OCCUPATIONAL GROUPS &
FAMILIES  - GS & WG

The government's classification system includes an occupational structure which groups similar jobs together. There are 23 occupational groups comprising 441 different white-collar occupations under the General Schedule; GS-000 through GS-2200. Each occupational group is further subdivided into specific numerical codes (for example: GS-856, Electronics Technician, GS-318, Secretary Series, etc.). The Wage Grade Trades and Labor Schedule offers an additional 36 occupational families; WG-2500 through WG-9000. Complete job lists for each Group or Family is included in Appendix D of The Book of U.S. Government Jobs".

• Occupational Groups - General Schedule

• Occupational Families - Wage Grade
   

GENERAL SCHEDULE (GS)  OCCUPATIONAL GROUPS

GS-000: MISCELLANEOUS - This group includes all classes of positions, the duties of which are to administer, supervise, or perform work which cannot be included in other occupational groups either because the duties are unique, or because they are complex and come in part under various groups. 

GS-100: SOCIAL SCIENCE, PSYCHOLOGY, AND WELFARE GROUP - This group includes all classes of positions, the duties of which are to advise on, administer, supervise, or perform research or other professional and scientific work, subordinate technical work, or related clerical work in one or more of the social sciences; in psychology; in social work; in recreational activities; or in the administration of public welfare and insurance programs.

 GS-200: PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS GROUP - This group includes all classes of positions, the duties of which are to advise on, administer, supervise, or perform work involved in the various phases of personnel management and industrial relations.

 GS-300: GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE, CLERICAL, & OFFICE SERVICES GROUP-This group includes all classes of positions the duties of which are to administer, supervise, or perform work involved in management analysis; stenography, typing, correspondence, and secretarial work; mail and file work; the operation of office appliances; the operation of communications equipment, use of codes and ciphers, and procurement of the most efficient communications services; the operation of microform equipment, peripheral equipment, duplicating equipment, mail processing equipment, and copier/duplicating equipment; and other work of a general clerical and administrative nature. 

GS-400: BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE GROUP - This group includes all classes of positions, the duties of which are to advise on, administer, supervise, or perform research or other professional and scientific work or subordinate technical work in any of the fields of science concerned with living organisms, their distribution, characteristics, life processes, and adaptations and relations to the environment; the soil, its properties and distribution, and the living organisms growing in or on the soil; and the management, conservation, or utilization thereof for particular purposes or uses. 

GS-500: ACCOUNTING AND BUDGET GROUP - This group includes all classes of positions, the duties of which are to advise on, administer, supervise, or perform professional, technical, or related clerical work of an accounting, budget administration, related financial management, or similar nature.

 GS-600: MEDICAL, HOSPITAL, DENTAL, AND PUBLIC HEALTH GROUP - This group includes all classes of positions, the duties of which are to advise on, administer, supervise, or perform research or other professional and scientific work, subordinate technical work, or related clerical work in the several branches of medicine, surgery, and dentistry or in related patient care services such as dietetics, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, pharmacy, and others. 

GS-700: VETERINARY MEDICAL SCIENCE GROUP - This group includes all classes of positions, the duties of which are to advise and consult on, administer, manage, supervise, or perform research or other professional and scientific work in the various branches of veterinary medical science. 

GS-800: ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE - This group includes all classes of positions, the duties of which are to advise on, administer, supervise, or perform professional, scientific, or technical work concerned with engineering or architectural projects, facilities, structures, systems, processes, equipment, devices, material or methods. Positions in this group require knowledge of the science or art, or both, by which materials, natural resources, and power are made useful. 

