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PLANNING

ANI)
A11A\INIST It ATIVE
PERSONNEL
IN
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
A Pilot Stnilv

June

U.S. DE P A R T M E N T



B u ll e tin No. 1 631
OF L A B O R /

BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS




P

L

A

N

N

I N

G

ANII
AIMlINlSTItATIVE
PERSONNEL
IN
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
A Pilot Study


For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S.


.lime 1909
Bulletin No. 1631
U . S . D E P A R T M E N T OF L A B O R
G e o r g e P. S h u l t z , S e c r e t a r y

BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
Geoffrey H. Moore, Commissioner

Government Printing Office

Washington, D.C. 20402 - Price 45 cents




'l

Preface
This bulletin presents the results of a pilot study of local government manpower
undertaken by the Bureau of Labor Statistics with the support of the Department of
Housing and Urban Development. The study was designed to identify occupations
related to the planning and administration of urban programs and to provide a basis for
further large scale surveys and * studies of employment and future manpower
requirements for these occupations. Current manpower problems and future skill
requirements related to planning and administrative activities were also investigated.
The Bureau is grateful to the many urban officials who participated in the study
and provided the information which formed the basis for this report.
The study was conducted in the Division of Manpower and Occupational Outlook
of the Bureau of Labor Statistics under the general direction of Neal H. Rosenthal. The
report was prepared by Gerard C. Smith. Michael Crowley, Joseph J. Rooney, and
Janice N. Hedges participated in the interviewing and analysis of information. Guidance
and assistance from the Department of Housing and Urban Development was provided
by John Huss, Director of the Division of Urban Manpower Development and by
Thomas Melone, Director, Urban Planning Research and Demonstration Program.







CO NTENTS

Page
..................................................................................

6

S u m m a r y .......................................................................................

7

Introduction

Chapter:
I.

Planning and administrative manpower in local government .
Occupations related to planning and administrative activities
Illustrative staffing patterns of selected local
government agencies...............................................
Regional planning A g e n c ie s.....................................
II. Current manpower problems and future expectations . . . .
Recruiting p r o b le m s ...............................................
How jobs are f il l e d ..................................................
Alleviating manpower s h o r t a g e s ................................
Future manpower developm ents................................
III. Future research needs ...............................................
Occupational employment s u rv e y s ..............................
Local government occupational r e c o r d s .......................
Projection of manpower requirements and s u p p l y ..........
R e q u ire m e n ts.....................................
Supply
.............................................
Job opportunities and mobility studies . . . .
Education and training requirements ..........

9
9
10
14
15
15
16
16
18
19
19
19

20
20
21
21
22

Appendixes:
A.
B.
C.
D.

Descriptions of planning and administrative jobs
Study p r o c e d u r e .....................................
Available employment statistics .................
Abstract ...............................................

23
35
37
38

Tables:
....................

10

2 . Illustrative staffing pattern of a city planning c o m m is s io n .................

1. Illustrative staffing pattern of a chief executive's office

11
11

3. Illustrative staffing pattern of a model cities agency .........................
4. Illustrative staffing pattern of a planning research and
development section of a department of public health ....................
5. Illustrative staffing pattern of a community action a g e n c y .................
6 . Illustrative staffing pattern of a fiscal a g e n c y ...................................
7. Illustrative staffing pattern of a housing and urban
renewal agency ......................................................................
8 . Illustrative staffing pattern of a parks and recreation department . . . .
9. Illustrative staffing pattern of a regional planning agency
.................
10. Planned and actual staffing of a large city planning department ..........




12
12
13
13

14
14
17




IN T R O D U C T IO N
Whether the planning and administrative capabilities of local governments are
adequate to cope with the continuing need for rapid expansion of local government
services is an unanswered question. Comprehensive studies that clearly identify the
extent and nature of current and anticipated manpower problems in planning and
administration have not yet been undertaken. This pilot study paves the way towards
such comprehensive studies by identifying:
1. Occupations that entail planning and administrative functions within local
governments as background information to develop large scale employment
surveys.
2. Problems urban governments are having in meeting current skill requirements
in occupations having planning and administrative functions and to indicate
what has been done, what is being done, and what is planned to resolve those
problems.
3. Areas where further research is needed in order to develop comprehensive
information on the future planning and administration capabilities of local
governments for use as background for action to assure that future manpower
needs of local governments will be met.
Occupational analysis in this study is concentrated on professional, administrative,
and technical personnel engaged in planning and administrative duties. Excluded from
detailed analysis were occupations found in operational and service functions, such as
teacher, policeman, and fireman, which are not engaged primarily in planning and
administrative activities.
The study is based primarily on information drawn from interviews with local
officials who have knowledge of planning and administrative activities and manpower.
Interviews were conducted in five United States cities that reflect differences in size,
geographic area, government organization, the presence of higher educational facilities,
and socio-economic factors. Because only five cities were studied, the information
obtained on manpower problems and other subjects may not be representative of the
national situation and care must be taken in using all of the data presented. (See
appendix B for more information on selection of the cities and study methods.)

SUM MARY

Within the spectrum of planning and administration
in local governments, some occupations are clearly
administrative and others entirely planning. However, in
many occupations, planning and administration are
complementary. For example, the chief of a city's
planning agency is engaged in planning, but he also must
direct all activities of the agency. Similarly, the chief of
a city's fiscal agency is engaged primarily in
administration, but he also becomes involved in planning
future financial needs and policies of the city.
Job titles alone cannot be used to identify planning
and a d m in istra tiv e occupations. Different city
governments often use the same title to describe
different occupations. For example, "administrative
assistant" is used by some local governments to describe
a high level professional who assists the city's chief
executive, whereas others use the title to describe an
individual performing clerical duties. Different job titles
also may be used to describe similar jobs. For example,
urban planner and city planner may be identical jobs.
Many workers function as support personnel to
persons in professional planning and administrative
positions. For example, draftsmen prepare drawings of
buildings for use by engineers in planning a major urban
renewal project. Similarly, social planning analysts
obtain information on the characteristics of inhabitants
of an area scheduled to be redeveloped to provide urban
planners with background data with which to plan for
the physical and social needs of the area.
In this pilot study, several hundred professional,
administrative, and technical (PAT) job titles were
identified as having planning and administrative duties in
local governments. These titles were condensed into 40
occupational groups for use in data collection and
manpower analyses activities. The groups range from
chief executives to technician level planning aids.
Manpower Shortages
Local governments are faced with problems of
occupational shortages, but generally in planning and
administration these jobs do not make up a large
proportion of the job vacancies because they are a
relatively small proportion of all jobs. Moreover, a large




proportion of planning and administration jobs are high
level positions. Typically, these jobs are filled by
promotion from within and, therefore, are staffed with
relative ease. Among planning and administrative
occupations in the cities studied, the major vacancy
problems are at the entry level for city planners,
administrative specialists, and planning aids and
assistants. Other PA T occupations involved in planning
that present vacancy problems are engineer, architect,
draftsman, and neighborhood counseling specialist. The
officials interviewed attributed vacancy problems to a
general shortage in the supply of workers, and to the
inability of cities to attract workers because of low
salaries, lack of clear promotion opportunities, low
prestige, and civil service impediments such as unrealistic
examination requirements, residency requirements, and
lengthy time lags between application and hiring.
Filling the Jobs
Recruiting is a key factor in meeting manpower
needs in local governments. However, planning and
administrative jobs are filled both by promoting city
employees from within and by recruiting from the
outside. The policy of promoting personnel to
successively more responsible positions is prevalent in
most city government agencies contacted for this study.
Thus, high level administrative positions generally are
staffed by individuals having technical rather than
a d m in istra tiv e training. Recruiting generally is
concentrated at the level for technical personnel, and it
is from these entry level positions that the manpower is
draw n to fill local government planning and
administrative needs.
In the cities studied, a number of approaches are
used to alleviate manpower shortages. By increasing
salaries and instituting tuition rebate and other
educational aid programs, local governments attempt to
make employment more attractive. In addition, they
commonly substitute personnel of a lower grade or
related specialty and use technician level aids and
assistants to support high level planning and
administrative specialists. Also, recruiting campaigns are
being expanded and intensified in the cities studied.

Future Needs

More Research and Data Necessary

Long-range manpower planning is not common at
the local government level. Program and manpower
planning is keyed to the fiscal year budget. Local
government officials, however, expect programs that
require personnel in planning, administrative, and related
occupations to grow over the next several years. They
identified a myriad of factors that can be expected to
cause future growth in these occupations. The most
significant of these factors is the likelihood that greater
resources will be devoted to improving the cultural,
economic, social, and physical conditions of cities.
Consequently, emphasis is and will continue to be placed
on city planning, urban redevelopment, and economic
action programs. Federally aided activities, such as the
Model Cities Program and other economic opportunity
and manpower development programs, are expected to
stimulate the need for planning, administrative, and
related professional and technical specialists.

Relatively little of the available manpower
information assesses the extent and nature of current
and anticipated manpower problems faced by cities in
staffing for urban planning and administrative manpower
needs. Although this pilot study and other literature
provide some information on local government
manpower statistics and problems, information is not
available to provide sufficiently detailed data to guide
policy decisions. Information from this study, however,
does point to a number of research needs and provides a
basis for designing manpower studies for: (1) The
development of wide scale occupational employment
surveys, (2) the development of projections of future
manpower requirements and supply, (3) occupational
mobility, (4) job opportunity, and (5) education and
training requirements in planning, administrative, and
related occupations.




P L A N N IN G A N D A D M IN IS T R A T IV E P E R S O N N E L IN LO C A L
G O V E R N M E N T : A P IL O T S T U D Y

Chapter I. Planning and Adm inistrative
Manpower in Local Governments
The primary objective of this study was to identify
professional, administrative, and technical (PAT)
occupations related to planning and administering the
programs and activities of local governments, with
emphasis on occupations involved in urban development.
Identifying P A T occupations related to planning and
administration was not an easy task. Planning and
administration could not be narrowly defined, nor could
these functions be easily separated from other activities
performed in local governments. Thus, a broad spectrum
of occupational specialties were included within the
scope of the study.
T h e following definitions of planning and
administration were used for this study.
Planning-Planning encompasses activities related
to developing new government programs or improving or
changing existing ones. Planning includes activities such
as those related to planning financial needs, planning
physical requirements (space, equipment, etc.), planning
for social and human resource oriented programs, and
manpower planning. Planning also includes work
conducted in coordinating several urban programs; for
example, coordinating housing, welfare, health, and job
training programs that are part of the redevelopment of
a depressed area. It encompasses activities related to the
analysis of alternatives, and the making of decisions on
the types of programs to undertake, including activities
concerned with obtaining information needed to make
the decisions. Therefore, professional, technical, and
administrative occupations related to planning include
both high level professional workers, such as city
managers and urban planners, and technician level
support personnel, such as planning aids and draftsmen.
Administration =City administration is the process
of managing and directing a city's operations. It ranges
from the overall management of a city and the
management of a major agency, department, or bureau,
such as a Housing and Urban Renewal Agency, to the
management of specific operational activities, such as
personnel, budgeting, or data processing. Therefore,
professional, technical, and administrative workers in




