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.