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Methodology and Sources of Information
The estimates reported here are a blend of data, models, and judgment. Very detailed data on employment levels in 266 local industries were used to characterize the Louisville economy relative to the national economy. National staffing patterns were applied to each local industry to predict the level of local jobs in each of 750 occupations. Forecasts were prepared for local jobs by industry in 2016, and these were converted to occupational forecasts using the national staffing matrix for that year. Detailed industry employment data for the nation and each of the 26 counties was provided by Moody’s Economy.com. The Moody’s Economy.com database also included employment forecasts for the nation and each of the counties. The staffing matrix, technically the National Industry-Occupation Employment Matrix, is produced from survey data by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, and covers the years 2006 and 2016.
The characteristics of occupations, including official definitions, skills and experience required, and relationships between occupations were taken from the national O*NET system (http://online.onetcenter.org/). Wage rates for each occupation were taken primarily from BLS published estimates for the Louisville metropolitan area, supplemented by some state and federal-level data. Fringe benefits were estimated using data from national compensation surveys.
Links to local education and training providers for many occupations have now been incorporated. We used the US Department of Education's Institutional Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) to determine which programs were offered by each school in the region. This information was cross-matched with the Department's matrix of curricula codes per occupation. Then internet addresses were found for each regional program and coded into the occupational outlook site.
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