“ . . . to look at millions of jobs in an organized way, the DOT groups jobs into ‘occupations’ based on their similarities and defines the structure and content of all listed occupations. Occupational definitions are the result of comprehensive studies of how similar jobs are performed in establishments across the nation and are composites of data collected from diverse sources.”

Also, see the 1996 Wyoming Career Explorer. The concept of a wage survey can be defined as a questionnaire designed to obtain information about staffing patterns and what businesses across the state pay for certain occupations to help in determining an average wage for those occupations. A staffing pattern is the distribution of occupations in a firm or industry. For an example of a staffing pattern, see the hypothetical example for a prison at the end of the articles. Several types of wage surveys have been done by Research & Planning (R&P) in the Department of Employment. One type includes different industries and selected occupation for those industries. The other type utilizes all industries and all occupations. Gordon Lee Saathoff’s article in the 1996 LMI Brochure . . . illustrates this principle nicely. R&P conducted the first rounds of wage surveys; now the OES (Occupational Employment Statistics) section in R&P is conducting a different round. Occupational Employment Statistics is a federal/state cooperative program with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, see the 1997 LMI Brochure. In the article by Valerie Davis in Trends (September 1997), more detail is given as to why these surveys have been and are continuing to be conducted. What the survey results are used for and by whom can also be found in her article and in both of the Wyoming Career Trails and Wayne Gosar’s articles in Trends (September 1995 and 1996).

The type, quality and amount of data that can be used are influenced by how many businesses respond. If some businesses don’t respond in one industry, defined in the 1996 Wyoming Career Explorer, then there may not be sufficient data for that industry to be published. However, since there are many occupations that cross industries, there may still be enough occupational data available from businesses responding in other industries. The average wage can be determined if the amount of data received are sufficient. The average wage is derived from finding the mean of all the wages for that occupation, and in some cases that industry. The mean is found by adding up all of an occupation’s wages and dividing by the number of valid cases (the number of employees for which the respondents submitted data). These and other definitions can be found in Trends (September 1996). Information has been obtained in some of the wage surveys about part-time as well as full-time occupations. This is valuable for those persons contemplating working part-time. Gayle Edlin’s and Chris Garrard’s articles in Trends (March and July 1995) are excellent sources of information about part-time occupational wages.

Occupational projections are useful for determining estimates of the types of occupations that will be growing and the types that will be declining in the future. These estimates are derived from taking past data and applying it toward the future by using statistical methods. This is another function of the R&P section. See the 1997 Wyoming Career Explorer for additional information on occupational projections.

“definitions...Careers, Industries and Occupations,” Wyoming Career Explorer, May 1997, p. 7.
An occupation is a group of similar jobs found in different industries or organizations. An example of an occupation is an Accountant. An industry is the type of activity in which a business is engaged. An example of an industry is Mining. Sources: NOICC-CDI (National Occupational Information Coordinating Committee-Career Development Institute) and the 1997 Standard Industrial Classification Manual.

"The Wage Survey,” Gordon Lee Saathoff, LMI Brochure, 1996, p. 5.
The Wage Survey is a very useful tool for businesses, workers and counselors in all industries. It is produced by taking a sample survey of wage information by occupations using the ES-202 as the sample frame. This is used to compare highs, lows and averages over occupations. For a more detailed overview of the Wage Survey program, refer to Trends December 1993, Trends December 1994, Trends September 1995 and Trends September 1996.

Individuals use the data when deciding on a career choice or a career change. The Wage Survey shows the salary one can expect to receive in a particular occupation. Points to Note About Wage Survey Data:

1. Not all states conduct a wage survey, but Wyoming is one of the states that does. There is a 60% response rate in Wyoming, which makes the data reliable for most occupations.
2. The Wage Survey unit uses the OES and ES-202 data to aid in synthetically adjusting the wage survey each year.
3. For the data to be published, there must be at least three responses from firms and have three valid cases in a certain occupation. In addition, an individual can be classified under only one occupation even if they perform a number of different occupational duties.
4. The survey does not include self-employed individuals or people not covered by Unemployment Insurance.

