Occupational Characteristics and Classification Systems

Recent social research shows a renewed interest in detailed characteristics of jobs. The Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) and census classification systems as bases for measures of job features are reviewed. The article reports on a set of characteristics that have been estimated for detailed 1960 and 1970 census categories, including those generated by Temme and new indicators for routiniza tion and closeness of supervision in work. The report includes information on how the measures were generated, evidence on their validity as assessed against corresponding individual-level measures, and an assessment of the measurement slippage involved in moving between the different occupation classification systems.