I can’t find an exact match in BLS to the proposed Labor Category (LCAT). What do I do?

A Labor Category proposed by your supplier or identified in a government RFP may not match exactly to what is in BLS. Therefore, when searching for the closest matching classification, look at the job duties vs. the job title.

For example, you will not find Program Manager as a job classification in BLS.   SpendLogic recommends going to https://www.bls.gov/soc/2018/major_groups.htm and looking at the 23 Major Groups to determine in which group the LCAT fits.  The 23 Major Groups are further broken down into minor groups and ultimately into over 450 broad occupations which includes a description of the occupation as well as example job titles. 

Below is a snippet from the BLS for Management Occupations/Chief Executives and General and Operational Managers.  If you review the functions performed by each, you can better match a LCAT to the BLS when the title is not an exact match.

NOTE 1:  A BLS category may not be available in the geographic location (MSA) you originally selected.   You may need to override the zip code with the closest largest metropolitan area. 

NOTE 2:  BLS does not have information on certain labor categories due to the nature of the job, e.g. doctors.  In these rare instances, you may have to perform a salary survey.