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Occupational Requirements Survey

Gross and fine manipulation

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The Occupational Requirements Survey (ORS) publishes job-related information on physical demands; environmental conditions; education, training, and experience; as well as cognitive and mental requirements. The job requirements reflect those necessary for workers to perform critical tasks in support of the critical job functions, and not the capabilities of individual workers. Gross and fine manipulation estimates are physical demand requirements. Where possible, the ORS program provides whether one or both hands are necessary to perform gross and fine manipulation as well as the duration associated with each job requirement by occupation.

Gross manipulation is defined as seizing, holding, grasping, turning, or otherwise working with hand(s). This includes instances when fingers are used as an extension of the hand to hold or operate a tool.

Examples of gross manipulation include:

  • teachers using a board eraser;
  • goalies turning a hockey stick;
  • welders using tin snips;
  • truck drivers operating a steering wheel and gear shift.

Fine manipulation is defined as picking, pinching, touching or otherwise working primarily with fingers rather than the whole hand or arm. The ORS program considers the job requirement of entering data on traditional keyboards or 10-key pads as a keyboarding requirement, as this is excluded from fine manipulation.

Examples of fine manipulation include:

  • musicians playing a piano keyboard;
  • bartenders entering a drink order into a touch screen point-of-service system;
  • cashiers using a register with a hybrid keyboard;
  • dental hygienists using tools to scrape tartar off of a patient’s teeth;
  • scientists using a pipette to dispense a solution;
  • electricians using small tools to rewire a lamp.

There are many situations where multiple physical demands are performed concurrently, including both gross and fine manipulation. The ORS program captures these requirements separately. Some examples of both requirements being present include:

  • receptionists making a phone call may include gross manipulation (holding the receiver with one hand) and fine manipulation (dialing the phone with the other hand);
  • cashiers ringing up customers may include gross manipulation (moving product off conveyer belt) and fine manipulation (returning change and receipt);
  • warehouse clerks may have to lift boxes off a conveyer belt (gross manipulation), and then enter the serial number from the box using a touchscreen scanner (fine manipulation);
  • writing is included in both gross and fine manipulation.

In 2020, gross manipulation was required for 99.9 percent of all civilian workers and fine manipulation was required for 98.5 percent of civilian workers. (See Chart A.)

gross_and_fine_manipulation_chartA  
Chart A data table
Chart A. Percent of civilian workers by occupation and duration for gross and fine manipulation, 2020
Fine manipulation Gross manipulation

All workers

98.5% 99.9%

Dishwashers

84.8% 100.0%

Construction laborers

91.4% 100.0%

Customer service representatives

97.3% 97.3%

Sales managers

99.6% 100.0%

Software developers

99.7% 100.0%

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey

 

Included in the gross and fine manipulation requirements is whether the job requires workers to perform these physical demands using one hand or both hands. Generally, the sum of performing gross and fine manipulation with one hand and both hands will equal the overall requirement. For example, 100.0 percent of maids and housekeeping cleaners required gross manipulation and all of these workers required both hands to perform gross manipulation. Fine manipulation was required for 95.3 percent of maids and housekeeping cleaners with 20.1 percent requiring one hand and 75.2 percent requiring both hands. Sometimes the total does not equal the overall requirement due to rounding or because one or both estimates are not available, which occurs if they do not meet publication criteria or there are no workers with the requirement. (See Table 1.)

Table 1. Percent of workers by physical demand by occupation, 2020
Occupation Gross manipulation Fine manipulation
Required One hand Both hands Required One hand Both hands

Software developers

100.0 36.2 63.8 99.7 53.3 46.4

Chief executives

100.0 31.1 68.9 99.5 59.0 40.5

Computer and information systems managers

99.6 20.6 79.0 100.0 68.0 32.0

Elementary school teachers, except special education

100.0 13.0 87.0 100.0 45.9 54.1

Food preparation workers

100.0 - 100.0 99.6 8.4 91.1

Cashiers

100.0 - 99.4 100.0 17.3 82.7

Security guards

100.0 10.9 89.1 99.8 31.3 68.5

Maids and housekeeping cleaners

100.0 - 100.0 95.3 20.1 75.2

Note: Dash indicates no workers in this category or data did not meet publication criteria.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey

Duration estimates

Gross and fine manipulation duration estimates are categorized by portion of the workday spent performing these physical demands. For example, if over the course of an 8 hour workday (480 minutes) workers lift boxes for less than 5 minutes, gross manipulation would be classified as “seldom,” assuming no other gross manipulation is performed. However, if they lifted boxes for 1 hour each work day, then gross manipulation occurs “occasionally.” (See Table 2.)

Generally the sum of the duration estimates sums to the overall requirement (gross and fine manipulation). Additionally, the sum of the duration estimates and the not present estimate generally sum to 100 percent.

Table 2. Duration estimates: Amount of the workday spent performing physical demands
Duration Amount of work day

Seldom

Up to 2 percent of the workday

Occasionally

2 percent up to 1/3 of the workday

Frequently

1/3 up to 2/3 of the workday

Constantly

2/3 or more of the workday

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey

The duration of gross and fine manipulation varies amongst occupations. For example, 8.8 percent of office clerks seldom performed gross manipulation, 50.7 percent of food service managers did occasionally, 64.9 percent of dental assistants did frequently, and 39.6 percent of maids and housekeeping cleaners did constantly. (See Chart B.)

gross_and_fine_manipulation_chartB  
Chart B data table
Chart B. Percentage of workers by occupation and duration of gross manipulation, 2020
Seldom Occasionally Frequently Constantly

Office clerks, general

8.8% 78.6% 12.3% -

Food service managers

- 50.7% 38.2% -

Dental assistants

- 22.1% 64.9% -

Maids and housekeeping cleaners

- 14.4% 46.0% 39.6%

Note: Dash indicates no workers in this category or data did not meet publication criteria.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey

 

Fine manipulation was performed seldom by 27.0 percent of office clerks, occasionally by 58.6 percent of food service managers and frequently by 38.2 percent of dental assistants. (See Chart C.)

gross_and_fine_manipulation_chartC  
Chart C data table
Chart C. Percentage of workers by occupation and duration of fine manipulation, 2020
Seldom Occasionally Frequently

Office clerks, general

27.0% 70.4% 2.3%

Food service managers

17.6% 58.6% 21.4%

Dental assistants

- 61.8% 38.2%

Maids and housekeeping cleaners

14.2% 67.7% 13.3%

Note: Dash indicates no workers in this category or data did not meet publication criteria.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey

 

Additional resources:

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For additional information on occupational requirements see the ORS homepage or download the ORS complete dataset to explore the latest estimates.