administration include not only the chief of an agency
and his assistants, but those workers who are involved in
the administration of specific activities that service the
total government operation.
Occupations Related to Planning and Administrative
Activities
City size and the extent of a city's social,
economic, and cultural programs are the major
determinants of the number and variety of PAT
occupations within a city government that include
planning and administrative duties. Large cities that are
pressed hardest by problems of slum neighborhoods and
d ete riorating commercial districts, transportation
problems, racial strife, and numerous other problems
have much more complex organization and staffing
needs than smaller, more tranquil communities. The five
cities studied, which range in size from approximately
50,000 population to more than 1,500,000, varied
greatly both in the number of agencies and in the types
of occupational specialties employed. In the larger cities
studied, separate agencies carried out functions such as
city planning, model neighborhood planning, housing
and urban renewal programs, and human resources
development. In small cities, these activities are generally
performed by staff members of traditional city agencies,
such as the engineering or public works department, the
finance department, or the mayor's or city manager's
office.
Some occupations identified in this study entail
planning only and some administration only. In other
cases, both functions are characteristic of the job.
However, administration is usually the primary function
and planning duties are secondary. For example,
administration and planning in most of the government
agencies studied are the responsibility of the agency
chief and his assistants, their primary function being
administration. In addition, city agencies employ
administrative specialists, who do not have planning
duties, to assist in handling the detailed work necessary
fo r p ro gra m
adm inistration. Duties of these
administrative specialists include implementing executive

decisions and collecting and preparing information for
use in determining administrative policies.
In agencies such as city planning commissions or
model cities' departments, all P A T workers are involved
in planning directly, or indirectly as support personnel.
Some workers in these agencies, such as the director of
the agency, also have administrative duties. Similarly,
some city agencies were found to have separate planning
sections, and personnel employed in these sections are
engaged in planning; only the top staff have
administrative duties. Planning sections within these
agencies generally are staffed heavily with personnel who
are closely related to the agency's function. For
example, in an urban renewal agency, a planning section
may utilize city planners and engineers. In a police
department planning section, personnel generally include
police officers who have experience in departmental
organization and operations.
Job titles alone cannot be used to identify planning
and a d m in istra tiv e jobs. Many planning and
administrative positions in the local governments studied
have titles that are built around the title of the agency;
for example, director of finance in the financial
department, or director of parks for the parks
department. Other titles are related to staff functions,
such as assistant to the city manager, or by professional
background, e.g., engineers. One can not tell by the job
title engineer whether the job entails planning,
a d m in is tra tio n , or technical engineering work.
F u rth e rm o re , som e occupations are titled as
administrative specialties (for example, administrative
assistant) when incumbents may be engaged in clerical
activities rather than high level administrative activities.
Because of the large number of occupational titles
identified as related to planning and administration the
information from the five cities was condensed in order
to present it in a logical and easy to understand manner
fo r use in preparing or collecting comparable
occupational employment statistics for all the cities. In
these summary groupings, administrative occupations
were classified separately from planning occupations.
Jobs that entail both planning and administrative duties
were classified according to their primary function.
Administrative occupations were identified (1) by
program (e.g., health, housing, and urban renewal) or (2)
by function (e.g., planning, personnel). Administrative
specialists who cross functional or program lines were
cla ssifie d separately. Planning occupations were
classified primarily by generic job title. Summary
occupational descriptions and detailed lists of titles




identified under each description
appendix A.

are presented in

Illustrative Staffing Patterns of Selected Local GovernĀ­
ment Agencies
Staffing patterns in 2 large cities having more than
500,000 population, illustrate the relationship of
workers engaged in planning and administrative activities
to the total staffing of the particular agencies. Staffing
patterns of agencies in the smaller cities were similar but
generally did not have the variety of occupational
specialties found in larger cities. P A T personnel engaged
in planning and administrative activities ranged from
workers in a chief executive's (mayor's) office all of
whom are engaged primarily in administratives activities
to personnel in planning agencies where all are engaged
in planning activities. Other agencies, including regional
Planning Commissions, employ a variety of PAT
personnel involved in varying degrees in planning and
administrative activities.
The chief executive's office is the primary
administrative unit of a city government. Depending
upon the form of government organization, the chief
executive may be a mayor, elected commissioner, or a
city manager. The types of administrative personnel
employed in a chief executive's office are illustrated in
table 1.

T a b le 1. Illu stra tiv e S t a f f in g P a tte rn o f
a C h ie f E x e c u tiv e 's

V

O ff ic e

O c c u p a tio n

E m p lo y m e n t

T o ta l S ta ff
A d m in is tr a tiv e Person n el
M ayor
E x e c u tiv e S e c re ta ry t o M a y o r A d m in is t r a t io n
E x e c u tiv e S e c re ta ry to M a y o r D e p a rtm e n ta l L a is o n
A s s is ta n t t o M a y o r
S p e c ia l A s s is t a n t fo r C o m m u n ic a t io n s
a n d In f o r m a tio n
C o m m u n it y D e v e lo p m e n t C o o r d in a t o r
C le rica l a n d O th e r

M a y o r -c o u n c il fo r m o f go v e rn m e n t.
2 / A d m in is tr a tiv e p e rso n n e l m a y have p la n n in g du ties.

2 J

N o te : S e e a p p e n d ix A fo r jo b d e sc rip tio n s.

15
6
1
1
1
1
1
1
g

T a b le 2. Illu stra tiv e S t a f f in g P a tte rn o f a
C it y P la n n in g C o m m is s io n

O c c u p a tio n
T o t a l S t a f f 1/
A d m in is tr a tiv e an d P la n n in g P erso n n el 2 /
D ire c to r 3 /
A s s is ta n t D ire c to r 3 /
A s s is ta n t D ire c to r fo r P la n n in g -Z o n in g 3 /
A s so c ia te D ire c to r T r a n s p o r t a tio n P la n n in g 3 /
A d m in is tr a tiv e A s s is ta n t 3 /
C h ie f o f P la n n in g S e c t io n s 4 /
C h ie f o f T r a n s p o r t a tio n P lan 4 /
C it y P lan n e r
E c o n o m ic A n a ly s t
E n gin e e r
P u b lic A d m in is t r a t io n A n a ly s t
P la n n in g E d u c a t io n A s s is ta n t (P u b lic R e la tio n s)
S ta tis tic ia n
P la n n in g A s s is ta n t 5 /
D ra fts m a n an d D r a f tin g A i d 5/
C le rical and O th e r

E m p lo y m e n t
77
65
1
1
1
1
1
5
1
15
4
3
1
1
2
2
25
12

J / A p p o in t e d c o m m is s io n e r s are n o t in clu d e d .
2 / E n tire p ro fe ssio n a l an d a d m in is tr a tiv e s ta ff is en gaged
in p la n n in g activities.
.3/ P e rfo rm a d m in istra tiv e du ties.
4 / A lt h o u g h these jo b s in c lu d e the title " c h ie f " , th e y entail
su p e rv iso ry an d te ch n ical d u tie s rather th a n a d m in is tr a tio n .
.5/ T e c h n ic ia n level s u p p o r t perso n nel.
N o te : Se e a p p e n d ix A fo r jo b d e sc rip tio n s.

Chief executives are responsible for the overall
administration and policies of a city, and planning
activities are a major part of their work. Administrative
assistants and executive secretaries aid them in both
planning and administration. Some assistants may work
in a variety of areas such as staffing, policymaking,
long-term planning, or city financing; others may
specialize in one area such as the coordination of several
programs related to urban development.
City planning commissions have the primary
function of guiding all private development and
redevelopment and of planning for all public
d evelop m en t. Commissions are concerned with
developing comprehensive plans; zoning; planning for
the improvement and redevelopment of residential,
business, and industrial areas; and the location and
design of public buildings, parks, and memorials. They
are responsible for submitting recommendations to the
city's chief administrators on matters related to city
planning.
Planning commissions generally are headed by
appointive boards. Board members are often architects,
engineers, builders, real estate specialists, attorneys, and
other citizens having an interest in and some knowledge




of the goals and purposes of city planning. They act in
an advisory capacity and generally receive little or no
compensation. Administration or planning is conducted
by the professional director of the planning commission
and his assistants who are in charge of divisions or
branches of the commission. In addition to city
planners, planning commissions employ engineers,
architects, economists, draftsmen, illustrators, and other
professional and technical specialists. Staffing patterns
are illustrated in table 2.
Model cities agencies are among the newest and
most unique local government organizations. These
agencies are responsible for developing plans for
presentation to neighborhood groups that lead to a
community development program best suited to the
needs of the community. Model cities agencies also act
as coordinating centers to bring together other city
departments and agencies concerned with planning and
community development that are related to model city
programs.
Model cities planning personnel are concerned with
all facets of social, economic, and physical conditions
needing remedial action in target areas of a city. Staffs
are generally small but highly professional and include
city planners, government and public administrators, and
social scientists. Model cities groups may supplement
their staffs by borrowing employees from other
departments that are participating in phases of program
development in their area of responsibility. For example,
when working on a phase of model cities planning that is
concerned with health services, personnel from the city's
health department may be assigned to the model cities
group. Table 3 presents staffing detail for a model cities
group.

T a b le 3. Illu stra tiv e S t a f f in g P a tte rn o f a M o d e l C it ie s A g e n c y
O c c u p a tio n

T o tal S ta ff
A d m in is tr a tiv e P la n n in g P e rso n n e l J /
P ro je ct D i r e c t o r ^ /
A s s is ta n t P ro je ct D ire cto r_ 2/
G o v e rn m e n ta l A n a ly s t
C it y P lan ne r
S o c ia l P la n n in g A n a ly s t
C o m m u n it y Se rv ice s A s s is ta n t
A cc o u n ta n t
C le rica l

E m p lo y m e n t

11
9
1
1
1
2
2
1
1
2

J / E n tir e p ro fe ssio n a l a n d a d m in istra tiv e s ta ff is en gaged
in p la n n in g activities.
_2/ P e rfo rm a d m in istra tiv e du tie s.
N o te : Se e a p p e n d ix A fo r jo b d e sc rip tio n s.

T a b le 4. Illu stra tiv e S t a f f in g P a ttern o f a P la n n in g , R e se arch ,
a n d D e v e lo p m e n t S e c tio n o f a D e p a r tm e n t o f P u b lic H e alth

O c c u p a tio n

E m p lo y m e n t

T o tal S ta ff
A d m in is tr a tiv e an d P la n n in g P erso n n el 1_/
D ir e c to r o f P la n n in g, research, an d d e v e lo p m e n t 2 /
P u b lic H e a lth E d u c a t o r
C o m m u n it y Se rv ice s A s s is ta n t
S t a tis tic ia n
Illu s tr a to r
C le rica l

8
6
1
1
1
2
1
2

E n tir e p ro fe ssio n a l an d a d m in istra tiv e s ta ff is en gage d in
p la n n in g activities.
2 / P e r fo rm s p r im a r ily a d m in istra tiv e duties.

y j

N o te : S e e a p p e n d ix A fo r jo b d e sc rip tio n s.

The planning, research, and development section of
the city's Department of Public Health has as its primary
function the planning of programs, such as air and water
pollution or rat control, based on public health

requirements. A major part of this planning includes
gathering vital statistics and analyzing data for use in
making program decisions. The following table illustrates
the types of P A T personnel engaged in planning health
programs. Administrative, as well as planning duties, are
performed by the director of the unit, and planning
research is done by the public health education and
community services assistant. Statisticians are involved
primarily in gathering and analyzing data for program
planning. Illustrators design research presentations.
Community action agencies are charged with the
responsibility of receiving and allocating funds provided
to local governments under provisions of the Economic
Opportunity Act of 1964, the Manpower Development
and Training Act (M DT A), and other legislation to carry
out programs designed to improve community social and
economic conditons. In some cities, activities funded
through community action agencies are carried out by
traditional local government agencies, such as the
department of health or education, or by third party
contractors.

