Collecting and Using Industry and Occupation Data

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What to Know Before Collecting Industry and Occupation Data

Industry and occupation are related, but distinct variables.

Occupation is a person’s job.
Individuals in the same occupation have similar training, perform a similar set of tasks, and may have similar workplace exposures. Examples include registered nurse, janitor, cashier, auto mechanic.

Important things to remember when collecting industry and occupation data:

Industry and occupation are related, but different. Collect BOTH.
Collect free text descriptions; do not use drop down lists – limiting the response options also limits what we can learn.
Collect detailed information. “Engineer” is okay, “Civil Engineer” is better.
Each occupation and industry has a specific standardized code assigned to analyze the data.

Industry is the type of business in which a person works.
The industry is the kind of business of the employer or what the employer does. It is not the company name or the name of the employer.

Company names should not be used because they

may include several industries
may not be unique

Examples of industry include general hospital, elementary school, clothing manufacturing, restaurant.

Collect both industry AND occupation because each of these aspects of a person’s job may have its own risks or hazards.

The same occupation may be found in a variety of industries and each industry includes people employed in a variety of occupations. Just as each occupation may have its own characteristic hazards, each industry may have different situations that could put an employee at risk for different work-related conditions.

For example, a nurse who works in an elementary school and nurse who works at a hospital: same occupation, but very different potential workplace exposures.

Collect industry and occupation data from survey respondents as free text descriptions, rather than having them choose from a drop-down menu or similar list of options.

Choosing from a drop-down list with limited options

may consist of categories that are too broad to be useful
limits your ability to get detailed job information
does not capture newly created industries or occupations
will not identify other jobs that could be linked to an illness, especially an illness that is emerging.
are less likely to be coded to standardized industry and occupation codes that can be compared to other data

This is what your occupation and industry questions may look like on your form:

Occupation
What kind of work do you do? Or what is your job title? (e.g., registered nurse, janitor, cashier, auto mechanic, etc.)
Response: _______[Description of work]____________________________________

Industry
What kind of business or industry do you work in? Or what does your employer make or do? (e.g., hospital, elementary school, clothing manufacturing, restaurant, etc.)
Response: ______[Description of kind of business]_____________________________

In addition to collecting industry and occupation data, work-related information can often be found in

Vital records systems (birth and death certificates)

Cancer registries

Workers’ compensation systems

Healthcare records

Health surveys

Federal surveys that collect industry and occupation datapdf icon
Collect detailed information.

The more detailed the industry and occupation information is, the more researchers can learn about hazards and health outcomes among certain jobs and types of businesses.

Learn more about good data collection in our short training video.

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Low Resolution Video

To analyze the industry and occupation data, free text must first be converted to standard codes, such as North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS), Standard Occupational Classification System (SOC), or Census industry and occupation classification system.

The process of converting text to numeric code is known as industry and occupation coding. The industry and occupation text are most often coded electronically rather than by hand. Automated coding is more efficient and less likely to introduce random bias into coding.

NIOSH offers tools to code data electronically. Learn more.

What to Consider When Creating Your Survey

It is best to collect a complete work history on every person, but that is usually not possible. If only collecting information on one job, think about the purpose of your study. Are you studying acute or chronic conditions?

Acute conditions come on quickly and need urgent care. If studying an injury or highly contagious disease, ask for current industry and occupation.

Current occupation is the job that the person has been doing most recently. A job may be paid or unpaid (e.g., a volunteer position).

The Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System (BRFSS) collects current industry and occupation data. Check out this page for more resources related to current industry and occupation data collection.

Chronic conditions and diseases can take a long time to develop and may not go away. If studying cancer or another chronic disease, ask for usual industry and occupation.

Usual occupation refers to the longest-held job, which is not necessarily

the current job,
the highest paid job,
or the job considered the most prestigious.

Usual occupation is the job the person has had for the longest time.

The National Occupational Mortality Surveillance (NOMS) collects usual industry and occupation data. Check out this page for more resources related to usual industry and occupation data collection.

