United States Department of Labor
Office of Administrative Law Judges Law Library

Note: The DOT was created by the Employment and Training Administration, and was last updated in 1991. It has been replaced by the O*NET.


DICTIONARY OF OCCUPATIONAL TITLES (4th Ed., Rev. 1991) -- FOREWORD

FOREWORD

The Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) has been, since 1939, a vital part of the USES commitment to collect and disseminate occupational data that is comprehensive, up-to-date, and economically useful. This revision of the Fourth Edition culminates a decade of research and verification by more than 40 job analysts at five Occupational Analysis centers across the Nation and reflects the changing skills, knowledges and abilities of the American workforce.

As was true of earlier versions, this revised Fourth Edition provides a wide range of occupational information with application to job placement, occupational research, career guidance, labor-market information, curriculum development and long-range job planning. Data from the 1982 and 1986 DOT Supplements and part of the data from Selected Characteristics of Occupations Defined in the DOT are included in and superseded by this revision.

The revision has enhanced information contained in the occupational definitions in response to user feedback. A number of new occupations have also been added that were originally identified by DOT users and given temporary codes and titles under the Occupational Code Request program. We thank previous users for these improvements. We hope that users of this revised Fourth Edition will continue to help us keep the DOT up to date.

ROBERT A. SCHAERFL
Director
U. S. Employment Service