“The Importance of Wage Surveys,” Valerie A. Davis, Trends, September 1997, Vol. 34 No. 9, p. 1.
Wage information is of primary interest to Wyoming Department of Employment users as evidenced by the reader survey conducted in October 1995 in Wyoming Labor Force Trends. Wage survey data helps employers around the country find out if Wyoming's occupational pay rates are competitive. For example, an employer can check the average wage for a welder in Wyoming to find out if moving their business to Wyoming would be advantageous. It also helps students pick a career that is right for them, considering the liveable wage and whether or not the occupation is growing. In this way, wage data assists career guidance counselors in helping their clients select careers.

Wyoming’s Research & Planning section (R&P) produces various Labor Market Information (LMI) publications. These are produced for the benefit and use of businesses, government entities and the public.

For the last four years, the Wyoming Occupational Wage Survey has been conducted by Research & Planning. Due to limited funding and personnel resources, the Wyoming Occupational Wage Survey included only one-third of all the classified industries and selected occupations each year. Businesses throughout Wyoming were surveyed about wages paid to certain occupations, using Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) codes to describe these occupations. OES codes classify job descriptions in order to statistically analyze gathered data. An industry is the type of activity in which a business is engaged (e.g., Construction, Services and Retail Trade are industries). An occupation is the type of work one does to earn a living. The same occupation can occur in different industries (e.g., secretary, accountant and lawyer are occupations which may each be found in many different industries). Other occupations are industry-specific (e.g., the occupation of miner occurs only in the Mining industry).

This year, with funding and programming from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Wyoming Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) section started conducting a three-year wage survey in October of 1996. At that time, 1,750 randomly sampled Wyoming establishments were surveyed (1.2 million nationally). This survey includes all industries and all occupations each year, unlike the 1/3 of all industries each year that were surveyed in the Occupational Wage Survey. The OES program is a federal/state cooperative program funded by the federal BLS and the Employment and Training Administration (ETA). In 1996, all 50 states conducted the OES Wage Survey in the same way. The 1996 OES Wage Survey was the first time that BLS and the states requested of business establishments wages as well as occupations, including Regional and Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) wage data.

The results of this three-year survey round, which started in October 1996, will offer cross-state and city-to-city (MSA) comparisons of wages for occupations. Because several regions as well as MSA’s are included in each state, the sampling done by BLS is known as stratified random sampling. Statewide and possibly regional wage information that results from the 1996 wage survey will be published in an upcoming issue of Trends.

“Occupational Wages: Does Your Career Trail Lead to a High-Paying Job?”, Wayne M. Gosar, Wyoming Career Trails, June 1996, p. 6.
Suppose you have been laid off from your job or are contemplating a career change. You say to yourself, " . . . I have always wanted to be a lawyer, doctor or maybe even a mortician.” Like many other decisions, the difference between a good one and a bad one is often the amount of information available to you . . .

Before you go down the trail that leads to being a lawyer, you ought to know in Wyoming, they earn an average of $23.21 per hour. The physician trail leads to $49.65 per hour and the mortician trail leads to $10.70 per hour, on average. You may still choose to be a mortician, but now at least you have more information on what to expect in terms of your future wages.

The Wyoming Department of Employment, Employment Resources Division, Research & Planning (R&P) conducts an annual wage survey to give people and businesses more information about occupational wage rates. Each year, one-third of 750 standard occupations are included in the Wyoming wage survey. During off-years, an adjustment factor is used to update hourly wages by occupation to current year levels (this adjustment factor is calculated from administrative records). Professional and Technical occupations and Sales, Clerical and Service occupations have been estimated in Wyoming Career Trails. This information is also published each September in Wyoming Labor Force Trends and several other publications. We also maintain a detailed version of the wage data on the Internet . . .

