Gross and fine manipulation

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 board erasers;

• goalies turning hockey sticks;

• welders using tin snips;

• truck drivers operating steering wheels and gear shifts.

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 pianos or keyboards;

• bartenders entering drink orders into touch screen point-of-service systems;

• cashiers using a register with hybrid keyboards;

• dental hygienists using tools to scrape tartar off of patients’ teeth;

• scientists using pipette to dispense solutions;

• electricians using small tools to rewire lamps.

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 phone calls 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 conveyor belt) and fine 

manipulation (returning change and receipt);

• warehouse clerks may have to lift boxes off conveyor belts (gross manipulation), and then enter the serial 

numbers from boxes using touchscreen scanners (fine manipulation);

• writing is included in both gross and fine manipulation.

In 2021, gross manipulation was required for greater than 99.5 percent of all civilian workers and fine manipulation was 

required for 98.8 percent of civilian workers. (See Chart A.)
Occupational Requirements Survey ●www.bls.gov/ors ●orsinfo@bls.gov ●202.691.6199

Included in the gross and fine manipulation requirements is whether jobs require 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, greater than 99.5 percent of cleaners of vehicles and 

equipment required gross manipulation and all these workers required both hands to perform gross manipulation. Fine 

manipulation was required for 91.0 percent of cleaners of vehicles and equipment with one hand required for 24.8 

percent and both hands required for 66.2 percent. Sometimes the total does not equal the overall requirement due to 

rounding, one or both estimates being unavailable, or for estimates published as ranges. These situations occur when 

estimates do not meet publication criteria or there are no workers with the requirement.

Table 1. Percent of workers by physical demand by occupation, 2023

Occupation Gross manipulation Fine manipulation

Required One hand Both hands Required One hand Both hands

Accountants and auditors >99.5 <35 69.8 99.5 53.3 46.1

Archivists >99.5 19.8 80.2 >99.5 48.7 51.3

Biological science teachers, postsecondary >99.5 24.0 76.0 >99.5 56.2 43.8

Cashiers >99.5 1.2 98.8 >99.5 <25 80.7

Cleaners of vehicles and equipment >99.5 <0.5 >99.5 91.0 24.8 66.2

Computer user support specialists >99.5 <25 82.7 97.7 35.3 62.4

Curators >99.5 17.9 82.1 >99.5 29.7 70.3

Education administrators, all other >99.5 6.5 93.5 >99.5 27.3 72.7

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey
Occupational Requirements Survey ●www.bls.gov/ors ●orsinfo@bls.gov ●202.691.6199

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 workday, then gross manipulation occurs “occasionally.”

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

The duration of gross and fine manipulation varies among occupations. For example, 41.7 percent of computer 

programmers seldom performed gross manipulation, greater than 99.5 percent of cargo and freight agents did 

occasionally, 85.9 percent of barbers did frequently, and 71.0 percent of furniture finishers did constantly. Fine 

manipulation was performed seldom by 40.4 percent of computer programmers, occasionally by 81.3 percent of cargo 

and freight agents and frequently by 77.0 percent of barbers.
Occupational Requirements Survey ●www.bls.gov/ors ●orsinfo@bls.gov ●202.691.6199

Additional resources:

• Latest news release

• Archived ORS news releases

• Handbook of Methods

• Collection manuals

• Factsheets

Articles:

• All The Economics Daily (TED) articles on ORS

• Minds at work: what’s required according to the Occupational Requirements Survey (PDF)

• A look at teachers’ job requirements, employer costs, and benefits (PDF)

• Occupational Requirements Survey: Third wave testing report (PDF)

• Occupational Requirements Survey: results from a job observation pilot test

• The Occupational Requirements Survey: estimates from preproduction testing

For additional information on occupational requirements see the ORS homepage or download the ORS complete dataset

to explore the latest estimates.