Occupation
Term	Definition	Example	How to collect this information
Current Occupation	The job that the case has been doing most recently. Consider paid or unpaid (volunteer) work	A man currently works 20 hours a week as a waiter in a restaurant and 15 hours a week as a clerk at a gas station. His current occupation would be: waiter, as well as clerk. If you can only choose one, list the one worked most often. In this case, it would be waiter.	“What kind of work do you do?” For example, registered nurse, janitor, cashier, auto mechanic, barber, civil engineer, volunteer firefighter, etc.” If the case has more than one current job, collect information on each job separately.
Usual Occupation	Refers to the longest held job. This is the job that the person has been doing for the longest amount of time. It is not necessarily the current job, the highest paid job, nor the job considered the most prestigious, but the one that accounted for the greatest number of working years.	A woman worked as a cook at a fast-food restaurant for 5 years. Later, she worked as a secretary for a car dealership for 25 years. Then, she worked as a care assistant at a retirement home for 10 years. Her usual occupation would be “Secretary.” Though she had three long-term jobs, her job as a secretary at the car dealership was the longest held (for 25 years).	“Thinking about the job that you have held the longest, what kind of work did you do? For example, registered nurse, janitor, cashier, auto mechanic, barber, civil engineer, etc.”

Industry
Term	Definition	Example	Ask
Current Industry	The kind of business or industry the case currently works in. This is NOT the name of the employer.”	A man currently works 20 hours a week as a waiter in a restaurant and 15 hours a week as a clerk at a gas station. Since his current occupations are waiter and clerk, his current industries would be Waiter = Restaurant Clerk = Gas Station	“What kind of business or industry do you work in?” For example, a hospital, dairy farm, restaurant, trade school, library, etc If struggling to determine industry, ask what is/was the main focus or product of the employer where the person works.
Usual Industry	The usual industry is the kind of business or industry the patient’s usual occupation was in. This is NOT the name of the employer.	Example of usual industry: A woman worked as a cook at a fast-food restaurant for 5 years. Later, she worked as a secretary for a car dealership for 25 years. Then, she worked as a care assistant at a retirement home for 10 years. Since her usual occupation is “secretary,” her usual industry would be “car dealership”	“What kind of business was your longest held job in?” For example, a hospital, dairy farm, restaurant, trade school, library, etc. If struggling to determine industry, ask what is/was the main focus or product of the employer where the person worked/s.

Many people work more than one job at a time. For example, a person may currently work:

20 hours a week as a hair stylist in a salon,
15 hours a week as a housekeeper in a hotel, and
as a gift shop volunteer in a hospital.

Ideally, you’d want to collect information on each of their jobs, including any volunteer work, and the related industry(s).

Collecting information on multiple jobs requires repeat variables in your data collection tool.

Job 1: Industry _____salon_____ Occupation ____hair stylist___________

Job 2: Industry _____hotel_____ Occupation ____housekeeper________

Job 3: Industry _____hospital__ Occupation ____gift shop volunteer__

NOTE: If you can only collect information on one job, ask, “what is your main job” or “which job do you work the most hours per week?”

In most studies of working populations, it is important to collect work information on everyone ages 16 years and older. However, it is possible to study workers younger than 16, so consider adjusting the age range for your study based on the purpose of your study.

Employment status is different than industry and occupation.

A survey might ask the worker’s employment status, which is whether a person currently has a paid job.

Employment status is useful when collecting information for current industry and occupation.
Employment status is not necessary when collecting usual or longest-held industry and occupation.

Tips for Collecting Good Data

If a person has never had a paid job, the following are also acceptable to include in both the industry and occupation fields:

Homemaker
Student
Child

Do not enter “Retired,” or “Disabled.”

If a person is retired, they had a job at some point. Record the longest-held occupation and industry.
People who have a disability often still work or had a job before the disability. If having a disability prevented them from ever having a job, enter “Never Worked” in both the industry and occupation fields.

Be specific. General terms usually don’t provide enough information to translate the free text to a standard code.
Here are a few examples of general versus specific terms:

Occupation

Instead of “worked in a warehouse,” ask what kind of work? For example, it is better to record “forklift operator.” Instead of “teacher,” ask, “what kind of teacher?” For example, it is better to record “preschool teacher” or “high school teacher.”

