History
The Department of Labor (DOL) created a cross-reference from the 1991 DOT to the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system. It began at least with a cross-reference to the 1980 version of the SOC, and was replaced by their subsequent DOT cross-reference to the SOC 1998 and SOC 2000 versions. This DOL-developed data file sometimes showed multiple SOC groups for a single DOT. When the SOC system was revised again in 2010, DOL created a cross-reference from the SOC 2000 codes to the SOC 2010 codes, but they did not re-do it from the perspective of DOT to SOC2010 directly. “Not enough resources” to do this, and no doubt their view that the DOT was dead anyway , so why on earth should anyone care?
There is/was a DOL funded resource called the National Crosswalk Service Center, which is a repository for all kinds of these documents. The functions of this center have now been transferred to www.widcenter.org - Historical DOT related data is not yet indexed on this site, but you can obtain the dotsoc10.zip file here at this new link: http://data.widcenter.org/download/soc2010/
There is a document in there – you will have to look around for it and convert it from its .dbf format to something you can open.
O*NET uses these DOL-provided crosswalks. A really good example of the value of this approach is the DOT occupation “Faculty Member” – this one crosswalks to many SOC 2010 groups. O*NET itself has a feature showing how this works – try entering "Faculty Member" at this web address: http://www.onetonline.org/crosswalk/DOT/
After the release of data using SOC 2010, SkillTRAN approached DOL (O*NET) with nearly 100 suggested changes to the government DOT-SOC crosswalk because there were many DOTs that should map nicely to some of the newest SOC categories. SkillTRAN was rebuffed with DOL's response that it had no resources to look at this. Therefore, DOL chose to use their automated cross-reference. Click to see the BLS formal response to SkillTRAN suggestions.
Various SkillTRAN Methods
SkillTRAN went ahead and made the proper DOT-->SOC2010 crosswalk changes that made most sense. SkillTRAN chooses what it believes are the "best" SOC groups available for the DOT codes when there are multiple DOTs. This is to simplify a proprietary software feature that estimates employment at the DOT level. The Job Browser software PC & Web as well as OASYS PC & Web allows the user to choose which SOC group when there are multiple SOC Groups with data from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) data.
Late in 2010, SkillTRAN acquired the assets, software and personnel of Vertek OIS, Inc., including the OccuBrowse, OccuBrowse+, and OASYS software. These products do offer the multiple SOC codes for some DOTs. This occurs in exactly 89 DOT codes. Vertek products use the DOL developed DOT--> multiple SOC codes data. Recently, products were enhanced so that when multiple codes are available, the SOC/OEWS code is presented in a contrasting color to emphasize the several drop down choices. When a different SOC/OEWS code is selected, the corresponding employment data changes.
After the full transition of Employment Projections to the SOC 2018 system in September 2022, all SkillTRAN PC and Web products offer suggestions for appropriate DOT codes to map to the newest groupings of 832 OEWS codes to the SOC 2018 occupations (of the SOC 848 civilian occupations).
SkillTRAN is careful to review its crosswalk data files between the static DOT and the dynamic SOC, OEWS, and NAICS classifications as SOC/OEWS/NAICS do change from time to time. The recent update of the NAICS classification from 2017--> 2022 coding triggered 30,000+ changes in the proprietary SkillTRAN links of DOT occupations in SOC/OEWS Groups to NAICS industries.