What are DOL "job zones"?
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Overview
A Job Zone is a group of occupations that are similar in these ways:
- how most people get into the work,
- how much overall experience people need to do the work,
- how much education people need to do the work, and
- how much on-the-job training people need to do the work.
The five Job Zones are:
- Job Zone 1 - occupations that need little or no preparation
- Job Zone 2 - occupations that need some preparation
- Job Zone 3 - occupations that need medium preparation
- Job Zone 4 - occupations that need considerable preparation
- Job Zone 5 - occupations that need extensive preparation
Job Zone One: Little or No Preparation Needed
| Overall Experience | No previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, a person can become a cashier even if he/she has never worked before. |
| Job Training | Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few days to a few months of training. Usually, an experienced worker could show you how to do the job. |
| Job Zone Examples | These occupations involve following instructions and helping others. Examples include taxi drivers, amusement and recreation attendants, counter and rental clerks, cashiers, and waiters/waitresses. |
| SVP Range | (Below 4.0) |
| Education | These occupations may require a high school diploma or GED certificate. Some may require a formal training course to obtain a license. |
Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed
| Overall Experience | Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience may be helpful in these occupations, but usually is not needed. For example, a teller might benefit from experience working directly with the public, but an inexperienced person could still learn to be a teller with little difficulty. |
| Job Training | Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. |
| Job Zone Examples | These occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include sheet metal workers, forest fire fighters, customer service representatives, pharmacy technicians, salespersons (retail), and tellers. |
| SVP Range | (4.0 to < 6.0) |
| Education | These occupations usually require a high school diploma and may require some vocational training or job-related course work. In some cases, an associate's or bachelor's degree could be needed. |
Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
| Overall Experience | Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job. |
| Job Training | Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. |
| Job Zone Examples | These occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include funeral directors, electricians, forest and conservation technicians, legal secretaries, interviewers, and insurance sales agents. |
| SVP Range | (6.0 to < 7.0) |
| Education | Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Some may require a bachelor's degree. |
Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
| Overall Experience | A minimum of two to four years of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified. |
| Job Training | Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training. |
| Job Zone Examples | Many of these occupations involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Examples include accountants, human resource managers, computer programmers, teachers, chemists, and police detectives. |
| SVP Range | (7.0 to < 8.0) |
| Education | Most of these occupations require a four - year bachelor's degree, but some do not. |
Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
| Overall Experience | Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job. |
| Job Training | Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training. |
| Job Zone Examples | These occupations often involve coordinating, training, supervising, or managing the activities of others to accomplish goals. Very advanced communication and organizational skills are required. Examples include librarians, lawyers, aerospace engineers, physicists, school psychologists, and surgeons. |
| SVP Range | (8.0 and above) |
| Education | A bachelor's degree is the minimum formal education required for these occupations. However, many also require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree). |