T a b le 5. Illu stra tiv e S t a f f in g P a ttern o f a C o m m u n it y A c t io n A g e n c y

O c c u p a tio n

T o tal S ta ff
A d m in is tr a tiv e an d P la n n in g P erso n n el \ J
E x e c u tiv e D ire c to r
A s s o c ia t e E x e c u tiv e D ire c to r
D ir e c to r o f In f o r m a t io n Se rvice s
C h ie f o f P r o g ra m E v a lu a tio n
A d m in is tr a tiv e Se rv ice s S u p e rv is o r
F iscal O ffic e r
P e rso n n e l a n d T r a in in g O ffic e r
P ro g ra m A n a ly s t
C o o r d in a t o r P r e -S c h o o l P ro g ra m
D ire c to r, V o lu n te e r S e rv ic e C o r p s
A s s o c ia t e E x e c u tiv e D ire c to r, N e ig h b o r h o o d Se rv ice
C h ie f o f N e ig h b o r h o o d O p e r a tio n s
N e ig h b o r h o o d D e v e lo p m e n t S u p e rv is o r
E d u c a t io n an d T r a in in g A d m in is t r a t o r
D ire c to r, C h ild r e n 's Se rvice s

E m p lo y m e n t

2 ,0 6 7
43
1
11
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
4
1
1
1
1
1

P ro g ra m D ire c to r, C h ild r e n 's Se rvice s
P ro je ct C o o r d in a to r , E d u c a t io n Se rvice s
P ro je ct A s s is t a n t C o o r d in a to r , E d u c a t io n Se rvice s
D ire c to r, F a m ily Se rv ice s
D ire c to r, H e a lth Se rv ic e s
M a n p o w e r D e v e lo p m e n t C o o r d in a t o r
A s s is ta n t M a n p o w e r D e v e lo p m e n t C o o r d in a t o r
D ire c to r, N e ig h b o r h o o d Y o u t h C o r p s
A s s is ta n t P r o g ra m S u p e rv is o r N e ig h b o r h o o d Y o u t h C o r p s
A n a ly s t , P u b lic A d m in is t r a t io n
A d m in is tr a tiv e A s s is ta n t (p ro fe ssio n a l)
1/
2/
3/
4/

1
1
1
1
1
2
1
3

O c c u p a tio n
O th e r P ro fe ssio n a l and T e c h n ic a l Pe rso n n e l
M e d ic a l C o n s u lt a n t S u p e rv is o r
S o c ia l C o n s u lt a n t S u p e rv is o r
N u r s in g C o n s u lt a n t S u p e rv is o r
T e a m S u p e rv is o rs (M e d ic a l Se rvice )
H e a lth A id
L ib ra ria n
R e c re a tio n S u p e rv is o r 2 /
S tre e t C lu b W o rk e r
C a se S u p e rv is o r
S o c ia l W o rk e r 2 /
C a se W o rk e r
Case W o r k e r 's A s s is ta n t 3 /
C o n t r a c t E x a m in e r
P r o p e r ty and S u p p ly O ffic e r
Teacher
T e a c h e r's A s s is t a n t 3 /
P ro je ct A s s o c ia t e (E d u c a t io n Se rvice s)
G r o u p Le a d e r A d v is o r ( E m p lo y m e n t P ro g ra m s) 2 /
J o b D e v e lo p e r
J o b L o c a to r
F ie ld S u p e rv is o r ( N e ig h b o r h o o d Y o u t h C o r p s)
N e ig h b o r h o o d D e v e lo p m e n t C o u n s e lo r 2 J
N e ig h b o r h o o d D e v e lo p m e n t A s s is ta n t ^ ./
A c c o u n t a n t A u d it o r
S ta tis tic a l A s s is t a n t (P ro fe ssio n a l)
O th e r 4 /

P r im a r ily a d m in istra tiv e b u t a lso e n gaged in so m e p la n n in g activities.
M a y h a ve p la n n in g du ties.
T e c h n ic ia n level s u p p o r t p erso n nel.
In c lu d e s clerical an d service p erso n n el an d en ro llees o f v a rio u s w o rk -t ra in in g p ro gra m s.

N o te : S e e a p p e n d ix A f o r jo b d e sc rip tio n s.




E m p lo y m e n t
450
1
1
1
4
20
5
2
25
1
6
11
4
1
1
14
15
1
4
1
2
6
40
281
2
1
1,5 74

Community action agencies are engaged in both
short-range development programs and long-range
program planning. Planning as well as program
administration generally is done by the top staff, which
includes the director of the agency, assistant directors,
and program directors, coordinators, and analysts. (See
table 5.) Program analysts and fiscal officers familiar
with principles and practices of program planning and
budgeting systems are key administrative occupations
employed in these agencies. PA T staffs include a large
number of social worker oriented specialists such as
n e ig h b o rh o o d c o u n s e lo rs and w o rk -tra in in g
administrators.
Fiscal agencies' primary activities are planning and
administering annual budgets and financial planning for
long-range capital improvement programs. Finance
directors, budget officers, and general management and
p u b lic adm inistration personnel are commonly
employed in fiscal agencies and have both planning and
administrative duties. The following illustrative staffing
pattern provides detail on the types of P A T occupations
employed to perform the planning and administrative
activities of fiscal agencies. (See table 6.)

T a b le 6. Illu strativ e S t a f f in g P a tte rn

E m p lo y m e n t

T o t a l S t a ff
A d m in is tr a tiv e an d P la n n in g P erso n n el V
C o n tro lle r
D e p u t y C o n tro lle r
C o n t r o lle r 's A c c o u n t in g D ire c to r
A d m in is tr a tiv e A c c o u n t a n t
A u d it o r o f D is b u r se m e n ts
C o n t r o lle r 's S y s t e m s an d M e t h o d s A c c o u n t a n t
C it y B o a r d A c c o u n t a n t
B u d g e t D ire c to r
A s s is ta n t B u d g e t D ire c to r
A d m in is tr a tiv e S u p e rv is o r-R e tire m e n t an d
In su ra n c e P lan s
M a n a g e r = C o n t r o lle r 's D a ta P ro ce ssin g
A s s is ta n t M a n a g e r = C o n t r o lle r 's D a t a P ro ce ssin g
A d m in is tr a tiv e A s s is ta n t
G o v e rn m e n ta l A n a ly s t
O th e r P ro fe ssio n a l an d T e c h n ic a l Person n el
A c tu a ria l A s s is ta n t
A cc o u n tan t
P ro gra m e r
In c o m e T a x In v e stig a to r
C le rica l an d O th e r

1/ P r im a rily a d m in istra tiv e b u t a lso e n gaged in so m e
p la n n in g activities.
N o te : Se e a p p e n d ix A fo r jo b d e sc rip tio n s.




o f a H o u s in g

and U rban Renew al A g e n c y

O c c u p a tio n

E m p lo y m e n t

580
37
1
1
1

T o tal S ta ff
A d m in is tr a tiv e an d P la n n in g Pe rso n n e l
D ire c to r-S e c re ta ry 1J
A s s is ta n t D ire c to r 1/
S u p e rin t e n d e n t o f H o u s in g O p e r a tio n s 1/
A s s is ta n t S u p e rin t e n d e n t o f H o u s in g O p e r a t io n s 1 /
S u p e r v is o r o f T e n a n t S e le c tio n J_/
H o u s in g M a n a g e r _1/
T e c h n ic a l A id - B u sin e ss A d m in is tr a tio n 1/
U r b a n R e n e w a l C o o r d in a t o r
P e rso n n e l O f fic e r V
A d m in is tr a tiv e E n g in e e r 1/
S o c ia l E c o n o m is t
C it y P la n n e r
O th e r P ro fe ssio n a l a n d T e c h n ic a l P e rso n n e l
A cc o u n ta n t
D a ta P ro ce ssin g P ro gra m e r

1
1
11
3
2
1
1
3
11
134
10
1
2
13
22
84

P u b lic R e la tio n s W o rk e r (P u b lic ist)
E n g in e e r 2 /
P u b lic H o u s in g A i d 2 /
U r b a n R e n e w a l A s s is ta n t 2 /
C o m m u n it y Se rv ice A s s is ta n t 2 /
O th e r 3 /

2
409

V
P e rfo rm p rim a rily a d m in is tr a tiv e duties.
2 / S o m e m a y have p la n n in g duties.
3 / In c lu d e s clerical w o rk e rs, c o n s tr u c t io n w o rk e rs,
sk ille d cra ftsm e n , b u ild in g m a in te n a n ce , a n d all o th e r
m a n u a l an d service pe rso n ne l.

o f a F iscal A g e n c y

O c c u p a tio n

T a b le 7. Illu stra tiv e S t a f f in g P a tte rn

330
57
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
42
105
1
68
10
26
168

N o te : Se e a p p e n d ix A fo r jo b d e sc rip tio n s.

1/

Housing and urban renewal agencies are responsible
for the planning and management of public housing and
for planning urban renewal projects. A variety of
specialists are needed to carry out the work of a housing
and urban renewal agency. A t the top are executive and
program directors who plan, coordinate, and administer
the overall activities of the agency. Other occupations
found in these agencies include widely divergent
specialties such as city planners and public housing
managers. Am ong the occupational specialists that entail
planning and administrative duties are urban renewal
c o o rd in a to rs , e n gineers, b u sin e ss o r public
administration specialists, and economists. The following
illustrates the types of P A T occupations employed in a
housing and urban renewal agency (table 7).

1/ In some cities, the housing and urban renewal
functions may be in separate agencies or independent
authorities.

Parks and recreation departments are concerned
with physical, social, and cultural leisure time activities
for citizens of all age groups. Beautification of the city
by designing, building, and maintaining parks, squares,
and greens is another important function of parks and
recreation departments. Some departments plan,
acquire, build or administer golf courses, swimming
facilities, zoos, and other types of recreational facilities.
Planning and administrative activities in those agencies
generally are conducted by the top staff. In addition,
recreation counselors, program coordinators and
analysts, and landscape architects may be engaged in
planning for new programs or facilities or improving
existing areas. The following table presents occupational
detail for a large city parks and recreation department
(table 8).

Regional Planning Agencies

Regional planning agencies are concerned with the
development of broad range plans to guide and
coordinate the growth and development of an area that
may encompass several local governments. In addition to
their primary concern--the development of general
regional development plans--regional agencies also act as
advisors to local governments on the relationship
between their planning activities and those of the region,
State, or Federal Government, and as reviewing and
coordinating agencies for applications for Federal funds
initiated by planning units within the region.
Regional planning agencies in the areas studied are
organized as research and planning arms of Councils of
Governments or Inter-Governmental Commissions.
Council members generally include local officials such as
mayors, city councilmen, county commissioners, and
city and county planning directors. Executives from
regional transit, port, and housing authorities and similar
independent agencies may be members of Councils of
Governments and Inter-Governmental Commissions that
maintain full-time planning staffs to execute work
programs of the parent body and to coordinate the work
of consulting groups employed for particular reseamh
and planning projects.
The regional planning commissions or councils
studied had small, highly professional staffs. The
following table 9 is ^illustrative of the types of
occupations employed by regional planning groups.




