O*NET OnLine and Content Model

Source Overview

ONET (Occupational Information Network) is the U.S. Department of Labor’s comprehensive database of worker attributes and job characteristics. Sponsored by the Employment and Training Administration and developed by the National Center for ONET Development, it represents one of the most sophisticated applied ontologies in public use.

Key Resources

• O*NET OnLine: https://www.onetonline.org/ — The primary interface for career exploration and job analysis
• O*NET Content Model: https://www.onetcenter.org/content.html — The conceptual foundation describing what information is captured
• O*NET-SOC Taxonomy: https://www.onetcenter.org/taxonomy.html — The occupational classification structure

Scale

• 1,016 occupational titles
• 923 data-level occupations
• 56,495+ job-level titles
• Six major content domains
• Multiple crosswalks to other classification systems (Military, Education, SOC, DOT, RAPIDS, ESCO)

Why This Matters

O*NET is a rare example of a large-scale, publicly-funded ontology that has been maintained and evolved over decades. The Content Model represents careful decisions about how to structure knowledge about work, decisions that have been refined through empirical research and practical application. The system demonstrates how to balance theoretical rigor with practical utility at scale.

Extractions

• 06-molecule—onet-content-model-framework
• 06-atom—worker-oriented-vs-job-oriented
• 06-atom—cross-occupational-vs-occupation-specific
• 06-atom—abilities-skills-knowledge-distinction
• 02-atom—crosswalk-definition
• 02-atom—hierarchical-faceted-descriptor-architecture

License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License