The . . . tables give workers and employers an objective picture of hourly wages by occupation in Wyoming. They are intended to be used as guides to help you when you are faced with a career decision and are grouped by occupational type.

Like all surveys, there are some things you need to take into account when working with the . . . wage data. First, all averages are statewide and across all industries. That means that the average wage for a nurse in Cheyenne may be different from the average wage of a nurse in Worland or Rock Springs. It also means that the average wage for an accountant in the Mining industry may be different from the average wage of an accountant in the Wholesale Trade industry.

Second, our wage data is only as good as the responses to wage survey questions. There may be some occupations which are affected by low responses and bad information.

Finally, . . . some of the Sales, Clerical and Service occupations show no wage data. This is because Wyoming has strict employer confidentiality laws which restrict the publication of employment data when few employers respond to the wage survey, or when few people are employed in the occupation. There are some occupations like this in Professional and Technical occupations and also Agriculture, Forestry, Construction and Operator occupations, but these have been cut from the lists. Also, only a few Professional and Technical occupations have been shown, since new survey data on these occupations will be released in September.

“Wyoming Full- and Part-Time Demand Occupations: Sales, Clerical and Service Occupations,” Gayle C. Edlin, Trends, March 1995, Vol. 32 No. 3, p. 1.
The Wyoming Wage Survey began in 1993 to answer the public's questions regarding wages paid for different occupations. Due to physical and financial constraints, Research & Planning divided the surveyed occupations into three groups: Professional and Technical (P&T--surveyed Spring 1993); Sales, Clerical and Service (SC&S--surveyed Spring 1994); and Agriculture, Forestry, Construction, and Operators (AFC&O--to be surveyed Spring 1995).

The 1993 survey form resulted in uncertainty about full- and part-time status and led to an additional 1994 survey question which specifically addressed the number of hours worked by each employee during the reference week. Regular readers of Wyoming Labor Force Trends may recall the brief article on demand occupations (P&T) that appeared in the June 1994 issue. The article noted that " . . . hourly wage may be diluted by less than full-time work." This issue was then addressed in the 1994 Wage Survey (SC&S); we are now able to examine demand occupations in terms of full- and part-time employment, separating hours worked and wages accordingly.

Examination of this segregated data reveals much intriguing information. For example, the percentage of employees working full- and part-time varies by occupation. "Full-time" and "part-time" do not define the same average hours worked per week for different occupations. Also, wages vary for full- and part-time employees. Perhaps most interesting of all, due to the improved structure of the 1994 Wyoming Wage Survey, wages for occupations may now be annualized (viewed on an annual basis) with greater accuracy than was possible in 1993.

The term demand occupations, within the context of this article, refers to occupations for which there was the largest number of job openings between March 1993 and March 1994 (as reported in the Wyoming Wage Survey). Contrary to intuitive logic, the term does not necessarily imply that an increasing number of jobs are created within a particular occupation. The data merely indicate that substantial hiring has occurred, and does not explain why this is so. A large number of job openings within a given occupation may be caused by high employee turnover, for example, rather than by the actual creation of new jobs. Included in the statistical analysis to determine demand occupations were employers who reported in the 1994 Wage Survey (SC&S) that they had workers with less than one year of service in a given occupation (i.e., workers hired or promoted between March 1993 and March 1994) . . . While some occupations were common to both full- and part-time demand occupations, there were also some which were unique to each category.

Retail salespersons, cashiers, general office clerks, waiters and waitresses, and janitors and cleaners (except maids and housekeeping cleaners) were occupations for which there was demand for both full- and part-time workers. Additionally, there was full-time demand for: nursing aides, orderlies and attendants; bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks; secretaries (except legal and medical); receptionists and information clerks; and sales supervisors. Part-time demand was for: combined food preparation and service workers; specialty fast food cooks; food preparation workers; restaurant cooks; and dining room attendants.