T a b le 8. Illu stra tiv e S t a f f in g P a tte rn o f a P a rk s
a n d R e c re a tio n D e p a r tm e n t

O c c u p a tio n

E m p lo y m e n t

T o tal S t a ff
A d m in is tr a tiv e a n d P la n n in g P e rso n n e l 1/
G e ne ral S u p e rin t e n d e n t o f P a rk s a n d R e c re a tio n
A s s is ta n t G e n e ra l S u p e rin t e n d e n t o f P a rk s and
R e c re a tio n

442
27
1
1
1

E x e c u tiv e A d m in is t r a t o r o f P a r k s a n d R e c re a tio n
P e rso n n e l O f fic e r

2
S u p e rin t e n d e n t o f R e c re a tio n
1
A s s is ta n t S u p e rin te n d e n t o f R e c re a tio n
1
C h ie f o f L a n d sc a p e A rc h ite c tu re
1
L a n d sc a p e A r c h ite c t
6
S u p e rin te n d e n t o f F o re s tr y a n d L a n d sc a p in g
1
A s s is ta n t S u p e rin t e n d e n t o f F o re s tr y a n d L a n d s c a p in g
10
P r o g ra m D e v e lo p m e n t A n a ly s t
1
S e n io r C itiz e n P r o g ra m C o o r d in a t o r
1
O th e r P ro fe ssio n a l a n d T e c h n ic a l Pe rso n n e l
200
R e c re a tio n S u p e rv is o r 2 /
12
A s s is ta n t R e c re a tio n S u p e rv is o r 2 /
10
R e c re a tio n In s tr u c to r
139
C o m m u n it y H o u s e S u p e r v is o r 2 /
34
R e c re a tio n F a c ilitie s In v e stig a to r 2 /
1
A cc o u n ta n t
4
O th e r 3 /
215

J J P r im a rily a d m in is tr a tiv e b u t th e y m a y e n ga ge in so m e
p la n n in g activities.
2 / M a y have p la n n in g duties.
3 / In c lu d e s clerical, m a in te n a n ce , a n d service pe rso n ne l.
N o te :

Se e a p p e n d ix A fo r jo b d e sc rip tio n s.

T a b le 9. Illu stra tiv e S t a f f in g P a tte rn o f a R e g io n a l
P la n n in g A g e n c y

O c c u p a tio n
T o ta l S t a f f
A d m in is tr a tiv e a n d P la n n in g P e rso n n e l J_/
E x e c u tiv e D ire c to r 2 /
A s s is ta n t D ire c to r 2 /
T r a n s it P ro g ra m M a n a g e r 2 /
P la n n e r (U r b a n o r R e g io n a l)
T r a n s it S y s t e m s P la n n e r
S o c ia l P lan n e r
E c o n o m is t ( R e g io n a l)
Im p le m e n ta t io n R e se a rch S p e c ia list
P r o g ra m A n a ly s t
E n gin e e r (S a n ita r y )
P ro g ra m e r (C o m p u t e r)
S y s t e m s A n a ly s t
P la n n in g A s s is ta n t 3 /
D r a fts m a n 3 /
Illu s tr a to r 3 /
C le rica l an d S e rv ic e Pe rso n n e l

E m p lo y m e n t
51
40
1
3
1
15
1
1
2
1
*
3
1
1
1
5
3
1
11

V
E n tire p ro fe ssio n a l a n d a d m in istra tiv e s ta ff is e n gage d
in p la n n in g activities.

2 / P r im a rily a d m in istra tive .
3 / T e c h n ic ia n level s u p p o r t pe rso n ne l.

Chapter II.

Current Manpower Problems and Future Expectations

Recruiting Problems
Several agencies of the local governments studied
were h avin g difficulty in meeting their skill
requirements. However, the number of vacant positions
in planning and administrative jobs were only a small
proportion of the total number of vacancies, primarily
because planning and administrative positions represent
only a small proportion of total employment. Many
administrative jobs are high level positions that are filled
by technical specialists who are promoted from within
and, therefore, pose relatively little problem. Most
vacancies in the cities studied were in clerical, skilled,
manual, and service jobs, and in professional and
technical occupations that are not engaged primarily in
planning and administration, such as nurses and other
medical specialists, social welfare workers, and engineers.
Am ong planning and administrative occupations,
the major vacancy problems identified were at the entry
level for city planners, administrative specialists, and
planning aids and assistants. Other P A T occupations
which are related to planning activities and for which
cities experienced difficulties in finding qualified
workers were architects, draftsmen, engineering aids and
technicians, neighborhood counselors, and employment
training specialists.
The regional planning agencies contacted for this
study had fewer problems in attracting and holding
qualified personnel than did city planning agencies.
Reasons given for their greater ability to recruit and hold
personnel were (1) higher salaries than those paid by
cities, (2) the fact that many planners consider working
for a regional group to be more prestigious and
glamourous than working for a city group, and (3)
regional agencies employment qualifications and hiring
standards were generally not tied to rigid civil service
requirements.
In addition to the problems concerning the number
of available workers, many young workers entering PAT
occupations in the cities studied have not developed the
needed analytical and communication skills. Training
and skill in written and oral communications was
mentioned most often as a serious deficiency in the
skills young people brought to the job. The lack of
sufficiently developed communications skills was
considered by some administrators to be particularly
acute among accounting and engineering graduates.
Occupational shortages were attributed both to the
lack of young persons with training in the needed skills




and to the inability of local governments to attract their
share of trained personnel. From the information
obtained from this study, however, which of these two
factors was the primary reason for the shortages is not
clear. Many officials indicated that they felt the key
problem was a general shortage of qualified personnel.
However, about the same number of local officials
indicated salary and promotion opportunities as the key
problem in recruiting adequately prepared P AT
personnel. Many of the skills needed by local
governments also are in demand by other employers and,
therefore, cities must compete for workers with private
industry and Federal and State governments. If salaries
and promotion opportunities in local government are
not competitive, young persons will not be attracted to
local government jobs. However, the P A T occupations
which have the greatest shortages-nurses and other
medical specialists, accountants, and engineers--also are
in short supply to other employers.2/
Civil service restrictions that impede efficient
recruitment were another important reason underlying
vacancy difficulties. Many of the city officials
interviewed felt that examinations for PAT occupations
do not determine realistically who is the best qualified
applicant for a particular job. Civil service commissions
administer examinations and establish lists of eligible
candidates which may require, for example, that the
person scoring highest in the examination be hired or
that one of the three highest be selected. Some officials
interviewed did not consider these procedures to be the
most effective means for producing the most qualified
job candidate. They felt that academic achievement and
successful employment experience should be weighed
much more heavily than written examinations in
determining an applicants qualifications.
Residency requirements also were cited as
impediments to recruiting. In some cities, for example,
employees are required to live within the city, thereby

2/ See Occupational Outlook Handbook, 1968-69
edition, U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor
Statistics, Bulletin 1550; Health Manpower 1966-75, A
Study of Requirements and Supply, U.S. Department of
Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, B L S Report 323,
June 1967.
3/ Civil service examinations in some cities are
required both for entry positions and for pormotion.

excluding from consideration qualified manpower from
outside the city limits. A few of the officials interviewed
felt that even if residency requirements are waived, the
very fact of thefr existence keeps some persons from
applying who might otherwise be interested and
qualified for city employment.
Time lags experienced between application and
employment also were cited as reasons that qualified
applicants tend to lose interest in and cease to be
candidates for city employment. In some cases, weeks
and even months passed between the time a person
qualified for a job and the time that he actually was
hired. A n administrator of one city's housing and urban
renewal agency contrasted this with private industry
practices. Referring to accountants as an example, he
said that although a month or more may pass between
the time of examination and employment in the city
government, a candidate could be interviewed by a
leading manufacturing company located in the city and
placed on the payroll the next day.
Another problem often mentioned as underlying
manpower shortages was the low level of prestige
accorded to local governments. According to many of
the officials interviewed, this negative image of local
government employment is caused, at least in part, by
non-competitive salaries with other employers in the
area, the inability of recruiters to make definite hiring
committments, and residency requirements.
How jobs are filled
Recruitment programs have a major impact on the
success that local agencies have in filling jobs. Planning
and administrative jobs in P A T occupations in local
governments are filled by promoting from within a city's
work force and by recruiting from outside. Most high
level planning and administrative jobs, as well as other
high level supporting professional and technical
positions, are filled by promotion of experienced
personnel from within, whereas recruiting from outside
usually is used to fill entry level jobs. Promoting
personnel to successively more responsible positions is
the policy of most city government agencies contacted
for this study and is especially prevalent in the more
traditional service oriented agencies such as police and
fire departments, public works departments, and public
utilities departments. Because of the practice of
promotion from within, many top administrative jobs
are filled by technical personnel rather than individuals
trained specifically as administrators.




Recruiting usually is centralized in the Civil Service
Commission or the personnel agency of a city, and a
number of different recruiting methods are used by the
cities studied for this report. These methods range from
simple posting of job opportunities on bulletin boards to
intensive college recruitment campaigns. The following
list presents the major methods of recruiting used in the
cities studied:
1. Posting of notices in public buildings and
waiting for applications
2. Advertisements in local newspapers
3. Advertisements in professional journals
4. College recruitment
5. Obtaining personal leads from professional
contacts
In the cities studied, various methods of recruiting
were used in differing degrees. The larger cities relied
more heavily on recruiting at college campuses than did
the smaller cities. All cities posted notices in public
buildings and advertised in local newspapers. Advertising
in professional journals and personal leads from
professional contacts generally were used when trying to
fill specific jobs.
Alleviating manpower shortages
Several approaches were used by the local
governments studied to alleviate manpower shortages.
Although all the approaches discussed here were not
used by each city government that was studied or by all
agencies in any particular city, they serve to illustrate
how cities attempt to solve manpower shortage
problems.
Raising the level of salaries was one of the principal
methods used by local governments in an attempt to
make employment more attractive. Two of the 5 cities
studied were currently revising their salary structures. In
some cities, where recruiting difficulties warranted,
hiring above the entrance level of a given salary scale was
possible.
College recruiting campaigns also were used to find
qualified employees to alleviate shortages. Most city
officials, although they would like to intensify college
recruiting, did not have sufficient funds and manpower
to devote to extensive recruitment outside their local
areas. However, in the cities studied, an effort is being
made to expand and intensify recruiting campaigns, and
visits to college campuses, vocational and technical
schools, and high schools are becoming more and more

frequent. One planning administrator who often is asked
to speak to graduate city planning students said that
these visits provided him a good opportunity to meet
with and recruit top notch new graduates for his agency.
Educational and tuition rebate programs have been
initiated by the local governments studied to help attract
new PA T personnel and to upgrade the skills of current
employees. Each of the five cities studied had some type
of employee educational program. These programs
ranged from informal systems of occasionally sending an
employee to a nearby university for coursework to very
formal programs of tuition rebate and specialized
in-house training. These programs often reflected active
cooperation between the city and local colleges and
u n iv e rsitie s in se ttin g up specialized public
administration and related courses. A number of city
officials interviewed held part-time teaching positions in
local junior colleges, colleges, and universities, and some
of them were active in helping local colleges develop
urban studies programs-particularly 2-year programs in
planning, urban renewal, recreation, and public
administration, which city employees attended.
Substituting personnel of a lower grade or related
specialty in vacant positions is another method used by
the cities studied to alleviate manpower problems. This
practice is described most clearly by comparing planned
and actual staffing patterns for a city agency. For
example, the planned staffing pattern for PAT
occupations in the city planning department illustrated
in table 10 includes city planners, social economists, and
draftsmen. The number and level of these positions is
established for each fiscal year budget. However,
department officials have the option of filling budgeted
positions with lower level personnel or related specialties
as long as salary expenditures do not exceed the
budgeted allottment for a particular position. In the case
presented in table 10, personnel to fill authorized job
vacancies in the planning department were not available,
and less experienced planners were employed;
architectural and civil engineers were substituted for
planners, and draftsmen were used in lieu of junior level
planners. The practice of substituting lower level and
related personnel is used not only to fill shortage
positions but also to make positions available to
competent personnel who can function effectively in the
agency but do not qualify for any of the agency's
budgeted positions.
The use of technician level aids and assistants as
support personnel to higher level professionals and
administrators also was practiced by the cities studied.




