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O*NET
Because the DOT and other government occupational classification systems are outdated, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) decided to release an electronic occupational database that can be easily updated.
Called O*NET (Occupational Information Network), it serves as a classification system and a database of job descriptions.
First released in 1998 and regularly updated since then, O*NET provides a comprehensive database of worker attributes and job characteristics.
O*NET is the current official replacement for the Dictionary of Occupational Titles.
New Classification Code
The Department of Labor outsourced the development of O*NET to an independent firm, the Research Triangle Institute. It built O*NET upon the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system's 6-digit code. But it added 2 digits as a suffix, making 8 digits total.
Occupational Categories
To cover all jobs, O*NET groups them into nearly 1,000 job families, called O*NET occupations. (Compare this to the 12,000 positions included in the DOT.)
Where are you?
O*NET's clustering approach is analogous to classifying ALL addresses into a relatively small category set, like merely using states without any detail about city or street or zip code.
If you are interested in only broad regions of the country, a grouping of states may suffice.
For example, telling someone that you live in New York or Arizona may be enough to establish your location in a long-distance telephone conversation; but if you want to receive a letter or call a cab, you need to give more information than the city.
The O*NET's approach would ask you to describe your individual location in a few sentences using a language that just describes the state.
The result is far too general to be useful for any but the broadest research applications.
Revision
O*NET updates on average 700 occupations each year using data collected primarily from job incumbents. Occupation experts and analysts are also used where necessary.
Memory Jogger
O*NET: