OPM Proposes Eliminating Some Occupational Series

OPM is proposing to eliminate some occupational series for various reasons and is seeking feedback on the proposal.

The Office of Personnel Management has proposed cancelling some occupational series due to the evolution of work.

OPM said that the jobs it is proposing to eliminate have approximately 25 or fewer incumbents throughout the government, and the work covered can be classified to other existing occupational series. OPM also said that the work in the positions is not mission critical, nor is it agency-specific.

OPM also noted that it is not proposing to cancel occupational series whose work is so specialized that it is not classifiable to any other series or which have individual occupational qualification requirements. 

The occupational series proposed for cancellation are the following:

White Collar Occupations

  • 0309 – Correspondence Clerk Series
  • 0313 – Work Unit Supervising Series
  • 0319 – Closed Microphone Reporting Series
  • 0322 – Clerk-Typist Series
  • 0392 – General Telecommunications Series
  • 0394 – Communications Clerical Series
  • 0642 – Nuclear Medicine Technician Series
  • 0698 – Environmental Health Technician Series
  • 0804 – Fire Protection Engineering
  • 0880 – Mining Engineering
  • 0958 – Employee Benefits Law Specialist
  • 1051 – Music Specialist
  • 1054 – Theater Specialist
  • 1056 – Art Specialist
  • 1087 – Editorial Assistance
  • 1107 – Property Disposal Clerical and Technician
  • 1147 – Agricultural Market Reporting
  • 1163 – Insurance Examining
  • 1321 – Metallurgy
  • 1658 – Laundry Operations Services
  • 1725 – Public Health Educator
  • 1730 – Education Research
  • 1815 – Air Safety Investigating
  • 1850 – Agricultural Warehouse Inspection
  • 2110 – Transportation Industry Analysis
  • 2135 – Transportation Loss and Damage Claims Examining
  • 2144 – Cargo Scheduling
  • 2161 – Marine Cargo 

Trades, Craft, and Labor Occupations 

  • 3106 – Upholstering
  • 3511 – Laboratory Working
  • 3602 – Cement Finishing
  • 3605 – Plastering
  • 3606 – Roofing
  • 3802 – Metal Forging
  • 3808 – Boilermaking
  • 3809 – Mobile Equipment Metal Mechanic
  • 4104 – Sign Painting
  • 4416 – Offset Platemaking
  • 4417 – Offset Press Operating
  • 4616 – Patternmaking
  • 4805 – Medical Equipment Repairing
  • 4850 – Bearing Reconditioning
  • 5313 – Elevator Mechanic
  • 5736 – Braking-Switching and Conducting
  • 5737 – Locomotive Engineering
  • 5738 – Railroad Maintenance Vehicle Operating
  • 7402 – Baking 

OPM is accepting comments on the proposal to cancel these occupational series. Comments or questions on this proposal and suggestions for additional series cancellations should be sent to [email protected] by Monday, November 25, 2019. OPM also said that any inquiries should include supporting documentation or evidence (e.g., position descriptions with evaluation statements, job analysis, agency studies/surveys) with an explanation to support any suggestions and objections for cancelling an occupational series. Objections to occupational series cancellations should be submitted through each agency’s Chief Human Capital Officer.

OPM plans to review the feedback it gets on the proposed cancellations and using it to finalize its list.

Proposal to Cancel Occupational Series

About the Author

Ian Smith is one of the co-founders of FedSmith.com. He has over 20 years of combined experience in media and government services, having worked at two government contracting firms and an online news and web development company prior to his current role at FedSmith.