Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics - Frequently Asked Questions
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What data DOES the OEWS survey collect? What DOES it produce?
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How are 'employees' defined by the OEWS survey?
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Are national and other states occupational employment and wage estimates
available?
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How long has the OEWS survey collected wage data?
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How is the OEWS survey conducted?
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How are occupations classified?
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Is the classification system used in the OEWS program compatible with
other occupational classification systems?
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How DOES the OEWS program classify industries? What is NAICS?
- What industries are surveyed? What industries are not surveyed?
What data DOES the OEWS survey collect? What DOES it produce?
The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey collects data on
occupational employment and wages of employees in nonfarm establishments. It produces estimates of occupational employment and occupational
wages.
- Occupational employment is defined as the number of employees in a given occupation. The OEWS program produces estimates of occupational employment by industry; that is, the number of employees in a given occupation in a given industry.
- Occupational wages are the wages paid to employees in a given occupation. Establishments are asked to report how many workers they employ in a given occupation in each of several wage ranges. With this data, the OEWS program produces various estimates of wages by occupation.
How are 'employees' defined by
the OEWS survey?
Employees are part-time and full-time workers who are paid a wage or
salary. The survey DOES not cover the self-employed, owners and
partners in unincorporated firms, household workers, or unpaid family
workers.
Are national occupational employment
and wage estimates available?
Yes, from the Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
How long has the OEWS survey collected
wage data?
The OEWS survey collected both occupational employment and occupational
wage data for the first time in 1996. Prior to 1997, only
occupational employment counts by industry were produced.
How is the OEWS survey
conducted?
The OEWS survey is a semiannual mail survey of nonfarm establishments.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics produces the survey materials
and selects the establishments to be surveyed. In California, the
sampling frame (the list from which establishments to be surveyed are
selected) is derived from the list of establishments maintained by the
Employment Development Department (EDD) for unemployment insurance
purposes. Establishments to be surveyed are selected in order to
obtain data from every metropolitan area in the State, across all
surveyed industries, and from establishments of varying sizes.
Survey materials are mailed to the selected establishments and EDD
makes follow-up calls to request data from non-respondents or to
clarify data. Occupational employment and wage estimates are
calculated from the survey data provided by employers. There are
different survey forms for different industries. The occupations
listed on survey forms vary depending on the industry and size of
establishment. No survey form contains all OEWS occupations,
because no industry employs workers in every occupation. Survey
forms contain between 50 and 225 occupations. Customizing the
survey forms reduces paper work and respondent burden, making the
survey form easier for employers to fill out.
How are occupations
classified?
The current occupational employment and wages estimates were produced
using the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system. The
SOC system, which is used by all federal statistical agencies for
reporting occupational data, consists of 840 detailed occupations,
grouped into 461 broad occupations, 97 minor groups, and 23 major groups.
The coding system uses a 6-digit format (XX-XXXX). The OEWS
program provides occupational employment and wage estimates at the major
group and detailed occupation level. More information on the SOC is
available at the Bureau of Labor Statistics SOC Home Page.
Is the classification system used in
the OEWS program compatible with other occupational classification
systems?
The Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system was designed to be used by all federal statistical agencies reporting occupation data. The National Crosswalk Service
Center is the source of various 'crosswalks' that are used to
link the occupational classifications of one system to those of another.
How DOES the OEWS program classify
industries? What is NAICS?
Beginning with the 2002 OEWS survey, the industry structure for the survey
is the new
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). This new
system replaces the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system,
which was first developed in the 1930s and was last revised in 1987.
NAICS was developed to identify new and emerging industries, to
create a classification system compatible among the United States,
Canada, and Mexico, and to provide a system that groups establishments
into industries based on their primary activities.
What industries are surveyed? What
industries are not surveyed?
The OEWS survey collects occupational employment and wage data from
establishments in nonfarm industries. NAICS classifies all
economic activities into 20 sectors, identified by two-digit codes.
The OEWS program surveys establishments in all 20 sectors, with the
following partial exception. In the Agriculture, Forestry, and
Fishing, and Hunting sector (11), only establishments in subsector 113
Forestry and Logging and subsector 115, Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry support activities, are covered by the
survey. The OEWS program DOES not survey Crop Production (111), Animal
Production (112), Forestry and Logging, or Fishing, Hunting, and Trapping (114).
The program also DOES not survey private households (814).