GS-900: LEGAL AND KINDRED GROUP - This group includes all classes of positions, the duties of which are to advise on, administer, supervise, or perform professional legal work in the preparation for trial and the trial and argument of cases, the presiding at formal hearings afforded by a commission, board, or other body having quasi-judicial powers, as part of its administrative procedure, the administration of law entrusted to an agency, the preparation or rendering of authoritative or advisory legal opinions or decisions to other federal agencies or to administrative officials of own agency, the preparation of various legal documents; and the performance of other work requiring training equivalent to that represented by graduation from a recognized law school and in some instances requiring admission to the bar; or quasi-legal work which requires knowledge of particular laws, or of regulations, precedents, or departmental practice based thereon, but which does not require such legal training or admission to the bar. 

GS-1000: INFORMATION AND ARTS GROUP - This group includes positions which involve professional, artistic, technical, or clerical work in (1) the communication of information and ideas through verbal, visual, or pictorial means, (2) the collection, custody, presentation, display, and interpretation of art works, cultural objects, and other artifacts, or (3) a branch of fine or applied arts such as industrial design, interior design, or musical composition. Positions in this group require writing, editing, and language ability; artistic skill and ability; knowledge of foreign languages; the ability to evaluate and interpret informational and cultural materials; the practical application of technical or aesthetic principles combined with manual skill and dexterity; or related clerical skills. 

GS-1100: BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY GROUP - This group includes all classes of positions, the duties of which are to advise on, administer, supervise, or perform work pertaining to and requiring a knowledge of business and trade practices, characteristics and use of equipment, products, or property, or industrial production methods and processes, including the conduct of investigations and studies; the collection, analysis, and dissemination of information; the establishment and maintenance of contracts with industry and commerce; the provision of advisory services; the examination and appraisement of merchandise or property; and the administration of regulatory provisions and controls. 

GS-1200: COPYRIGHT, PATENT, AND TRADE-MARK GROUP - This group includes all classes of positions, the duties of which are to advise on, administer, supervise, or perform professional scientific, technical, and legal work involved in the cataloging and registration of copyright, in the classification and issuance of patents, in the registration of trade-marks, in the prosecution of applications for patents before the Patent Office, and in the giving of advice to government officials on patent matters.  

GS-1300: PHYSICAL SCIENCE GROUP - This group includes all classes of positions, the duties of which are to advise on, administer, supervise, or perform research or other professional and scientific work or subordinate technical work in any of the fields of science concerned with matter, energy, physical space, time, nature of physical measurement, and fundamental structural particles; and the nature of the physical environment. 

GS-1400: LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES GROUP - This group includes all classes of positions, the duties of which are to advise on, administer, supervise, or perform professional and scientific work or subordinate technical work in the various phases of library archival science. 

GS-1500: MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS GROUP - This group includes all classes of positions, the duties of which are to advise on, administer, supervise, or perform research or other professional and scientific work or related clerical work in basic mathematical principals, methods, procedures, or relationships, including the development and application of mathematical methods for the investigation and solution of problems; the development and application of statistical theory in the selection, collection, classification, adjustment, analysis, and interpretation of data; the development and application of mathematical, statistical, and financial principles to programs or problems involving life and property risks; and any other professional and scientific or related clerical work requiring primarily and mainly the understanding and use of mathematical theories, methods, and operations. 

GS-1600: EQUIPMENT, FACILITIES, AND SERVICES GROUP - This group includes positions the duties of which are to advise on, manage, or provide instructions and information concerning the operation, maintenance, and use of equipment, shops, buildings, laundries, printing plants, power plants, cemeteries, or other government facilities, or other work involving services provided predominantly by persons in trades, crafts, or manual labor operations. Positions in this group require technical or managerial knowledge and ability, plus a practical knowledge of trades, crafts, or manual labor operations. 

GS-1700: EDUCATION GROUP - This group includes positions which involve administering, managing, supervising, performing, or supporting education or training work when the paramount requirement of the position is knowledge of, or skill in, education, training, or instruction processes. 

GS-1800: INVESTIGATION GROUP - This group includes all classes of positions, the duties of which are to advise on, administer, supervise, or perform investigation, inspection, or enforcement work primarily concerned with alleged or suspected offenses against the laws of the United States, or such work primarily concerned with determining compliance with laws and regulations. 

