Rethinking Food Processing Workers, All Other - SOC 51-3099

As part of the 2010 revisions of the Standard Occupational Classification system, the Department of Labor moved some occupations out of production workers, all other (SOC 51-9199) and created food processing workers, all other (SOC 51-3099).  2010 SOC User Guide, vii, x, 4-5  (BLS, Feb. 2010); Crosswalk from the 2000 SOC to the 2010 SOC.  The SOC defines food processing workers, all other as:

All food processing workers not listed separately
Illustrative examples: Olive Pitter , Poultry Hanger , Yeast Maker

Job Browser Pro responded by moving the 61 DOT codes related to food products from production workers, all other to food processing workers, all other.  But Labor continues to count food-production-related jobs in its count of production workers, all other.  With three exceptions, all DOT codes moved over have the first two DOT digits of 52 OCCUPATIONS IN PROCESSING OF FOOD, TOBACCO, AND RELATED PRODUCTS.  The question is whether those 61 occupations belong in food processing workers, all other -- or just the ones exemplified by the three examples provided in the SOC:  olive pitter, poultry hanger, and yeast maker. 

The O*NET OnLine, Alternate Titles provides one additional example:  pasta press operator.  That same list of alternate titles continues to list the 61 DOT codes found on the JBP list as in production workers, all other.  And we know that Labor placed 1,590 DOT codes inside of production workers, all other as part of the 2000 SOC revision.  The Alternate Titles list does not count 1,590 job titles as within the group.  It counts 2,788 alternate titles. 

The economy has changed.  The proposition that food processing workers, all other contains four specific occupations as exemplars that were not contained in the 1991 DOT and that production workers, all other contains an additional 1,200 occupations not envisioned in the DOT provides the best and most reasonable explanation for the data provided in the employment projections for not only food production but the rest of the economy.