Lightcast SOC

This article details the particulars of Lightcast SOC codes, outlining where they differ from standard SOC and why.

Vintage: Lightcast SOC 2021

Lightcast follows OES’s SOC structure, since OES is our primary source of occupation data. As of Spring 2022, OES is using SOC 2018.

Lightcast SOC Particularities

As noted above, Lightcast generally uses the flavor of SOC particular to the BLS’s OES dataset, since this is the primary source of our occupation data. Listed below are some common “Gotchas” where OES and Lightcast differ from the standard SOC classification.

• Lightcast does not use SOC codes for military occupations due to lack of good data. Lightcast uses one aggregate code, 55-9999, for all 20 military occupations in standard SOC codes.
• Lightcast uses a single aggregate code (25-1099) for all postsecondary teachers instead of the 38 detailed codes in standard SOC. This is due to lack of solid data. To read Lightcast’s research on this topic, click here.
• Lightcast adds the code 99-9999 for “Unclassified Occupation” to the Extended Proprietors class of worker in industries where we cannot reliably estimate occupations due to lack of data.
• Following OES, Lightcast adds the code 25-3098 (Substitute Teachers).
• Lightcast also ignores ONET codes that don’t have any ONET-assigned tasks. These mostly consist of catchall “All Other” categories.