At the national level, according to the Spring 1994 Occupational Outlook Quarterly, the five occupations common to Wyoming's full- and part-time demand occupations are also demand occupations for the nation as a whole. Janitors, cleaners, and cleaning supervisors are expected to need workers for 600,000 positions nationwide; general office clerks, 654,000 positions; cashiers, 669,900 positions; retail sales workers, 877,000 positions; and food and beverage service workers (including waiters and waitresses), 1,124,000 positions. Interestingly, one explanation for the positive national employment prospects cited for each of these occupations is high employee turnover.

A benefit of the 1994 Wage Survey is that wages for workers may be more accurately estimated on an annual basis. Not only are differences in pay rates for full- and part-time workers observed at the hourly level, but since data was also collected for hours worked per week, accuracy is no longer lost by assuming (as was done in the past) a 40-hour work week. Interestingly, within these five occupations, "part-time" appears to be concisely defined by respondents to the Wyoming Wage Survey as between 18 and 20 hours per week while "full-time" varies much more, between 34 and 43 hours per week. Hours for all workers (full- and part-time combined) range between 22 and 30 per week.

In addition to different definitions of "full-time" and "part-time" in terms of hours worked per week, full- and part-time workers as a percentage of all workers varies tremendously across occupations. This may be distinctly illustrated by comparing waiters and waitresses with general office clerks. As reported by survey respondents, 77 percent of waiters and waitresses are employed part-time while only 44 percent of general office clerks are part-time workers. This indicates that full- and part-time employment as a percentage of all workers is not standard from occupation to occupation.

Now that the 1994 Wage Survey has collected the number of hours worked during the reference week, it is apparent that a 40-hour work week is not standard. The new annualized wage was calculated from the average hourly wage of full- and part-time workers combined and uses the average hours worked per week collected in the 1994 Wage Survey. The old annualized wage was also calculated from the average hourly wage of full- and part-time workers combined, but a 40-hour work week was assumed. The marked difference between the new and old annualized wages dramatically illustrates the new, more accurate detail available with the knowledge of average hours worked per week and the variation of that average across occupations. This improved estimation capability has been made possible by the revision of the 1993 Wage Survey, and is most strikingly illustrated by the case of waiters and waitresses. While the old annualized wage for waiters and waitresses is calculated at $6,780, the new annualized wage is much lower, at $3,729. Also, due to the relatively low average hours worked per week by waiters and waitresses, the new annualized wage is much closer to the part-time value of $3,192 than to the full-time value of $6,494.

The 1994 Wage Survey provides the opportunity for more detailed analysis than the 1993 Wage Survey. However, every question that is answered has the potential to raise new questions. Now that it has been demonstrated that demand occupations and wages may vary by full- or part-time status, it is yet unknown whether certain employers actively seek part-time employees over full-time employees. Further, it is not known whether part-time employment is rising overall, or how many part-time employees have other employment that supplements their wages.

“Occupational Wages in Wyoming,” 1997 Wyoming Career Trails, p. 6.
How much can you expect to make per hour in Wyoming if you are planning to be a lawyer, a travel agent or an electrician? The Employment Resources Division, Research & Planning (R&P) Section developed the Wyoming Occupational Wage Survey in 1993 to help answer questions about how much certain jobs pay. Each year one third of all Wyoming occupations are included in the survey.

Each year wages for those occupations not in the current annual survey are updated using the annual percent change in wages established by Wyoming Unemployment Insurance records. The wages for "Sales, Clerical & Service" occupations and “Agriculture, Forestry, Construction & Operator" occupations have been adjusted by applying this percent change since their direct survey, while wages for "Professional & Technical" occupations are the direct result of the 1996 survey.

There are a few things you need to think about when looking at the wages . . . the wages listed are for all experience levels-- they are not entry-level wages.

There are no wages listed for some of the occupations in "Sales, Clerical & Service" occupations because Wyoming's confidentiality law prohibits the publication of employment data if there is any chance that data could be tied to one particular employer.