T a b le 10. P la n n e d a n d A c t u a l S t a f f in g P a ttern
o f a La rge C it y P la n n in g D e p a r tm e n t

O c c u p a tio n

N u m b e r e m p lo y e d
Pla n n e d

A ctu al

57

53

D ire c to r o f C it y P la n n in g
A s s is ta n t D ire c to r o f C it y P la n n in g
H e a d C it y P la n n e r
P rin c ip a l C it y P la n n e r

1
1
3
6

1

S e n io r C it y P la n n e r
Im te rm e d ia te C it y P la n n e r
J u n io r C it y P la n n e r

9
9
8
1

T o ta l S t a f f

P rin c ip a l S o c ia l E c o n o m is t
S e n io r S o c ia l E c o n o m is t
J u n io r S o c ia l E c o n o m is t
A s s is t a n t A rc h ite c tu ra l E n gin e e r
J u n io r A rc h ite c tu ra l E n gin e e r
J u n io r C iv il E n gin e e r
S e n io r D ra fts m a n
D r a fts m a n
J u n io r D ra fts m a n
Se c re tarial S t e n o g ra p h e r
S e n io r S te n o g ra p h e r
S te n o g ra p h e r
J u n io r S te n o g ra p h e r
T y p is t
S e n io r C le rk
C le rk
T o ta l V a c a n c ie s

1
3
4
8
5
3
1
1
1
4
2
1

1
1
0
0
0
2
5
0
1
0
4
0
2
2
1
-

2
7
1
0
1
3
1
0
2
1
-

4

However, the officials interviewed during the course of
the study had mixed feelings about using additional
support personnel as a means to alleviate P A T shortages.47
On one hand, many officials felt that many of the more
routine and repetitive tasks done by planners,
administrators, and other professional employees could
be performed by aids and assistants. The advantages of
this approach include (1) providing more time for higher
level personnel to attend to professional duties, and (2)
providing career opportunities and advancement for
lower grade city employees having specialized training.
On the other hand, some administrators felt that many
technician level careers were dead-end jobs, and the
limited advancement potential of these occupations
would cause more problems than they would solve. On
balance, however, most administrators interviewed
considered the use of technician level aids and assistants
coupled with adequate training and educational
4/ The use of technician level support personnel is
not only a practice for alleviating shortages. Some
occupational utilization patterns have these workers as
an integral part of the staff.

assistance programs a positive step toward alleviating
shortages and providing career opportunities for persons
w h o would otherwise be excluded from local
government planning and administrative functions.
Future Manpower Developments

Manpower planning in the city governments studied
generally was done on a year-to-year basis and, for the
most part, was tied directly to the financial budget.
Long-range manpower planning was at a minimum. All
the cities studied were suffering from financial problems
caused by shrinking tax bases and increasing needs for
city services. These problems accompanied by the
possibility of manpower reductions were more on the
minds of city officials than were thoughts of long-term
manpower plans. Despite the general lack of long-range
manpower planning, local officials indicated that the
future would bring new and expanded programs that
w o u ld
require more workers in planning and
administrative occupations. Generally, officials appeared
optimistic that finances for these new programs would
be made available, despite their current financial
problems.
Most significant among the myriad of factors that
local officials expect to cause future occupational
growth is the need to improve the physical, economic,




and social conditions of cities. Emphasis is being placed
on urban redevelopment and economic action programs.
Federally aided activities, such as the Model Cities
Program and the Economic Opportunity and Manpower
Development programs, are expected to stimulate the
need fo r planning, administrative, and related
professional and technical specialists. The need to attack
physical problems, including the rebuilding of slums and
building recreation facilities, will increase the need for
planners, urban renewal specialists, zoning and housing
code administrators, public housing managers, and
recreation and parks administrators. Programs designed
to attack social problems, such as social tension, juvenile
delinquency, and crime, will increase the need for
persons trained and experienced in social work,
p sy c h o lo g y , guidance and counseling, and the
administration of job training and other economic
development programs. Economists and social planning
analysts will be needed to collect data and do analysis
for planning economic and social deveolpment programs.
Local government officials also expected increasing
needs for management specialists who have skills and
ability to use modern program planning and budgeting
techniques to plan new programs and to budget financial
resources. Local governments pressed by financial
problems were making increasing use of these specialists,
as well as accountants and auditors and finance
administrators.

Chapter III.

Future Research Needs

Employment in local governments is growing at a
rate well above that of the Nation. The Bureau of Labor
Statistics estimates that employment requirements in
local governments will increase by about one-third
between 1966 and 1975, nearly twice as fast as the
increase projected for total employment in the United
States.5/The rapidity of employment growth in local
governments raises the question as to whether the
manpower requirements of local governments will be
met, especially in the areas of planning and
administrative manpower, which also are in strong
demand in other sectors.
Relatively little information is available that
assesses the extent and nature of current and anticipated
manpower problems faced by cities in staffing for urban
planning and administrative manpower needs. Although
this pilot study and other literature provide some
information on local government manpower statistics
and problems, information is not available to provide
data with the desired reliability on which to guide policy
decisions. Information from this study, however, does
point to a number of research needs and provides a basis
for designing future manpower studies. Some of the
most important studies of urban manpower that were
indicated by this pilot study are as follows: (1) Wide
scale occupational employment surveys, (2) projections
of future manpower requirements and supply, (3)
studies of job vacancies and mobility patterns, and (4)
studies of education and training requirements in
planning, administrative, and related occupations.
Occupational Employment Surveys
Surveys of employment by occupation provide the
basic input to manpower analysis and are one of the key
urban government manpower research needs. Data on
current levels of employment provide the base for
projections of future occupational requirements and for
estimates of occupational needs that are created by work
force attrition. Also, manpower information, such as
statistics on job vacancies and occupational transfers, are
most meaningful when measured against the aggregate
employment level of the particular occupation being
studied.
Information on employment is needed on a
continuous basis. Statistics collected on a "one time
5/ Tomorrow's Manpower Needs, U.S. Department
of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bulletin 1660,
February 1969.




o n ly " basis do not provide the information on the
dynamics of changing employment. Attesting to the
need for and use of a continuous flow of employment
data are the annual surveys of scientific and technical
employment in private industry conducted by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual data on teacher
employment collected by the Office of Education, and
annual records of employment of several medical
occupations compiled by professional associations.
Because of these annual data, these occupations
probably are the most studied of the Nation's many
occupations and, thus, more information is available to
planners to develop comprehensive programs of
education and training in these fields.
This pilot study provides the basic framework for
c o lle c tin g occupational data for planning and
administrative manpower in local governments. The next
step is to use the occupational classifications developed
from this pilot study to conduct surveys of occupational
employment.
Local Government Occupational Records
Centralized employment records are kept by the
local civil service commission or central personnel office
in 4 of the 5 cities studied. Each of these four cities also
has a formal occupational classification system
containing written job descriptions for each occupation.
In the fifth city studied, the smallest one, occupational
statistics are available through centralized social security
records maintained by the budget office, but written job
descriptions are not available. In general, the following
basic employment data can be readily provided by
central employment records: (1) Total city employment;
(2) employment by occupation; and (3) employment by
agency.
Some types of employment data may be difficult
for local officials to provide; for example, cross
tabulated information, such as occupation by agency,
generally is not readily available at a central source,
despite the great importance of this type of data to
manpower analysis. In many cases, listing cross tabulated
data would require considerable work on the part of
local governments before such material could be made
available. However, some types of data may be readily
available in individual agencies rather than at a central
source.
Central personnel agencies do not maintain
information on occupation by function; for example,
occupational records do not contain information on the

n u m b e r o f engineers engaged in planning or
administrative functions. To develop quantitative data of
this type, definitions or specific functions would have to
be provided to agency officials who have detailed
knowledge of the functions performed by each PA T
worker in their individual agencies, and these officials
would have to review each job and place it in the proper
functional classification. Most of the local officials
interviewed said that they could provide this type of
information, although they indicated possible difficulties
in cases where employees cross functional lines.
Data on age, sex, educational attainment, and other
characteristics of workers by occupation are not readily
available from central employment records. Officials
interviewed said that this type of information usually is
contained in each employee's personnel folder, but for
all practical purposes, it could not be withdrawn for
survey purposes. Central records, however, could be used
for selecting samples of employees, by occupation, for
inclusion in studies of these type of data, as well as for
studies of job satisfaction and occupational mobility
patterns.
Local personnel officials did not forsee major
difficulties in providing occupational data for survey
purposes, especially data available from central records.
How ever, to compile useful data, standardized
occupational definitions are essential. Job descriptions
used by local government personnel departments or civil
service agencies vary from city to city and, therefore, job
titles for workers who perform exactly comparable
duties may not be the same. In one city studied, the title
"planning assistant" was used for the entry level job in
professional city planning work; in another city, the
same title was used for a technician level assistant
engaged in drafting work needed to develop city plans.
Projections of Manpower Requirements and Supply
Development of manpower plans and programs rely
heavily on projections of occupational requirements and
supply. Policy makers should have information on
occupational requirements and supply to judge if
sufficient manpower will be available to conduct
efficiently a specific program. Educational planners need
occupational supply and demand projections as
background data to guide them in developing programs
to support education in particular fields of study.
Studies of occupational supply and demand may
indicate, for example, how the mix of education grant
and student loan programs should be distributed, or
what new curricula should be added in existing schools.




Manpower planners in local governments also must
consider their needs in relation to those of other
employers, since engineers, accountants, and other
professional and technical workers are needed by private
industry and Federal and State governments, as well as
by local governments.
Requirements
Projections of occupational requirements in local
governments have been developed by the Bureau of
Labor Statistics as part of its analysis of manpower
requirements for the United States. However, the
occupational detail provided by these studies is limited,
primarily because of insufficient data on occupational
em ploym ent. In addition, projections of local
government manpower data that are included with
studies of the Nation cannot deal fully with the
dynamics of manpower requirements that are expected
to result from new programs. Furthermore, studies of
local government manpower conducted in the past have
lacked both occupational detail and detail on primary
function such as planning and administration by
occupation.
P ro je c tio n s o f requirements for different
occupations in local governments require different
methods of analysis, usually because of differences in
the factors underlying the demand for workers in a
p a rtic u la r occupation. Occupational employment
requirements in local government are affected by a host
of factors. Population and related demographic factors
and the need for urban development programs are very
important among the variables that must be considered.
Information on changing population, social, and
economic patterns in a city also must be considered to
the fullest extent possible. Analyses of urban
development needs and an assessment of the potential
fiscal capacity, including financing that may be made
available through federal programs for various programs,
is needed to establish goals and construct models
designed to project future occupational needs.
Technological change also has a major effect on demand
for manpower skills required by local governments.
Furthermore, the study of occupational patterns of
specific agencies is important because of the relationship
between the needs for one occupation and those of
another, for example, planners and planning assistants.
No one technique or set of variables can be used
successfully to project manpower requirements for all
occupations in local governments. The number of urban
planners required, for example, may be wholly

dependent upon the amount of money that will be made
available for planning programs. The need for
administrative personnel, on the other hand, is related to
size of a city, the number of programs or activities
undertaken, and the organizational and technical
complexity of the various programs.
Projections of changes in manpower requirements
by occupation provide only part of the information on
the number of job openings that will need to be filled in
the years ahead. In estimating the total number of
openings likely to arise in an occupation, consideration
of manpower needs resulting from the replacement of
those who leave is essential. In most occupations, more
workers are needed yearly to fill positions left vacant by
those who leave the occupation to enter other
occupations, shift to other employers, or retire or die
than are needed to staff new positions created by
growth.
Supply
Information on future requirements only provides
one side of the manpower picture. Studies of
occupational supply, designed to be comparable to
requirements studies, are needed to indicate what
expansion in training is necessary to meet manpower
needs. A recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report on
supply and demand for health occupations indicates that
training of physicians for the Nation as a whole must be
increased by 80 percent over 1966 levels to meet 1975
requirements.6 Studies that provide information of this
type should be undertaken for occupations directly
related to local governments' manpower needs.
Entrants into a specific occupation in local
government may come from any one of several fields of
study. High level administrative assistants in an urban

6/ Health Manpower, 1966-75, op. cit.
7/ See Two Years After the College Degree-Work
and Further Study Patterns (N SF 63-26, 1963) for an
example of a major followup study of college graduates.
8/ Beginning in January 1969, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics plans to launch an intregrated Current Job
Opportunities-Labor Turnover Statistics Program. The
job opportunities information program is designed to
provide a large amount of industrial and geographic data
and, ultimately, to provide for publication of job
openings data for the entire nonagricultural economy
(including State and local governments) in all major
metropolitan areas.
9/ Excludes separations for death, retirement, and
involuntary discharge.




renewal agency may be graduates of college or university
p ro g ra m s in engineering, social work, public
administration, or other courses of study. Also, in fields
such as urban planning, where graduates from urban
planning curriculums provide the major source of
entrants, some graduates of these programs will not
become urban planners. Thus, follow-up studies of the
employment of a new college graduates by fields of
s tu d y directly related to urban planning and
administration, such as graduates of urban planning
curriculums, would be of great use in an analysis of
manpower supply to local governments.7'
Studies that cover the various sources of entrants
into specific occupations are necessary to assess fully
manpower resources for staffing urban development and
related local government programs. New college
graduates are not the only source of entrants to
professions related to the planning and administration of
urban programs. Many workers are upgraded from lower
level jobs or are hired from other employers. Manpower
supply studies should include information on work
experience-including the activity of workers in planning
and administration jobs just prior to entering their
current jobs, and their activities since leaving school.

