ABSTRACT
O*NET, the Occupational Information Network (O*NET™), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), is a comprehensive system for collecting and disseminating information on occupational and worker requirements for 974 occupations, covering the U.S economy. O*NET development efforts were initiated in response to the changing world of work. Previous to O*NET, the DOL supported the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) (U.S. Department of Labor, 1991a, 1991b). The DOT, first developed in 1939 and last published in 1991, listed more than 12,000 occupations. However, the DOT was difficult to maintain, and there were questions about its relevance in the new world of work. The DOT was heavily weighted with blue-collar and manufacturing occupations. Jobs were changing more rapidly than in the past, workers required new skills, and technology was advancing. Employers, educators, policy makers, workforce development professionals, job seekers, and others needed occupational information to make important career development and work life decisions (Miller, Treiman, Cain, & Roos, 1980; Committee on Techniques for the Enhancement of Human Performance: Occupational Analysis, 1999; National Center for O*NET Development, 2015). The O*NET System, developed to replace the DOT, uses a standardized common language of work. The system provides updated occupational information that is easily accessible to potential users. It provides multiple windows of occupational information, allowing users to focus on the information they need. The first version of the O*NET database was released in 2001. O*NET 20.3 database is currently in production. Since its initial release, the O*NET program has continued efforts to improve the database and associated websites, products, and tools. O*NET information has gained increasing popularity over the last decade, being adapted and used by government, private and public sector organizations, international users, as well as individual job seekers and career explorers.
