Occupational Outlook Handbook

The Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) is a publication of the United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLR) that educates users about:

• What workers do on the job
• Work environment
• Education, training, and other qualifications needed to enter the occupation
• Pay
• Projected employment change and job prospects from 2012 to 2022
• Similar occupations
• Contacts for more information

The Handbook is released every two years in a print and free, online version that can accessed on the BLR website.   The BLR is the principal Federal agency responsible for measuring labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy.

Covering about 84 % of jobs in the U.S. economy, the 334 occupational profiles contained in the OOH are well-organized and searchable by keyword or browsed by category or in alphabetical order (by occupational name). The OOH also contains 2012 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) information on median pay, entry-level pay and occupation-specific on-the-job training necessary for competency in a chosen occupation.  In addition, users are also provided with relevant work experience that may substitute for a lack of formal education.  Ten-year projections for the number of jobs, projected job outlook , and employment change are also included.

Additional resources include a guide for teachers and students researching occupations along with a list of other career-related information published by the BLR and other governmental agencies.  The Quick-Facts Table provides users with an at-a-glance summary of key occupation information.  The OOH, revised every 2 years by a staff of economists in the Employment Projections program at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, is a trusted source of occupation information in the United States.  

Source:

Occupational Outlook Handbook.  (2014-2015). Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved October 19, 2014 from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/