Job Opportunity and Mobility Studies
In addition to the basic studies of occupational
employment and future requirements and supply, much
additional research is needed to fill in the lack of current
information concerning the needs and problems in the
fields of urban government manpower. Job opportunity
studies on a broad scale are needed to provide
information on the specific occupations that are
persistently difficult to fill and on the magnitude of
occupational shortage.8/Studies of workers who leave
local government employment are needed to provide
information on why local government employees leave
their jobs. Information obtained during the interviews
indicates resignations9/accounted for about one-half to
three-fourths of employees who left local government
service in the cities that were studies. According to
information obtained by local personnel offices during
exit interviews, lack of upward mobility was the primary
motive for resignation. Other reasons for leaving jobs,
such as health, return to school, poor working
conditions, and leaving the city, were cited much less
frequently than "to take a better job". Department
heads and other officials indicated low salaries and the
lack of promotion opportunities as prime causes of

\
employee resignation; however, specific studies are
needed to provide detail on the extent and nature of
turnover problems.

Education and Training Requirements
Information also is needed on the education and
training requirements for occupations related to the
planning and administration of urban development
programs. Comparative studies of education and training
requirements in various cities would provide information




on the skill requirements needed by personnel involved
in local urban and community development activities.
This information would prove valuable for developing
basic and remedial education and training programs to
provide competent urban development personnel and to
upgrade the skills of currently employed local
government personnel. Information on education and
training requirements also would be useful in assessing
the potential for creating new and strengthening current
programs for developing and using technician level aids
and assistants to support professional workers in key
planning and administrative positions.

Appendix A .

Descriptions of Planning and Adm inistrative Jobs

This appendix presents descriptions of professional,
administrative, and technical jobs that have planning and
ad m in istrative duties and are found in local
governments. Because of the great number of job
descriptions that were found in the 5 cities studied, the
jobs first were grouped and then summary descriptions
were prepared. Each description developed for this
appendix includes information on planning and
administrative duties and general education or
experience requirements. To help identify the specific
jobs that are encompassed by each description, a list of
job titles follows each description.
J o b s in w h ich the duties are primarily
administrative are presented separately from those that
are primarily planning. Administrative occupations were
grouped either by program (health, housing and urban
renewal, public works) or by activity (personnel and
financial). Those grouped by program generally are
found in one agency, whereas those grouped by activity
u su ally
are found in several agencies. Some
administrative jobs could not be classified in this manner
because they encompass several activities and are found
in several agencies; these occupations are presented
separately under a single job description.
Top officials of a city agency may be identified as
director, chief, superintendent, executive director, or by
another common title. In the job titles presented here,
the term director is used to identify these officials,
except in cases where one specific title is very common,
for example, Chief of Police.
Assistants to directors of agencies are encompassed
in the summary job descriptions, although specific job
titles are not presented in the lists that follow each
description. Assistants include titles such as assistant or
associate director, assistant bureau chief, assistant
division chief, and assistant superintendent. Assistant
director,of planning is not listed, although his duties
would fall in the description of planning administrators.
Most planning jobs are listed by generic job name,
e.g., architect, civil engineer, systems analyst. However,
all architects, all engineers, and all systems analysts
employed in a city are not necessarily engaged in
planning. A n engineer, for example, who prepares plans
for a new waste disposal plant is engaged in planning,
but an engineer in charge of highway maintenance is not
involved in this function.




Administrative Occupations
C H IE F E X E C U T IV E S are responsible for overall
control of a city's agencies and are concerned with
matters such as day-to-day administration, long-term
planning, financing city operations, and staffing.
Assistants work closely with the chief executive and
represent him in meetings and conferences with other
government officials and representatives of private
organizations and citizens groups.
Titles identified:
City Manager
Commissioner
Mayor
C O M M U N IT Y A C T IO N A N D M ANPO W ER
D E V E L O P M E N T A D M IN IS T R A T O R S direct and plan
programs designed to promote the social and economic
welfare of disadvantaged city residents. May be
concerned with manpower and career development,
social development and home services, community
development and neighborhood services, educational
programs, medical and dental health programs, or any
other activities that contribute to the social and
economic needs of people. Requirements generally
include graduation from a university or college with
specialization in fields such as vocational education,
personnel administration, guidance and counseling,
social science, business or public administration or a
related field, and experience in employee training,
vocational guidance, or social work administration.
Titles identified:
Chief of Program Evaluation
Director:
Children's Services
Family Services
Human Resources Development
Manpower Development Service
Neighborhood Youth Corps
Volunteer Service Corps
Employment Project Administrator
Executive Director - Community Action Agency

Executive Director - Neighborhood Services
In-Service Training Program Coordinator
Manpower Development Coordinator
On-The-Job Training Project Administrator
Project Director - Human Resources Development
Supervisor of Community Action Center
Operations
Work Training Program Administrator
C O M M U N IT Y R E L A T IO N S A D M IN IS T R A T O R S
direct and plan all or part' of the activities of a city's
equal opportunity program. General educational
requirements are graduation from a university or college
and experience in personnel administration, civil rights
programs, intergroup or labor relations, or community
organization activities.
Titles identified:
Administrator-Community Relations
Director of Community Relations
Division Chief (Community Relations)
Secretary-Director-Commission on
Community Relations

promoting development and expansion of commerce
within a city. Generally requires a university or college
degree, and experience in a government, business, or
civic organization concerned with industrial development.
Titles identified:
Coordinator of Industrial and Commercial
Development
Director-Advisory Committee on Small
Business
Director of Economic Development

FINANCIAL
A D M IN IS T R A T O R S formulate
financial policies and direct and plan programs such as
budgeting, financial accounting, assessment, collection
of taxes, disbursement of public funds, purchasing and
warehousing of supplies and equipment, and related
activities of a financial nature. May be employed in the
primary fiscal agency of the city or in other agencies
such as urban renewal or welfare. In general, the
educational requirements for positions in financial
administration include a university or college degree
with specialization in public administration, accounting,
or business administration. Some positions require a
CPA.
Titles identified:

DATA
P R O C E S S IN G A D M IN IS T R A T O R is
responsible for directing and planning activities and
operations of a city's, data processing unit. Generally
requires a university or college degree with specialization
in business administration, accounting, statistics, or
engineering, and experience in analyses and development
of systems, methods, and procedures related to
electronic data processing.
Titles identified:
Chief, Bureau of Data Processing
Data Processing Operations Supervisor
Data Processing Supervisor
EDP Systems Manager
Manager of Controllers Data Processing
E C O N O M I C
D E V E L O P M E N T
A D M IN IS T R A T O R S direct and plan activities of a city's
economic development agency primarily concerned with




Administrative Accountant
Auditor and Budget Officer
Budget Director
Capital Accounting Supervisor
Chief Accountant
Chief, Bureau of Accounting Operations
Chief Bureau of Budget and Management
Research
Chief of Fiscal and Administrative
Services
Chief Purchasing Agent
City Auditor
City Controller
City Treasurer
Commissioner of Purchases and Supplies
Collector
Controllers Accounting Director
Controllers Systems and Methods Accountant
Director of Assessments
Director of Purchases

Fiscal Officer
General and Capital Accounting
Supervisor
Principle Auditor

H E A L T H A D M IN IS T R A T O R S direct all or part of
the activities of a city's health department and health
care facilities. The many health programs in local
governm ents require administrators with diverse
backgrounds. Many administrative specialties in the
public health field require a license to practice medicine
or a doctorate in science or public health. Others require
gradu ation from a college or university with
specialization in fields such as life sciences, sanitary
engineering, or public or business administration. Many
positions require specific knowledge of one or more
health specializations.
Titles identified:
Administrative Health Officer
Commissioner of Health
Coordinator of Alcoholism Programs
Directors of Bureaus, Divisions,
Programs, and Facilities:
Administrative Services
A ir Pollution Control
Bio-Statistics
Communicable Disease
Child Health Services
Community Sanitation
Dairy Farm Inspection
Day Care
Dental Care
Environmental Hygiene
Flood Control
Food Plant Inspection
Food Services
Health Administrative Services
Health Information
Hospitals
Hospital and Medical Care
Hospitals, General Services
Hospitals, Maintenance Services
Industrial Hygiene
Laboratories
Meat Control
Medical and Public Health Services
Medical Director
Mental Health Services Clinic




Milk Plant Inspection
Nursing
Nutrition
Public Health Nursing
Public Health Unit
Rodent Control
Sanitarian Training
Vital Records
District Superintendent of Public Health
Nurses
Hospital Administrator
Hospital Business Manager
Hospital Superintendent
Medical Research Chief (Project Director)
Medical Superintendent
Public Health Engineer
Sanitary Engineer Health Inspection
Supervisor of Hospital Investigation and
Collection
Supervisor of Public Health Education

HOUSING
AND
URBAN
RENEWAL
A D M IN IS T R A T O R S direct activities performed in a
local government housing and urban renewal agency or
authority. Work may involve planning and coordinating
various activities of the agency. General educational
requirements are graduation from a university or college
with a specialization in business administration, public
administration, public housing, social sciences, city or
regional planning, or a related field such as engineering
or architecture.
Titles identified:
Administrative Engineer, Housing
Director for Renewal Operations
Director of:
Community Organization
Demolition - Construction
Engineering (Urban Renewal)
Planning and Construction
Program Development-Housing Agency
Property Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation Financial Assistance
Director, Urban Renewal and Housing Agency
Executive Director, Redevelopment Agency
Housing Manager
Project Coordinator
Property Manager
Property Rehabilitation Supervisor

