Glossary

Occupation Benchmark Metrics

This page provides a complete list of datasets available in the Occupation Benchmark API and their definitions. These datasets provide detailed insights into occupations, including skills, employment, salary, and career pathways.

Note: Some datasets may return null if data is not available for the requested dimension, nation, or region.

Datasets

Dataset	Region Level	Definition
`advancementOccupations`	National	Occupations considered viable advancement opportunities from the requested occupation. These are higher-paying jobs within the same occupation group.
`certifications`	Regional	Certifications associated with the requested occupation based on job posting records.
`commonSkills`	Regional	Common skills associated with the requested occupation based on job posting records.
`definingSkills`	National	Specialized skills that define the requested occupation and represent the day-to-day tasks and responsibilities. Source: Lightcast’s proprietary DDN model.
`demand`	Regional	Count of unique job postings representing the relative demand for this occupation in the requested region.
`distinguishingSkills`	National	Advanced skills that distinguish the requested occupation. Employees with these skills are more specialized and able to differentiate themselves. Source: Lightcast’s proprietary DDN model.
`education`	Regional	Education levels mentioned in job postings for the requested occupation. Multiple levels may be tagged per posting (e.g., "A.A or B.A. or equivalent work/education experience").
`employers`	Regional	Employers hiring for the requested occupation, ranked by unique job posting volume.
`employment`	Regional	Historical and current-year employment counts for the requested occupation based on LMI and job posting data.
`experience`	Regional	Years of experience required by employers in job postings for the requested occupation.
`feederOccupations`	National	Occupations that are good candidates for leading into the requested occupation based on fewer skills, experience, or education requirements. Source: Lightcast’s proprietary Career Pathways model.
`jobLevel`	National	Occupational job level based on education, experience, and training required (see Job Level section below).
`lateralOccupations`	National	Occupations that pay more but require a transition to a new occupation group. Source: Lightcast’s proprietary Career Pathways model.
`locationQuotient`	Regional	Location Quotient (LQ) indicates the significance of the occupation in the requested region compared to the national level. LQ of 1.0 is on par with national demand; higher indicates greater demand.
`necessarySkills`	National	Specialized skills required for the occupation and relevant across similar jobs. Source: Lightcast’s proprietary DDN model.
`riskScore`	National	Risk of automation. Higher scores indicate greater risk of being replaced by automated systems.
`salary`	Regional*	Salary distribution for the requested occupation. Source: Lightcast’s Market Salary model.
`salaryBoostingSkills`	National	Skills likely to increase a worker's salary for the requested occupation. Source: Lightcast’s proprietary Salary Boosting Skills model.
`similarOccupations`	National	Occupations similar to the requested occupation in terms of skill and education requirements. Source: Lightcast’s proprietary Similarity model.
`specializedSkills`	Regional	Specialized skills associated with the requested occupation based on job posting records.
`taxonomicalInfo`	National	Taxonomical information for the requested occupation, including its placement in the occupational hierarchy.
`titles`	Regional	Job titles commonly used by employers for the requested occupation in job posting records.
`typicalEducation`	Regional	Most common education level held by individuals in the occupation.

*Regional salary data that cannot be modeled at a regional level due to insufficient observations will roll up to the national level. Check the regionLevel field in the response for the level used.

Job Level

Job levels indicate the education, experience, and training required to qualify for the occupation.

Requirement Level	Description
Level 1	Roles with minimal training requirements.
Level 2	Formal training requirements of less than 2 years.
Level 3	2-year specialized degree requirement or mix of sub-BA and BA requirements.
Level 4	Entry-level BA roles.
Level 5	Advanced BA roles.
Level 6	Graduate and professional roles.

For US SOC and O_NET occupations, job levels align with the five O_NET job zones. See O*NET Job Zones for definitions.