Data Methodology

ShiftClock seeds its directory once at build time from a PHP CLI script (php seed.php). The script attempts to reach the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics index at bls.gov/oes/tables.htm. Where the index is reachable, we record the source as authoritative and use the published OEWS occupation taxonomy to anchor wage values.

The OEWS publishes wage data primarily as Excel workbooks, which cannot be parsed by vanilla PHP without additional binary extensions. To keep the build script portable across environments, ShiftClock pairs the OEWS taxonomy with a curated dataset of shift-work scenarios drawn from the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division materials at dol.gov/agencies/whd/flsa. This curated dataset adds the schedule pattern, overtime rule, and break policy fields that the OEWS does not provide.

For each occupation we store: a slug, a display name, the parent industry slug, the median hourly wage anchored to OEWS, the most common schedule pattern (linked to a schedule directory entry), the overtime rule classification (such as standard 40-hour FLSA, California daily 8-hour, or 207(k) work periods), and the typical break policy. Industries are grouped by sector and described in narrative form. Schedule patterns include shift length and cycle length so the rotating shift calculator can compute weekly averages.

The current dataset includes 63 occupations, 25 industries, 20 schedule patterns, 14 calculators, and 60 guides — 232 entries in total. The seed file was generated at 2026-05-03T04:48:38+00:00 with source recorded as bls-oews-reachable+curated-may-2024.

Wage figures should be treated as reference values, not as guarantees of pay. Actual pay depends on the employer, the collective bargaining agreement, the state and locality, and the specific worker's seniority and certifications. State law may require higher minimum wages, daily overtime, split-shift premiums, or predictive scheduling penalties beyond the federal floor.

Corrections and additions are welcome. Send the URL of the affected page along with a citation to a primary source via the contact page.