Rehabilitation Advisory Services
Supervisor
Relocation Site Manager
Social Services Coordinator
Superintendent of Housing Operation
Supervisor of Tenant Selection
Supervisory Redevelopment Land Officer
Urban Renewal Coordinator
L IB R A R Y A D M IN IS T R A T O R S direct and plan
the activities of a local public library system, individual
library, or library department. Generally requires
graduation from a professional library program and
extensive experience in professional library work
including library administration.
Titles identified:
Chief of Library Department
City-County Librarian
Coordinator of Major Library Activity
Director of Libraries
Library Associate Director
Library Business Director
P E R SO N N E L A D M IN IS T R A T O R S direct and plan
all or part of a personnel program for a city or a local
government agency. May be concerned with specific
personnel functions, such as examination programs,
investigating, position classification, training, or other
aspects of personnel administration. General education
requirement is graduation from a college or university
with a specialization in public, business, or personnel
administration.
Titles identified:
Administrative Personnel Examiner
Classification Supervisor
Employee Safety Engineering Coordinator
Examination Supervisor
Personnel Administrative Supervisor
Personnel Director
Safety Coordinator
Secretary and Chief Examiner, Civil Service
Commission
Training Coordinator
P L A N N IN G A D M IN IS T R A T O R S direct all or part
of the activities of a city's primary planning agencies,
such as city planning commission or model cities agency




or the planning unit of another agency. Outline and
assign projects and review work in progress and upon
completion, act as advisors for difficult planning projects
and meet with the major, city council, and other
officials to present information on planning projects.
Handle public contacts and business for the planning
agen cy. General education requirements include
gra du a tion from a college or university with
specialization related to city planning. For some
positions, a specialization in the social sciences,
especially economics, engineering, architecture, or public
administration may be required.
Titles identified:
Chief of Current Operations
Chief Planner
Director, Department of Planning
Director of:
Master Plan
Planning and Construction (Urban
Renewal
Research and Analysis (Planning)
Research and Analysis (Urban
Renewal
Transportation Planning
Executive Director, Regional
Planning Council
Head City Planner
Planning Research and Development
Director (Health)
Project Director - Model
Neighborhood Agency
P U B L IC R E L A T IO N S A D M IN IS T R A T O R S direct
and plan comprehensive public relations programs for a
city government or specific operational units within
city governments. Requirements generally are graduation
from a university or college and specialization in
journalism, English, and responsible experience in public
relations work.
Titles identified:
Administrative Assistant - Community
Relations
Airport Promotions Manager
Director of Reports and Information
Information Officer
Planning Education Assistant (Public
Relations)

P U B L IC SA F E T Y A D M IN IS T R A T O R S direct and
plan all or part of the activities of a city's public safety
agencies such as the police department, fire department,
civil defense department, or traffic department. Police
and fire administrators generally are promoted from the
ranks after serving in progressively responsible positions
and do not require any specific educations. Other public
safety administrative positions often require graduation
from a college or university with specialization in public
administration, law, or engineering.
Titles identified:
Police Administration
Chief of Police
Chief Inspector
Community Relations Officer
District Inspector
Headquarters Superintendent
Juvenile Bureau Superintendent
Police Commissioner
Fire Administration
Chief of Fire Department
Executive Chief Fire Department
Executive Secretary
Fire Department Secretary
Superintendent of Fire Apparatus
Civil Defense Administration
Civil Defense Coordinator
Civil Defense Executive
Director of Civil Defense

Other Public Safety Administration
Commissioner of Traffic and Transit
Safety Director
Traffic Engineer - Administrative
P U B L IC W O RKS A N D P U B L IC U T IL IT IE S
A D M IN IS T R A T O R S direct and plan all or part of the
activities of a local government's public works and/or
utilities department. Administrators included in this
category are responsible for activities such as the
construction and maintenance of streets, alleys, and
highways; operation and maintenance of water supply;




sewerage and sanitation; municipal waste; public
transportation; and the operation and maintenance of
municipal buildings. Some administrative positions
require graduation from a university or college, often
with specialization in civil, mechanical, electrical,
chemical, or sanitary engineering.

Titles identified:
Bureau Engineer
Bureau Engineer, Surveys
City Engineer
Building Code Enforcement Officer
Building Superintendent
Chief Division of Community Sanitation
Chief of Water and Sewerage Treatment
Chief, Water Systems Supervisor
Commissioner of Buildings and Safety
Engineering
City Engineer
Director, Bureau of:
Licenses and Permits
Structural Engineering
Utilities
Director, Municipal Parking Authority
Director of Public Works
District Superintendent of Highways
District Superintendent of Highway
Maintenance
General Manager, Department of Street
Railways
General Manager of City-County Joint
Building Authority
General Superintendent, Department of
Public Works
General Superintendent, Public Lighting and
City Electricians
General Superintendent, Sanitation
Sanitary Sewer Director
Street Superintendent
Superintendent, General Manager and Chief
Engineer, Water
Superintendent of:
Building Inspection
Building Maintenance
Building Maintenance and Construction
Electrical Distribution
Motor Transportation
Overhead Lines and Cables

Plant Maintenance and Construction
Power Production
Public Service
Pumping Plant Operations
Rolling Stock
Sewer Maintenance and Construction
Street Maintenance and Construction
Streets and Sanitation
Transportation Operations
Water Distribution System Maintenance
Transportation District Superintendent
Transportation Marketing and Planning
Administration
Zoning Enforcement Officer

R E C R E A T IO N A N D P A R K S A D M IN IS T R A T O R S
direct and plan the activities of a recreation and parks
system. Recreation and parks administrators formulate
policies, rules and regulations, and devise capital
improvement and financial plans. General educational
requirement is graduation from a university or college
with specialization in recreation, business or public
administration, landscape architecture, or related fields
such as engineering or city planning.
Titles identified:
Director of Recreation and Parks
Executive Administrator of Parks
and Recreation
General Superintendent of Parks
and Recreation
Park Superintendent
Recreation General Supervisor
Recreation Superintendent
Superintendent of Forestry and Landscaping Parks and Recreation
Superintendent of Public Services - Parks
and Recreation
Superintendent of Recreation
A D M IN IST R A T IV E
ASSIST AN T S A N D
A D M IN IS T R A T IV E S P E C IA L IS T S assist department
heads or other high level program administrators in
planning, policy formulation, program evaluation, public
relations, and other executive functions. May exercise
control over specific functions such as budget or
personnel. Other common duties include collecting and
p re p a rin g
in fo rm a tio n
used fo r determining
administrative policies; interpreting and implementing




executive decisions; serving as an advisor for establishing
new administrative polices; and conducting research and
p re p a rin g re p orts. P rim a ry
requirem ent for
administrative specialist position is a thorough
knowledge of the principles and practices of public or
business management and administrative experience.
Some positions require graduation from a university or
colle g e with a degree in public or business
administration, or accounting.

Titles identified:
Administrative Assistant
Administrative Service Supervisor
Administrative Trainee
Analyst (Public Administration)
Business Manager
Chief of Administrative Services
Governmental Analyst
Management Analyst
Office Manager
Technical Aid - Business Administration
O T H E R A D M IN IS T R A T O R S . This category
includes all program administrators not specifically
described in the preceding statements. Convention
facilities managers, managers of historical, art, and other
cultural centers, and retirement systems managers are
examples of the miscellany of administrators placed in
this category. Generally require specific subject matter
training or experience related to their program activity
as well as administrative ability.
Titles identified:
Airport Manager
Business Administrator and Secretary,
Institute of Arts
Cafeteria Manager
Chief of Weights and Measures
Inspection
City Clerk
Commissioner, Recorders Court Jury
Commission
Convention Facilities Director
Convention Facilities Manager
Deputy Sealer Of Weights and Measures
Director, Civic Center Commission
Director, Historical Commission,
Assistant

Director of Elections
Director of Labor Relations
Director of Minimum Wage Commission
Director Municipal Museum
Insurance Manager
Manager, Convention Facilities
Manager, Municipal Auditorium
Market Master
Municipal Trailer Park Manager
Real Estate Supervisor
Retirement Systems Administrator
Superintendent of Zoological Park
Operations
Zoo Supervisor

Planning Occupations
A R C H IT E C T S plan and design physical structures
and organize the services necessary for their
construction. Consult with appropriate city officials to
determine size and space requirements and provide them
with information regarding cost, design, materials,
equipment, and estimated building time. Plan the layout
of a project and integrate structural, mechanical, and
ornamental elements into a unified design. Make
technical studies and inspections and arranges work
schedules. Direct the preparation of reports and the
maintenance of records. Positions require graduation
from a university or college with a degree in
architecture.
Titles identified:
Architect
ARC H IT EC TU RAL
T ECH N IC IAN S
assist
a rc h ite c ts engaged in planning by examining
architectural drawings for accuracy and conformance
with specifications. Make cost estimates of structures.
Check materials, structural and mechanical designs, site
plans, and cost estimates submitted by architects and
consultants. Confer with architects, contractors, and city
agencies concerning work in progress. Maintain
architectural technician positions is high school
graduation and experience in examining or drawing
architectural plans and specifications, cost estimating of
building structures, or project superintendent for a
building contractor. Two year university training in
architecture or civil engineering often is substituted for
experience.




Titles identified:
Architectural Technician
C O M M U N IT Y R E L A T IO N S W O R K E R S aid in
planning and implementing equal opportunity programs.
In ve stig a te c o m p la in ts and compile data on
discrimination practices in employment or public
accomodations. Evaluate environmental conditions
in c l u d i n g
e d u ca tio n , h o u sin g , e m p lo y m e n t
opportunities, recreation opportunities, delinquency,
health and income, and prepare analyses and reports on
how they affect community relations. Plan, schedule,
and participate in the counseling of socially maladjusted
persons. May secure public assistance support for needy
persons and may investiage fradulent assistance claims.
Generally requires graduation from a university or
college with specialization in social science, education,
or psychology.
Titles identified:
Community Services Assistant
Intergroup Relations Representative
Public Aid Worker

CO M PUTER P R O G R A M E R S prepare computer
programs designed to store and process data needed for
planning programs of city government agencies. Define
problems for conversion to electronic data processing
and develop and prepare detailed instructions and
necessary test data to determine the accuracy of the
program. Prepare detailed operating procedures for
operating personnel and make modifications and
improvements to programs as required. Generally require
high school graduation and experience in computer
programing. Some positions require graduation from
college or equivalent experience. For trainee positions,
ability to achieve a satisfactory score on a programing
aptitude test is required.
Titles identified:
Computer Programer
Data Processing Programer

D R A F T S M E N prepare clear, complete, and
accurate working plans and detail drawings for
engineering or planning purposes. Make final sketches of

prepared drawings, charts, or topographic maps; check
dimensions of parts, materials to be used, and the
relations of various parts to the whole structure. Draw
plans of subdivisions, streets, highways, subways, water
and sewer systems, and other public projects from
survey notes, and make any adjustments necessary or
desired. Generally requires graduation from high school
supplemented by college level courses in engineering and
drafting.
Titles identified:
Draftsman
Drafting Aid
Engineering Draftsman
Planning Draftsman
E C O N O M IST S conduct studies to determine the
economic feasibility of various urban betterment
programs. Perform research related to population trends,
land use, urban renewal programs, future employment
and unemployment trends, and estimates of income
distribution. Prepare comprehensive reports that present
an analysis and interpretation of the results of research.
May speak before civic and technical groups to explain
the results of research programs. May meet with
industrial, business, or civic groups to discuss viewpoints
re ga rd in g sp e cific research programs. Requires
gra du a tion from a college or university with
specialization in economics or related social sciences.
Some positions require an advanced degree and/or
experience in the analysis of data related to city
planning, housing and urban renewal, or a related field.
Titles identified:
Economic Analyst
Economic Research Aid
Social Economist
Urban Researcher

