O*NET Plus: A Review and Organizing Framework Extending O*NET’s Content Model in Management Research
Abstract
The Occupational Information Network (O*NET) is a database of occupational descriptors sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor. Since its release around the turn of the century, O*NET has taken on a broad and important role in management and organizational research as a key data source for occupational characteristics. It is common practice for researchers to combine or adapt descriptors from O*NET’s content model to measure constructs that O*NET does not capture directly (e.g., job complexity, emotional labor demands). This practice has enabled a great deal of research and poses potential extensions to O*NET’s content model, but has also come with challenges, including the proliferation of redundant measures with varying levels of validation. The purpose of this review is to synthesize the studies using O*NET-based measures and curate a database of measures with considerable evidence supporting their validity. In doing so, we contribute to the literature in three ways: (1) we introduce an extended content model that we call “O*NET Plus” and offer it as an expanded organizing framework for occupational description; (2) we review evidence for the psychometric soundness of O*NET Plus measures, highlight those with considerable evidence, and amass these measures in a central location to offer a “one-stop-shop” for researchers looking to leverage O*NET Plus; and (3) we offer guidance and implications for further expansions to O*NET Plus.
- DOI
- 10.1177/01492063261449793
- Language
- en
- Sources
- openalex crossref