“ Occupational Employment Statistics,” Kimber Wichmann and Lee Saathoff, LMI Brochure, 1997, p. 4.
The OES surveys all nonfarm industries annually for occupations and wages. All states participating in the OES & Wage Survey attain data in the same way, which allows direct cross- state comparisons, determining whether or not local salaries are competitive. Sampling for each state at the National Level can produce estimates for both the State and sub-State area level.

Uses of OES Data:
Businesses and Employers receive the greatest benefits from this program. They use the data:

1. to determine whether or not they pay or receive the market wage
2. to aid in bidding jobs
3. to aid in renewing contracts
4. to meet alien wage certification when hiring immigrants/ noncitizens
5. for economic development/new plant location
6. when determining raises to hold onto good employees, but still stay competitive in the industry

States and Local Governments use the data in administering policy dealing with such programs as the Job Training and Partnership Act (JTPA). Understanding the occupational staffing patterns of growth industries assists in determining training programs that might then produce a job (above minimum wage) for the individuals being trained.

Guidance Counselors use the information in guiding students to career and college degree choices that have openings and/or future potential for growth and competitive wages.

Unemployed workers receive great benefits from using the OES industry-occupational projections. This data helps them determine areas that have potential jobs that require their skills.

“Wages for Sales, Clerical and Service Occupations: By Industry and Full- or Part-Time Status,” Chris Garrard, Trends, July 1995, Vol. 32 No. 7, p. 1.
Frequent readers of Wyoming Labor Force Trends will recall reading about our three Wage Survey rounds initiated in 1993. The 1994 installment consisted of Sales, Clerical and Service occupations (see the December 1994 issue of Trends). The wage data discussed in this article is a product of the 1994 Wage Survey.

Our 1994 survey procedure not only allows us to segregate data by occupations, but also by industry and full- and part-time status. The Table of average hourly wages by occupation and industry ("Average Wages by Occupation and Industry: Full-and Part-Time Hourly Wages") is organized according to these categories. Some explanation of the data is in order. Because of small sample sizes and Wyoming confidentiality laws, some of the average wage rates were not publishable. These were replaced with a "Confidential" in the Table. Although these numbers were not disclosed, they were still used to compute the overall averages for occupations and industries. Since the 1994 survey round concentrated on Sales, Clerical, and Service occupations, some industries are not represented as well as others by this data (Agricultural, Forestry, & Fishing or Professional and Technical, for example).

Despite the lack of data in some areas, the survey results still provide some interesting information. Not only can we calculate average wages for occupations, but we can also compare salaries between industries and full- and part-time employment. This analysis shows that, on average, the Mining industry pays more for full-time work than other industries. It also reveals that full-time employment usually pays a higher wage than does part-time employment, even for the same occupation. When combined with other information, this data also helps provide a clear picture of the job market.

Employers often request the going wages for certain occupations. The . . . Table contains wages broken out in several different ways, so it should be quite helpful to those interested in the surveyed occupations. Prospective employees are also interested in which careers make the most money . . . the relative pay among occupations differs between full- and part-time employment. In other words, if full-time pay for one occupation exceeds that of another, it doesn't mean the same relationship will exist for part-time employment.

We are also able to examine the data in other dimensions. For instance, in those occupations in which the Mining industry is represented, Mining usually has the highest wages for full-time work. Mining is definitely the highest paying industry for full-time workers at $14.64 per hour, with wholesale trade ($11.58/hr) coming in second, and retail trade ($7.61/hr) at the bottom. The situation changes with part-time work, however. Agriculture then becomes the most lucrative industry at $10.37 per hour, and Mining drops down into fourth place. Retail Trade keeps its title as the lowest paying industry.

