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Why don't job classification systems recognize what skills todays occupations really require?
In the early twentieth century, stonecutters relied on hand tools such as chisels, hammers, and mallets to shape and carve stones precisely. These methods demanded a high degree of manual dexterity, physical strength, and artistic skill. Artisans often acquired training through apprenticeships, where they learned the use of traditional tools and techniques from experienced workers, developing a keen eye for detail.
As technology advanced, the stonecutting industry began integrating modern machinery. By the mid-twentieth century, power tools like electric saws and grinders improved efficiency and precision. The advent of computer numerical control (CNC) machines and computer-aided design (CAD) software in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries further revolutionized the field. These software advances enable stonecutters to create highly detailed and complex designs with unprecedented accuracy. Stonecutters now require proficiency in advanced material properties, safety protocols, and the use of high-tech equipment such as laser scanners and water jet cutters.
Stonecutters do ongoing training and certification to maintain and update their skills. At the same time, the need to keep up with environmental regulations and sustainability practices has further increased the professions technical complexity. Modern stonecutters blend traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology, combining artistic skills with technical expertise to meet the industrys evolving demands.
For all these reasons, we-a group of researchers, social scientists and statisticians-are convinced that stonecutters should be part of the skilled technical workforce (STW). However, the STW definition adopted by the National Science Board (NSB) actually leaves them out-along with many other skilled technical jobs. The NSBs working definition is based on a framework that prioritizes education credentials and knowledge rather than specific skills to delineate STW occupations. This bias means that the definition fails to account for the evolution of skills over time, which makes the working definition less adaptable to changes in the nature of skills and skilled technical work, and consequently less effective at measuring this important segment of the workforce.
A better definition of the STW can help policymakers and industry leaders support workforce development initiatives that are connected to innovation and economic development strategies. The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES), the principal statistical agency within the National Science Foundation, supports...