• Employers will have a workforce trained to meet their needs & information on the availability and prevailing wages of workers with the skills to meet their job requirements.
• Individuals planning careers or entering the labor force are well informed about opportunities in the labor market.
• Educators are provided with information needed to plan programs and curricula aimed at counseling and preparing students to make wise and realistic decisions.
• Government is able to use your tax dollars more effectively by making funding decisions for education and training more beneficial to both employer and employee.

• Evaluate occupational trends by industry
• Spotlight emerging or declining occupations
• Identify the types of skilled workers in the market
• Establish criteria to develop new positions
• Evaluate the impact of technology on occupations
• Evaluate wage trends by industry and occupation
• Compare wages between states, metropolitan areas, and intrastate regions
• Adjust existing pay structure using reported wages
• Determine wage rates using past wages
• Provide wage data used in Alien Labor Certification

Contact Information
 

Email completed reports and questions related to survey completion to BLS Secure Site to: oescolorado@idcf.bls.gov

OCCUPATION AND INDUSTRY CODES

• Bureau of Labor Statistics OES home page
  National OES information
• North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
  Industry coding scheme to be used by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Each data series produced under the auspices of BLS will begin utilizing this code at different times.
• Occupational Information Network (O*NET)
  Alternative occupational coding scheme that replaced the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT).
• Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) System
  Occupational coding scheme used by all Federal statistical agencies. The OES survey began using this system with the 1999 data.

OCCUPATIONAL INFORMATION LINKS

• Wage Determination Online (Davis-Bacon and other wage determinations)
  BLS Career Information
  Information from the Occupational Outlook Handbook, geared to elementary students.
• Career Guide to Industries
  Companion volume to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, which contains similar information but from an industrial perspective.

• Colorado School-to-Career Program
  Information on the Colorado School-to-Career program to expose students to career options.

• Monthly Labor Review
  Periodical available by print subscription and on-line with articles on a variety of labor topics. Includes occupational topics.
• Occupational Outlook Handbook
  Bureau of Labor Statistics career information publication that is updated every two years. Provides information about typical job duties, working conditions, required education, and national employment levels and salary data.
• Occupational Outlook Quarterly
  Quarterly on-line and print publication containing information on choosing and changing jobs, earnings, education and training, and employment trends.

• Occupational / Professional Licensing Information (Colorado)

• Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies' Databases
  Colorado State requirements for licenses and a searchable database of license-holders.

DATA RELATED LINKS

• National Industrial and Occupational Projections
  Data collected in the OES Survey is used as the framework for the occupational projections.
• SESTAT
  Employment, educational, and demographic characteristics of scientists and engineers maintained by the National Science Foundation.

OTHER RESOURCES

• Colorado Labor Market Information Home Page
• US Department of Labor Home Page

Last update: 4-26-2012