The Bureau of Labor Statistics has found a new way to look at jobs in the U.S.: through their physical demands, environmental conditions, education and training – even their mental requirements.

The result: the first-ever Occupational Requirements Survey.

The BLS conducted the survey under an agreement with the Social Security Administration so that agency can make decisions about their disability programs. However, the results can also be useful to employers, jobseekers, and state and local workforce agencies which can use the data to match people with jobs that are right for them. Researchers will find the survey useful for expanding their understanding of the labor market.

Here are a few highlights from the survey for 2016.

• 31 percent of jobs in 2016 had no minimum education requirement; 17.5 percent of jobs required at least a bachelor’s degree.
• 75 percent of jobs required some on-the-job training, and 48 percent required prior work experience.
• 47 percent of jobs involved working outdoors at some point during the workday.
• 66 percent of jobs involved some reaching overhead.
• 39 percent of jobs involved regular contact with others several times per hour.

In part 2, which will be posted tomorrow: The survey results in more detail.