The Occupational Toolbox merges an expansive database of occupationally related information with an easy to use software shell that provide users with a means of exploring occupational issues at the regional level. Originally constructed for the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) for use in program planning and career counseling, the Occupational Toolbox links information on industry/occupation employment with wages, educational attainment, and CCC degree programs. Its primary purpose is to provide a platform from which to analytically determine how occupational demands are evolving over time with an eye to catching mismatches between supply and demand that may exist. Specifically, the Occupational Toolbox provides the following types of information: Employment, openings, replacements, and growth rates of over 1000 occupations for the years 1990 to 2018,Employment and growth rates of over 350 industries for the years 1990 to 20181,Employment, openings, replacements, and growth rates of over 1000 occupations within over 350 industries for the years 1990 to 20182,All employment related information is available at for both Cook county and the six-county Chicago region of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties,Distributions of educational attainment by occupation,Wages by occupation,Occupational descriptions,Ranking/sorting capabilities,General querying capabilities allowing the user to design their own queries,Flexible table and chart making,Report generating.

Examples of output available from the Occupational Toolbox are available. Click here for a table listing the top 100 occupations in Chicago ranked by total employment in 1997. Click here for a table listing the top 100 occupations employed within the Fabricated Metals industry in Chicago ranked by growth over the time period 1997 to 2002.

For Educational Institutions

If you are interested in purchasing the Occupational Toolbox for your institution, three database options are available:Chicago area occupational information with City College of Chicago programs.Custom area occupational information with custom programs.Custom area occupational information without any program information.Please contact REAL for more information on options and pricing. 

¹Occupations are detailed by Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) codes. There are 1039 occupations in total of which 800 are mutually exclusive.

²Industries are detailed by Standard Industry Classification (SIC) codes up to the 3-digit level. There are 450 industries of which 250 are mutually exclusive.