With Others — How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?	34	Constant contact with others
	16	Contact with others most of the time
	5	Contact with others about half the time
	41	Occasional contact with others
	4	No contact with others
Interpersonal Relationships	%	Response
Coordinate or Lead Others — How important is it to coordinate or lead others in accomplishing work activities in this job?	30	Extremely important
	12	Very important
	30	Important
	15	Fairly important
	13	Not important at all
Interpersonal Relationships	%	Response
Deal With External Customers — How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job?	7	Extremely important
	4	Very important
	26	Important
	35	Fairly important
	28	Not important at all
Interpersonal Relationships	%	Response
Deal With Physically Aggressive People — How frequently does this job require the worker to deal with physical aggression of violent individuals?	3	Every day
	0	Once a week or more but not every day
	0	Once a month or more but not every week
	24	Once a year or more but not every month
	73	Never
Interpersonal Relationships	%	Response
Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People — How frequently does the worker have to deal with unpleasant, angry, or discourteous individuals as part of the job requirements?	6	Every day
	20	Once a week or more but not every day
	42	Once a month or more but not every week
	20	Once a year or more but not every month
	12	Never
Interpersonal Relationships	%	Response
Face-to-Face Discussions — How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?	85	Every day
	4	Once a week or more but not every day
	0	Once a month or more but not every week
	5	Once a year or more but not every month
	6	Never
Interpersonal Relationships	%	Response
Frequency of Conflict Situations — How often are there conflict situations the employee has to face in this job?	11	Every day
	23	Once a week or more but not every day
	32	Once a month or more but not every week
	22	Once a year or more but not every month
	11	Never
Interpersonal Relationships	%	Response
Responsible for Others' Health and Safety — How much responsibility is there for the health and safety of others in this job?	31	Very high responsibility
	29	High responsibility
	20	Moderate responsibility
	10	Limited responsibility
	11	No responsibility
Interpersonal Relationships	%	Response
Work With Work Group or Team — How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?	50	Extremely important
	14	Very important
	18	Important
	9	Fairly important
	9	Not important at all

Cleaners of vehicles and equipment have occasional contact with others in 45% of jobs; have unimportant dealings with customers in 28% of jobs; never deal with unpleasant or angry people in 6% of jobs; have no responsibility for the heath and safety of others in 11% of jobs; and work with a group or team that is not important to workplace performance in 9% of jobs.  The proposition that cleaners of vehicles and equipment have large numbers of jobs with occasional contact with coworkers and supervisors; no contact with the public; and no teamwork exist in large numbers is demonstrably false.  The Occupational Outlook Handbook reports 2016 job estimates of 369,000 jobs.  

Occupational Outlook Handbook Report

Quick Facts: Cleaners of vehicles and equipment
Typical Entry-Level Education	No formal educational credential
Work experience in a related occupation	None
On the job training	Short-term on-the-job training
Number of jobs, 2016	369,200
Employment Projections	XLSX

.
A reasonable line of questioning concerns the nine factors listed under the O*NET heading of interpersonal relationships.  If the residual occupational base is less than the full range of cleaners of vehicles and equipment, then the interpersonal relationships can reduce the available number of jobs to less than significant.

Occasional Contact With Others -- Hand Sewers

The occasional contact with others mantra, and the willingness of vocational experts to identify occupations with large numbers of jobs, is a source of concern.  The O*NET OnLine reports contact with others as an item of inquiry.  Today, we look at hand sewers (SOC 51-6051).  In reverse order, here is a list of O*NET occupational groups with the lower contact with others rating:

Score	O*NET Code	Occupational Title
25	15-2091.00	Mathematical Technicians
40	45-2092.02	Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop
44	27-3043.05	Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers
46	51-9122.00	Painters, Transportation Equipment
46	51-3022.00	Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers
46	45-4021.00	Fallers
47	51-4052.00	Pourers and Casters, Metal
48	19-4041.02	Geological Sample Test Technicians
49	51-9195.05	Potters, Manufacturing
50	51-6042.00	Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders
50	27-2041.04	Music Composers and Arrangers
51	51-6051.00	Sewers, Hand

That "51" rating for hand sewers reflects the no contact, occasional contact, contact half the time, contact most the time, and constant contact with others in the custom report:

Interpersonal Relationships	%	Response
Contact With Others — How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?	15	Constant contact with others
	15	Contact with others most of the time
	30	Contact with others about half the time
	41	Occasional contact with others
	0	No contact with others

Hand sewers have occasional contact with others in 41% of jobs.  BLS and the O*NET report just 14,000 jobs in the group.  The group has 21 different DOT codes including: one sedentary unskilled; three light unskilled; and two medium unskilled occupations.

739.684-162	UMBRELLA TIPPER, HAND (fabrication, nec)	S	2
529.687-030	CASING SEWER (meat products)	L	2
788.684-054	HAND SEWER, SHOES (boot & shoe)	L	2
782.687-058	THREAD MARKER (garment)	L	2
920.687-022	BALE SEWER (agriculture)	M	2
782.687-018	CLOTH-BALE HEADER (textile)	M	2

The occupational group with the lowest ranking for contact with others leads to 5600 jobs, an unknown number of which are unskilled.  Looking at work with a group or team further cements the idea that the world of work is a collaborative process:

nterpersonal Relationships	%	Response
Work With Work Group or Team — How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?	8	Extremely important
	4	Very important
	12	Important
	38	Fairly important
	38	Not important at all

Hand sewers also deal with external customers as an important job junction in 81% of jobs.

Interpersonal Relationships	%	Response
Deal With External Customers — How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job?	35	Extremely important
	15	Very important
	23	Important
	8	Fairly important
	19	Not important at all

Limited contact with others is a devastating factor in looking at other work.

These three reports are pulled from Occu Collect.

Exploring the OOH and the Employment Projections Data on Education, Training, and Experience

Some ALJ's and court push back on the OOH classification of education, experience, and training.  The OOH discusses the education as the typical level of education for entry into an occupation.  Helpers - production workers is an example of an occupational group that requires a high school diploma or equivalent.  

OCCUPATIONAL OUTLOOK HANDBOOK

51-9198  Helpers--production workers

Typical Education Needed	High school diploma or equivalent
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	None
Typical On-The-Job Training Needed to Attain Competency	Short-term on-the-job training
2016 Employment	426,000

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Data for Occupations Not Covered in Detail, on the Internet at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/about/ data-for-occupations-not-covered-in-detail.htm  

BLS provides additional data about the education levels of incumbents. For the occupations of helpers - production workers:

 

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Education Levels of Incumbents

51-9198  Helpers--production workers

Typical Education Needed	High school diploma or equivalent
Less than a High School Education	36.3%
High School Education or Equivalent	38.7%
Some College, No Degree	15.2%
Associates Degree	2.8%
Bachelor’s Degree	5.3%
Master’s Degree	1.3%
Doctoral or Professional Degree	0.2%

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment Projections, Educational attainment for workers 25 years and older by detailed occupation, available on the Internet at https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/educational-attainment.htm 

More incumbents need a high school education than any other group - it is the plurality of educational levels.  A little over a third possess less than a high school education.  That observation does not take into account experience in related occupations that overcome educational adversities or the fact that education is not always an accurate indicator cognitive ability.  Cutting down the number of cited jobs by 63.7% can make the difference in winning a disability claim.  

Look for the BLS-EP report to appear in Occu Collect as a regular feature in September.