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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Occupational employment in nuclear-related activities, 1981

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5332800

1981 employment in nuclear-related activities is described, and compared to previous years. Employment characteristics examined include detailed occupations of scientists, engineers, and technicians; worker involvement in research and development activities; employment by industrial segment (e.g., reactor operation and maintenance, weapons production, and commercial laboratory services); employment by establishment type (government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO), private, and nonprofit); regional employment; and employment by establishment size. Total 1981 nuclear-related employment is estimated to be 249,500 - a growth of 22,600 workers over the 1977 total. GOCO workers make up 36.9% of this total. Among all the nuclear-related workers, scientists comprise 5.1%, engineers, 15.3%; and technicians, 17.5%; the remaining 62.1% is composed of managers, skilled craft and clerical workers, and other support services. Research and development involvement has declined from the 1977 survey results, with 60.4% of scientists and 27.0% of engineers currently involved in R and D. The largest single industrial segment activity is weapons development (16.9% of total employment), followed closely by reactor operation and maintenance employment (16.7%). There has been considerable change in the distribution of employment by industrial segment from 1977 to 1981; the reactor and reactor component design and manufacturing segment fell by over 9700 workers while reactor operation and maintenance employment grew by over 24,000 workers.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Inc., TN (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-76OR00033
OSTI ID:
5332800
Report Number(s):
ORAU-197; ON: DE82014451
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English