The O*NET Program is the nation’s primary source of occupational information. Valid data are essential to understanding the rapidly changing nature of work and how it impacts the workforce and U.S. economy. From this information, applications are developed to facilitate the development and maintenance of a skilled workforce.
The O*NET database is publicly available at no cost and is continuously updated using a wide variety of sources and methodologies. Millions of individuals, businesses, researchers, and developers rely on O*NET each year through platforms such as O*NET OnLine, My Next Move, My Next Move for Veterans, Web Services APIs, and numerous other public and private applications. These resources play a vital role in helping individuals identify training and job opportunities, and enabling employers to connect with the skilled workers needed to remain competitive.
Content Model: Anatomy of an occupation
Every occupation requires a unique mix of knowledges, skills, abilities, activities, and tasks. These defining features are structured within the O*NET Content Model, which organizes information into a detailed taxonomy with multiple levels of granularity.
For example, within the Work Activities hierarchy, more than 19,000 task statements are linked to over 2,000 detailed work activities, which are organized into 325 intermediate activities and ultimately nested into 41 generalized activities.
Explore the interactive Content Model to see the comprehensive range of occupational information and their organizing structures.
O*NET-SOC Taxonomy: A spectrum of occupations
While the Content Model defines the information collected for a single occupation, the O*NET-SOC taxonomy establishes the broader structure of occupations across the labor market. Updated in 2019 to align with the 2018 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC), the taxonomy now includes 1,016 occupational titles, of which 923 are O*NET data-level occupations, collectively representing over 55,000 jobs.
With guidance and sponsorship from DOL, ongoing research ensures the taxonomy remains current, incorporating new and emerging occupations to reflect changes in the workforce.
Data Collection: Real-world information
The O*NET-SOC taxonomy defines occupations, and the Content Model specifies the information to be collected. The Data Collection program brings these frameworks to life through a multi-method approach that draws on a wide variety of sources. As new tools and methodologies emerge, O*NET continually adapts, ensuring the data remains accurate, comprehensive, and relevant to the evolving world of work.
Updated quarterly, the O*NET Database ensures the most current occupational information is available. For information on data currency see: Occupation Update Summary. You can access the latest release on the O*NET Database page. For those interested in tracking how occupations have changed over time, the O*NET Database Releases Archive offers a complete history.
Get started on a new career
My Next Move, My Next Move for Veterans and Mi Próximo Paso (targeted for Spanish-speaking career explorers) helps new job seekers, students, and other career explorers investigate over 900 occupations. These interactive web-based tools have easy ways to search careers:
Explore O*NET data from your browser
O*NET OnLine is a comprehensive web application for exploring the O*NET database, offering:
The O*NET Interest Profiler (IP) is a family of self-assessment career exploration tools that can help clients discover the type of work activities and occupations that they would like and find exciting.
O*NET-SOC classification made easy
Designed specifically for job coding professionals, O*NET Code Connector makes it easy to match job orders to an occupation in the O*NET-SOC system. With a powerful keyword search and a concise, "at-a-glance" overview of occupations, this web application makes interactive job coding fast and simple.
O*NET information is relevant to many different audiences. Below you'll find some suggestions for different types of visitors:
Counselors: Connect people to appropriate occupations with resources like the Interest Profiler and O*NET OnLine. For self-directed career exploration, My Next Move is a great starting point. Mi Próximo Paso offers career exploration for Spanish speakers. My Next Move for Veterans supports veterans transitioning to the civilian workforce.
Students: Discover occupations you might enjoy, by taking the Interest Profiler assessment online or from your phone. If you've already got an occupation in mind, learn more about it from My Next Move.
Human Resources: Visit Resources for Business to discover data, tools and implementation examples for job analysis, developing apprenticeship opportunities, or helping your employees with their career goals. Or, visit O*NET OnLine to dive into the details about occupations now!
Researchers: Our Reports and Documents section contains over 100 papers on the development and evolution of the O*NET database and tools. For detailed study, download the database itself to directly view the data, as well as statistical metadata describing the quality of the information.
Developers: Incorporate O*NET information into your application through O*NET Web Services. Find graphics and URLs for linking directly to O*NET sites. See related Crosswalk files for connecting other systems to the O*NET-SOC taxonomy.
If you have questions about using O*NET, feel free to contact O*NET Customer Service (onet@onetcenter.org).
The National Center for O*NET Development (Center) provides core staff with acknowledged expertise in the areas of occupational analysis and assessment research and development. Under the direction of USDOL/ETA, and in its leadership role, the Center manages projects and contracts and provides technical support and customer service to O*NET users.
The Center leads a partnership of public and private-sector organizations that carry out the work of USDOL/ETA's O*NET project. In addition to the Center, the partnership currently includes the Research Triangle Institute (RTI), the Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO), and MCNC.
RTI International (RTI) is a leading-edge research organization that conducts applied and theoretical research for national and international governmental, industrial, and public service organizations. RTI designs, implements, and supervises the survey data collection designed to populate the O*NET database and provides guidance on continuous improvement efforts.
The Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO) is a non-profit research and development organization that applies the latest advances in science and technology to the human performance needs of public and private organizations. HumRRO provides technical expertise on the O*NET Content Model and in the areas of data collection, job analysis, assessment, and training. In addition, HumRRO conducts research to support O*NET initiatives, such as taxonomy development and technology skills.
MCNC promotes technological development and enterprise in North Carolina through the innovative use of electronic and information technologies in government and industry. MCNC houses the O*NET database and provides Internet access and dissemination and strategic advice on technology.