It also appears that . . . in general, full-time employment pays more than part-time. (This was discussed for demand occupations in the March 1995 issue of Trends.) In fact, the average full-time wage across industries is 159 percent of the average part-time compensation. The Agriculture, Forestry, & Fishing industry appears to be an obvious exception to this rule. It should be noted, however, that because this industry is under represented in this data set, it is dangerous to draw the conclusion that actual wages are higher for part-time than for full-time workers. This issue can be more readily dealt with by the 1995 survey of Agriculture, Forestry, Construction, and Operator occupations.

The data . . . can have many different uses. Imagine, for instance, that I am trained as an accounting clerk (OES code 55338), and I want to know where to look for a job. One of my first concerns might be where I could make the most money with my current training. If I were to utilize this data, . . . I would discover that full-time accounting clerks make more money working in Transportation and Public Utilities; and Wholesale Trade. I would probably begin my job search in those industries in hopes of finding a higher paying job.

Young people trying to choose a career would also find this data to be helpful. Many youth have a general idea of what they are interested in, but do not have any specific plans. Wage information would help point them in the direction of a career that would provide financial independence and stability. The same concept applies to others who are thinking of retraining for a new career.

This information is also important to agencies, such as the Department of Employment, who are in the business of arranging career training and retraining for clients. There are many factors that need to be considered when developing a training program, and one of them is wages. Retraining not only needs to provide people with skills that are in demand, but also with skills that will command a sufficient salary.

Wage data increases even more in value when combined with information pertaining to growth industries and occupations. For instance, the Wyoming Industry Projections contained in the January 1995 issue of Trends indicate that Retail Trade and Services will add the most jobs between 1993 and 1996 . . . however, these are two of the lowest paying industries in Wyoming. The March 1995 issue of Trends discussed demand occupations in Wyoming. Most of the part- time demand occupations rate relatively low on the pay scale, although the full-time ones fare somewhat better. These examples show how wage information can be combined with other data to give a clearer picture of the job market than would be provided otherwise.

“1995 Statewide Wage Survey Results: Agriculture, Forestry, Construction and Operator Occupations,” Wayne M. Gosar, Trends, September 1995, Vol. 32 No. 9, p. 1.
The 1995 wage survey results are here. Craft occupations--namely Agriculture, Forestry, Construction and Operators (AFC&O)-- represent one-third of the occupations but constitute a majority of requests for wage rates.

Representative accurate wage rates are important to business and economic development in Wyoming. The support of employers across the state has been phenomenal as evidenced by our response rate (60%), especially from private industry. Based on their response to the survey, this data is considered valuable.

The 1995 AFC&O survey began back in January 1995. A random sample of 4,677 firms were selected to participate in the survey. Each sampled employer received survey packets which contained from one to forty occupations. We asked employers to categorize their workers by licensing requirements, part-time and full-time, and years of service. A second request was sent to those employers not answering the first request.

In 1996 we will again survey Professional and Technical occupations. This is an exciting time for us because we will be able to validate our wage adjustment factors used to estimate wages between survey rounds.

“1996 Wyoming Statewide Wage Survey Results: Professional & Technical Occupations,” Wayne M. Gosar, Trends, September 1996, Vol. 33 No. 9, p. 1.
Wyoming's wage survey is conducted on a three-year rotating cycle, covering one-third of all occupations each year. The occupations surveyed in 1996 are generally referred to as Professional & Technical occupations. Wages for the other two-thirds of the occupations have been adjusted with administrative records to 1996 levels based on information collected by survey in 1994 (Sales, Clerical & Service occupations) and 1995 (Agriculture, Forestry, Construction & Operator occupations). These occupational groups are formed according to Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) codes, which are shown in the wage tables.

Representative accurate wage rates are important to business and economic development in Wyoming. The support of employers continues to be evidenced by our response rate, 53 percent; this also demonstrates that this Wyoming-specific wage data is considered valuable by employers across the state. The results of these surveys can also be used to pinpoint those sectors of the labor market most likely to be affected by a change in the minimum wage (i.e., those occupations which pay at or near the minimum wage, such as "Messengers,” "Waiters and Waitresses,” "Food Servers: Outside" and "Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants; and Bartender Helpers").