Industry

Instead of “manufacturing,” ask what kind of manufacturing? For example, it is better to record “automobile parts manufacturing.” Instead of “food industry,” ask what part of the food industry? For example, it is better to record “restaurant” or “grocery store.”

Misspelled words in the text field: Spell information correctly when it’s being collected. Spelling errors result in misinterpretation and are more likely to cause errors during the autocoding process (see the Coding page to learn more about autocoding).
Punctuation marks and special characters: Do not enter any punctuation marks or special characters, including: #{[ ( )^><%@~`. ,$&*-_“ //\|+=!?:;’
Abbreviations and acronyms: Do not abbreviate a person’s response, even if you think it’s a well-known abbreviation or acronym. Spell out each word.
Blanks: If a respondent doesn’t know or doesn’t want to provide their industry or occupation, enter “unknown” or “declined to answer” in the industry and/or occupation fields. Do not enter a period (.) or leave a blank space.

Training Materials for Collecting Industry and Occupation Data

This section includes resources that can be used for training purposes. Examples of studies that collected industry and occupation data are also included.

Collecting Industry and Occupation Data: A Training Guide for Healthcare Staff
The New Hampshire (NH) Occupational Health Surveillance Program offers a training to help hospital staff improve their collection of patients’ industry and occupation information. This online training includes a quiz at the end. If scored at 80% or higher, the trainee will receive a certificate of completion. The training meets the National Cancer Registry Association requirements for 1 credit education unit.
Examples of Adequate and Inadequate Information for Occupation and Industry
Provides examples of various occupations that are not descriptive enough and suggests alternatives that are adequate.
Questionnaire: Callback Survey to Collect Work-related Information from Confirmed COVID-19 Cases [PDF – 372 KB]

NIOSH partnered with six states to collect detailed occupational exposure information from adults diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) infection who worked outside the home (in non-healthcare settings) during the two weeks prior to illness onset.

Data for each respondent were collected by state partners from September 2020 through June 2021 using a survey instrument created collaboratively by NIOSH and state partners. The survey instrument contained standard questions to collect industry and occupation data from each respondent. All data were protected in accordance with applicable federal and state regulations. The survey instrument can be used as a resource for collecting industry and occupation information.

Industry and Occupation Data Collection Tips for Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System (BRFSS) Interviewers
These materials were developed to provide guidance to BRFSS interviewers when collecting industry and occupation data.

Industry and Occupation: Death Certificates

Guidelines for Reporting Occupation and Industry on Death Certificates
Also in Spanish: Directrices para reportar la ocupación y el tipo de industria en los certificados de defunción
This document updates the guidelines written in 1988 by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The purpose is to help funeral directors complete Usual Occupation and Kind of Business/Industry items on death certificates.

Information for Funeral Directors: Recording Usual Occupation and Industry on Death Certificates

Industry and Occupation: Cancer Registries

A Cancer Registrar’s Guide to Collecting Industry and Occupation
The usual (longest-held) occupation and industry of workers can reveal the national cancer burden by industry and occupation. Such information can also be used to help discover jobs that may have a high risk for cancer or other diseases and for which prevention efforts can be concentrated (or targeted).
Collection and Use of Industry and Occupation Data for Cancer Registry Professionals
Powerpoint presentation given at the Los Angeles Cancer Surveillance Program Annual Symposium
Collection of Industry and Occupation Data for Cancer Registry Professionals (Including Online Training)
The goal of this training module is to improve both the quality and the quantity of industry and occupation information captured from hospital and clinic records in order to increase the value of using this information for public health surveillance and research with the ultimate goal of decreasing the incidence of cancers related to workplace exposures. The module contains three parts:
- Background on the importance of collecting information on the usual (or longest-held) industry and occupation of cancer patients,
- Guidelines for collecting industry and occupation, and
- Examples of adequate and inadequate industry and occupation entries.

There is a test at the end. All of those who complete this activity and pass the test (70% or higher) are eligible for 1.5 CEU from NCRA.

Collecting and Using Industry and Occupation Data

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What to Know Before Collecting Industry and Occupation Data

What to Consider When Creating Your Survey

Tips for Collecting Good Data

Training Materials for Collecting Industry and Occupation Data

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