GS-1900: QUALITY ASSURANCE, INSPECTION, AND GRADING GROUP - This group includes all classes of positions, the duties of which are to advise on, supervise, or perform administrative or technical work primarily concerned with the quality assurance or inspection of material, facilities, and processes; or with the grading of commodities under official standards. 

GS-2000: SUPPLY GROUP - This group includes positions which involve work concerned with finishing all types of supplies, equipment, material, property (except real estate), and certain services to components of the federal government, industrial, or other concerns under contract to the government, or receiving supplies from the federal government. Included are positions concerned with one or more aspects of supply activities from initial planning, including requirements analysis and determination, through acquisition, cataloging, storage, distribution, utilization to ultimate issue for consumption or disposal. The work requires a knowledge of one or more elements or parts of a supply system, and/or supply methods, policies, or procedures. 

GS-2100: TRANSPORTATION GROUP - This group includes all classes of positions, the duties of which are to advise on, administer, supervise, or perform work which involves two or more specialized transportation functions or other transportation work not specifically included in other series of this group.

GS-2200: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GROUP -  This group includes all positions for the administrative work in information technology.

WAGE GRADE TRADES & LABOR JOB FAMILIES & OCCUPATIONS

The Government's Personnel Classification System includes Wage Grade occupations grouped into families of like jobs. The 36 occupational families range from WG-2500 to WG-9000. Each occupational family has its own group number and title which makes it distinctive from every other family grouping. The following is a list of the Wage Grade families. 

Each occupational family has a three part identifier: the Pay System, Occupational Group Number and Title. In the example, WG-2500, Wire Communications Equipment Installation and Maintenance Family, WG means the job is in the Wage Grade Schedule (or blue collar) pay system; 2500 is the Occupational Family Number; and Wire Communications Equipment Installation and Maintenance is the Occupational Family Title. Each occupational family lists the individual jobs that comprise the family with their corresponding Job Series Numbers and Titles. A brief description is provided for each of the occupational Wage Grade families and the jobs within that family. Complete job lists for each WG Family is included in Appendix D of The Book of U.S. Government Jobs" .

WG-2500   Wire Communications Equipment Installation and Maintenance Family
WG-2600   Equipment Installation and Maintenance Family
WG-2800   Electrical Installation & Maintenance Family
WG-3100   Fabric & Leather Work Family
WG-3300   Instrument Work Family
WG-3400   Machine Tool Work Family
WG-3500   General Services & Support Work Family
WG-3600   Structural & Finishing Work Family
WG-3700   Metal Processing Family
WG-3800   Metal Working Family
WG-3900   Motion Picture, Radio, Television, and Sound Equipment Operation Family
WG-4000   Lens and Crystal Work Family
WG-4100   Painting & Paperhanging Family
WG-4200   Plumbing & Pipefitting Family
WG-4300   Pliable Materials Work Family
WG-4400   Printing Family
WG-4600   Wood Work Family
WG-4700   General Maintenance & Operations Work Family
WG-4800   General Equipment Maintenance Family
WG-5000   Plant and Animal Work Family
WG-5200   Miscellaneous Occupations Family
WG-5300   Industrial Equipment Maintenance Family
WG-5400   Industrial Equipment Operation Family
WG-5700   Transportation/Mobile Equipment Operation Family
WG-5800   Heavy Mobile Equipment Mechanic
WG-6500   Ammunition, Explosives, & Toxic Materials Work Family
WG-6600   Armament Work Family
WG-6900   Warehousing & Stock Handling Family
WG-7000   Packing and Processing Family
WG-7300   Laundry, Dry Cleaning, & Pressing Family
WG-7400   Food Preparation & Servicing Family
WG-7600   Personal Services Family
WG-8200   Fluid Systems Maintenance Family
WG-8600   Engine Overhaul Family
WG-8800   Aircraft Overhaul Family
WG-9000   Film Processing Family

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