The 1996 survey began in January. A random sample of nearly 6,500 firms was selected to participate in the survey. Sampled employers received survey packets which contained descriptions of one to forty occupations, depending on the nature and size of the business being surveyed. We asked employers to categorize their workers by licensing requirements, part- or full-time work and years of service. A second request was sent to those employers not answering the first survey.

Survey responses were keyed into a database specifically designed for the wage survey. We summarized and compiled the data using statistical software.

1996 is the last year for our current wage survey format. Changing federal programs have moved wage surveys into a common format, collection and processing cycle, for all states. One advantage of this new format is that every state will be conducting the same wage survey, allowing direct cross-state comparisons. Employers in Cheyenne, for example, will be able to legitimately compare wage rates by occupation in the neighboring labor market area encompassing Fort Collins-Loveland- Greeley, determining whether or not local salaries are competitive.

“1996 Wage Survey Glossary,” Wayne M. Gosar, Trends, September 1996, Vol. 33 No. 9, p. 3.

OES Code

This five-digit code identifies occupations as defined by the Occupational Employment Statistics program.

OES Title

A short title describing each occupation included in the OES occupations.

Total Firms Sampled

The number of firms sampled for this occupation.

Number of Respondent Firms

This is the number of valid responses (firms) who submitted wage data included in the statistical analysis for each occupation.

Estimated UI Occupational Employment in 1996

The number of Unemployment Insurance (UI) covered jobs in this occupation based on projections with base year 1990. See footnote below.

Valid Cases

This is the number of employees for which the respondents submitted data. For example, "First-Line Supervisors"; (OES code 72002) had 20 firms report for 104 employees (valid cases) who were financial managers. These valid cases are then used to calculate statistics.

Min (Minimum)

The smallest hourly rate reported for this occupation.

Max (Maximum)

The largest hourly rate reported for this occupation.

Mean

A measure of central tendency. The sum of the values of all observations divided by the number of observations. It is also called the arithmetic average. If some values are far removed from the others (outlying) they can substantially influence the mean.

Median

A measure of central tendency which is not sensitive to outlying values. It is the value above which and below which half of the cases fall, the 50th percentile. For example, if there are five cases, the median is the third largest (or smallest) observation. When there is an even number of observations, the median is the average of the two 'middle' observations.

“Occupational Projections: Where are the Jobs of the Future . . . Part I,” 1997 Wyoming Career Explorer, p. 1.
One way to decide what kind of job you might want to train for in the future is to look at occupational projections. Occupational projections use past information to predict the future, and answer questions like, "What kinds of jobs are expected to have more openings in the future than they do now?" ("What occupations are projected to grow in the future?"). First, let's look at all occupations to see what is expected to happen in Wyoming in general, and then we can check out smaller groups of occupations to see what particular jobs are expected to grow or decline in the future.

All Occupations: Total growth in Wyoming is projected to be 20,341 new jobs over the four-year period from 1994 to 1998, which is 5,130 growth openings per year. Some occupations are projected not to grow at all, and others are projected to have fewer jobs (they will decline). Declining occupations will cause a loss of 5,671 jobs from 1994 to 1998, which is 1,438 jobs per year. This means that overall, Wyoming is projected to have 14,670 more jobs in 1998 than it had in 1994 (an increase of 3,692 jobs each year) and there are more occupations that are projected to grow (367) than to not grow or to decline (260)!

Professional, Paraprofessional and Technical Occupations: These types of jobs are projected to grow by 4,169 jobs from 1994 to 1998--the largest increase in employment of all the groups of occupations! Professional, Paraprofessional and Technical occupations include 171 out of the 637 total occupations in Wyoming. Out of the 171 occupations, 12 are among the top 50 growth occupations . . . and 66 are in the top 200, which is a third of the top 200 occupations. Some of the projected fast-growing jobs are: Teachers, Secondary School; Teachers, Special Education; Registered Nurses; Accountants & Auditors; and Human Service Workers. There are only 27 Professional, Paraprofessional and Technical occupations that are projected to decline. This means that this group of jobs has great prospects for the future! Also, Professional, Paraprofessional and Technical occupations are generally high-paying jobs, though many of them require education and training beyond high school.

Service Occupations: These types of jobs are projected to have the second largest increase in employment of all the groups of occupations! Service occupations include only 63 out of the 637 total occupations in Wyoming, but boast 13 of the top 50 annual growth occupations. The projected actual growth for these 13 occupations is 3,848 new jobs over the four-year period (962 each year)! The top projected actual growth occupation is a Service occupation: Waiters and Waitresses, which is projected to increase by 1,365 new jobs from the end of 1994 to the end of 1998. The eighth fastest projected actual growth occupation is also a Service occupation: Cooks, Fast Food. Service occupations are projected to increase by 3,985 jobs over the next four years; however, these are mostly low-paying jobs.

Production, Construction, Operating, Maintenance and Material Handling Occupations: This group not only holds the third highest projected increase from 1994 to 1998, but it also has the most declining occupations by far. These factors occur due to the large number of Production, Construction, Operating, Maintenance and Material Handling occupations (273 out of 637). While boasting thirteen out of the top 50 projected growth occupations and 62 out of the top 200, it also has 109 of the 204 declining occupations. Although Construction and other special trade occupations have been surging in Wyoming and across the U.S. over the past few years, there are other occupations covered under Production, Construction, Operating, Maintenance and Material Handling (such as oil production occupations) which have been declining.

Sales and Related Occupations: The Sales and Related occupations group has the fourth largest projected growth (2,468 projected new openings). There are only 21 Sales and Related occupations out of the total 637, but many of these are large employers. Some of the larger employing occupations (in 1994) include: Marketing and Sales Supervisors (2,367 jobs), Retail Salespersons (6,953 jobs), Cashiers (5,488 jobs) and Sales Floor Stock Clerks (1,797 jobs).

Managerial and Administrative Occupations: This group is projected to have steady growth in Wyoming from 1994 to 1998. Managerial and Administrative occupations should have 488 more jobs per year or 1,947 jobs over the four-year period. Four of the top 50 projected growth and three of the top 50 declining occupations are Managerial and Administrative occupations.

Agricultural, Forestry, Fishing and Related Occupations: This is the group projected to have the least amount of change in employment from 1994 to 1998; it has the smallest number of occupations (18 of the 637) out of the seven groups. None of these occupations are in the top 50 projected growth or in the top 50 projected declining occupations. Also, total employment Agricultural, Forestry, Fishing, & Related occupations in 1994 was quite small (only 2,478 jobs). The factors of a low number of occupations, no occupations projected to post large increases or decreases and low employment means small but steady amounts of projected growth (39 jobs per year) for Agricultural, Forestry, Fishing, & Related occupations.

Clerical and Administrative Support Occupations: This final group is the only one projected to have negative growth (loss of jobs) over the four-year period. Even though Clerical and Administrative Support occupations reported a projected negative growth in employment, it still would be considered the fourth largest employer of the seven subgroups based on total employment. Clerical and Administrative Support occupations also had the third highest amount of occupations (71 of the total 637). Out of those 71 occupations, 41 are projected to decline and 21 are in the top 50 projected declining occupations. The first, third, fifth, eighth and ninth largest projected declining occupations are Clerical and Administrative Support occupations and include: Bookkeeping, Accounting and Audit Clerks (524 fewer jobs); All Other Clerical and Administrative Workers (402 fewer jobs); Bank Tellers (230 fewer jobs); Computer Operators, Except Peripheral (141 fewer jobs); and Typists, Including Word Processing (125 fewer jobs).

Note: There are still some copies of the above publications. If you are interested in a hard copy of any of the articles, please contact Valerie Davis at (307) 473-3838 or by e-mail at vdavis@state.wy.us

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