E N G IN E E R IN G A ID S perform elementary field or
office tasks in support of engineers engaged in planning
for construction projects. Execute routine tasks in
survey parties and conduct routine inspection of a
nonprofessional engineering nature. Perform simple
drafting and computing work that does not require
previous specialized training or experience. Assist in
coordinating the work of city forces, contractors, and
utility companies on various phases of projects. May act




as rodman or chairman on a survey party. Generally
requires graduation from high school, preferably
supplemented by experience in an engineering office or
with a survey party engaged in construction projects.
Titles identified:
Engineering Aid
E N G IN E E R IN G T E C H N IC IA N S assist in preparing
reports, charts, graphs, and tabulations for use in urban
development plans or other planning activity. Perform
technical engineering work of moderate difficulty
including making computations and plotting information
from field surveys, preparing maps and plans, and
making cost estimates. May perform engineering tests
using precision instruments and do other related work as
required. May specialize in civil, electrical, mechanical,
traffic, or other engineering specialty. General
requirement for engineering technician occupations is 2
years of college including basic engineering courses or
completion of a vocational course of study in civil,
mechanical, electrical, or traffic engineering, or
equivalent experience in engineering related work.
Titles identified:
Engineering
Engineering
Engineering
Engineering
Engineering
Engineering

Technician
Technician
Technician
Technician
Technician
Technician

- Civil
- Electrical
- Mechanical
- Traffic
- Water

E N G IN E E R S (C IV IL ) prepare plans, designs,
specifications, and cost estimates for urban development
and public works construction projects. May act as a
consultant to various city departments concerned with
the construction, demolition,
or renovation of
buildings, roads, sewers, water facilities, or other public
works projects. May advise the general public and
officials of government agencies on policy, what
re so u rce s are available, ordinances, engineering
problems, and construction costs. Graduation from a
university or college with a degree in civil structural or
related fields of engineering generally is required.
Titles identified:
Airport Engineer
Architectural Engineer

Civil Engineer
Engineer of Inspection
Engineer of Surveys
Field Engineer
Project Engineer
Public Works Engineer
Structural Engineer
Water System Engineer
E N G IN E E R S (C H E M IC A L ) prepare plans and
establish standards for analyses and investigation
of problems such as waste disposal, air and water
pollution, radiation hazards, and occupational diseases
for urban renewal, health, and related planning projects.
Make technical engineering surveys, studies, and
inspections, and review and approve plans and
specifications submitted by consulting engineering firms.
Graduation from a college or university with
specialization in chemical, sanitary, or related
engineering generally is required.

Titles identified:
Chemical Engineer
Health Engineer
Industrial Waste Engineer
Public Health Engineer
Sanitary Engineer
Water Pollution Engineer
E N G IN E E R S (E L E C T R IC A L ) prepare plans and
specifications for a variety of electrical equipment
necessary for streets and traffic planning. Make cost
estimates of street lighting, traffic controls and
communication systems installations, extensions, and
modifications. Collect data pertaining to the operation
of electrical equipment and electrical installations.
Recommend adoption or rejection of design and
specifications standards. May act as a consultant to city
officials on electrical engineering problems. Generally
requires graduation from a college or university with
specialization in electrical engineering.
Titles identified:
Electrical Engineer
E N G IN E E R S (M E C H A N IC A L ) prepare plans for
the installation of mechanical equipment in new
facilities. Check plans, designs, and specifications for




mechanical installations in new construction projects.
Investigate and inspect technical mechanical engineering
problems. Examine plumbing, heating, ventilating, and
refrigeration systems in construction plans for
conformity with the building code. Prepare technical
engineering reports. Employment generally requires
gra du a tion from a college or university with
specialization in mechanical or civil engineering.
Titles identified:
Mechanical Engineer
Specifications Engineer

E N G IN EER S
(TRAFFIC)
plan fo r the
improvement of street systems to expedite traffic
movement. Investigate traffic conditions and problems
through field surveys and study of existing statistical
data. Determine the layout of traffic signals, and review
expressway construction projects. Prepare maps of
proposed traffic structures and develop plans for traffic
flo w . Determine detour routing, truck routes,
channelization of traffic, pavement markings and
dividers, off-street parking facilities, and other related
traffic planning matters. Review street, highway, and
expressway projects under construction to assure
contract specifications are fulfilled. Employment
generally requires graduation from a college or university
with specialization in civil engineering and planning.
Titles identified:
Engineer of Expressway
Engineer of Streets
Traffic Design Engineer
Traffic Engineer
Traffic Planning Engineer
Transportation Engineer
L A N D S C A P E A R C H IT E C T S plan the landscaping
areas to be used as parks or other recreation facilities,
highways, hospitals, schools, land subdivisions, and
commercial or residential areas. Confer with city
officials, engineering personnel, and architects on the
overall program. Prepare site plans, working drawings,
and cost estimates for landscape development. Inspect
construction work in progress to insure compliance with
landscape specifications, to approve quality of materials
and work, and to advise construction personnel on
landscape features. Employment generally requires

gra du a tion from a college or university
specialization in landscape architecture.

with

Title identified:

Titles identified:
City Planning Aid
Planning Aid
Planning Assistant

Landscape Architect
N E IG H B O R H O O D
DEVELOPMENT
C O U N S E L O R S coordinate, organize, and attempt to
stim u la te citizen interest and participation in
community action programs. Promote community
action programs by making house calls and individual,
family and group contacts, and urging participation in
these programs. Contact various organizations on behalf
of persons needing services and assist in coordinating the
efforts of various agencies serving an individual or
family. Prepare summaries, analyses, and reports on
neighborhood needs and problems, as well as individual
cases or investigations. Counsel residents in an assigned
area or neighborhood to improve their capacity for
productive and self-sufficient roles in the community.
May speak before groups to acquaint them with
fa c ilitie s, services, and information available.
Employment generally requires graduation from a
college or university with specialization in social science,
social work, or vocational counseling. Some positions may
require 2-years of college with specialization in social
sciences or other fields related to community services.

Titles identified:
Counselor Aid
Counselor, Neighborhood Youth Camps
Neighborhood Development Counselor
Neighborhood Development Supervisor
P L A N N IN G A S S IS T A N T S compile data to be used
by urban planners in making planning studies.
Summarize information from maps, reports, and field
investigations. Trace maps and prepare statistical
tabulations, charts, and graphs to illustrate planning
stu d ie s, su ch as those concerning population,
transportation, traffic, land use, zoning, proposed
subdivisions, and public utilities. May conduct field
interviews and make surveys of traffic flow; parking,
housing, and educational facilities; recreation; zoning;
and other conditions which affect planning studies.
General requirement for planning assistant jobs are
graduation from a 2-year junior or community college
with specialization in urban planning or development.




R E C R E A T IO N S P E C IA L IS T S plan recreation
activities and coordinate programs and activities with
other community agencies such as community action,
education, or welfare departments. May work with
disadvantaged or anti-social groups to develop social,
cultural, and recreational activities. These positions
generally require post high school training in recreation
or a related field. For some positions, graduation from a
university or college with specialization in recreation,
physical education, or social sciences is required.
Titles identified:
Group Activities Specialist
Recreation Activities Counselor
Recreation Activities Specialist
Recreation Director
Recreation Supervisor (Various
Recreation Activities)
Street Club Worker
Student Recreation Assistant
S O C IA L P L A N N IN G A N A L Y S T S perform social
analysis and planning, such as studying and evaluating
social conditions and the agencies and programs
concerned with resolving social problems. Evaluate
neighborhood factors by working with social agencies
and indigenous persons. Develop detailed proposals by
documenting quantitive and qualitative deficiencies in
existing approaches, and proposing methods for
ameliorating social problems. Evaluate programs
initiated under the Federal Economic Opportunity Act
and make recommendations for improvement or change.
General educational requirements are graduation from a
university or college with specialization in social or
behavorial sciences. Some positions may require an
advanced degree.
Titles identified:
Social Planning Analyst
SY ST E M S A N A L Y S T S analyze data processing
problems and develop procedures to process information
needed for planning programs. Develop forms, input and

output documents, and types of files needed for
information systems, and design computer and
tabulating machine and manual data processing
procedures. Employment generally requires graduation
from a college or university and training and/or
experience in computer programing and systems
analysis. For some positions, specialization in subject
matter areas such as engineering, city planning, or other
fields may be required.
Titles identified:
Systems Analyst
U R B A N P L A N N E R S develop plans and programs
for the utilization of land and physical facilities of cities,
metropolitan areas, counties, and regions. Compile and
analyze data on economic, social, and physical factors
affecting land use, transportation, parking, and other
urban planning problems and prepare graphic and
narrative reports on data. Confer with local authorities,
civic leaders, social scientists, and land planning and
development specialists to devise plans and recommend
arrangements of land and physical facilities for
residential, commercial, industrial, and community uses.
Recommend governmental measures affecting land use,
public utilities, community facilities, housing, and
transportation. The general educational requirement for
urban planner positions is graduation from a college or
un iversity with specialization in city planning,
architecture, landscape architecture, civil engineering, or
a related field. Some planning positions may require
specialization in public administration, economics or
related social sciences.
Titles identified:
City Planner
Land Use Data Analyst
Planner
Planning Aid
Planning Technician
Regional Planner
Transportation Planner
Urban Planner
U R B A N R EN EW A L C O O R D IN A T O R S analyze
alternatives and make recommendations on methods,
procedures, and criteria to be employed for urban
redevelopment or neighborhood conservation projects.
Review relocation plans, financial schedules, and cost




estimates of urban renewal projects for conformity with
federal regulations and the availability of funds. Review
bids received for items such as site clearance, community
improvement, or utilities relocation. Follow up on
contract work to see that estimates are not being
exceeded, and that schedules are being maintained.
Arrange for sales of excess land and physical facilities.
Oversee the preparation of periodic progress reports
relating to specific urban renewal projects. May present
talks on the subject of urban redevelopment or
neighborhood conservation. Requires graduation from
university or college, preferably with specialization in
business or public administration.
Titles identified:
Urban Renewal Coordinator
U R B A N R E N E W A L W O R K E R S contact relocation
or rehabilitation site occupants to advise them of their
rights and financial assistance available. Implement
neighborhood conservation programs by disseminating
information and encouraging neighborhood cooperation
with the goals of the program. Consult with property
owners and residents concerning property rehabilitation
problems and methods. Conduct surveys in urban
redevelopment areas to obtain the data necessary to plan
the proper and orderly relocation of residents.
Investigate and process moving expense claims. Prepare
and maintain records concerning individual properties.
Organize and participate in citizen groups and solicit
support for redevelopment programs. Help determine
beginning and completion dates for each step of an area
redevelopment project. Develop methods and procedures
designed to eliminate or overcome problems and
expedite work progress. May act as Mason with other
government agencies or public service agencies.
Employment generally requires graduation from a
college or university with specialization in public or
business administration, economics, or sociology. For
some positions, 2 years of university work with
specialization in public or business administration or
social sciences is sufficient.
Titles identified:
Urban Renewal Worker
Urban Renewal Assistant
Z O N IN G IN V E ST IG A T O R S review development
plans for compliance with zoning ordinances. Provide
information to public concerning compliance with and

interpretation of city plans and zoning codes. Perform
related clerical work. Employment generally requires
graduation from high school and experience in field or
office work related to city planning or zoning.
Supervisory level job may require graduation from a
university or college, or equivalent training and




experience.
Titles identified:
Zoning Investigator
Zoning Examiner

Appendix B. Study Procedure
The study is based primarily on information
obtained during interviews with municipal and other
government officials responsible for planning and
administrative activities. Valuable information also was
provided by written materials such as job descriptions,
agency staffing patterns, and special reports on job
vacancy and employee turnover, which were provided by
local officials.
M o re than 7 0 government officials were
interviewed in the five cities studied, including
representatives of chief executives' offices, personnel
administrators and specialists, and functional executives
in the departments and divisions that are responsible for
a city's programs and activities. Also included in this
group were administrators and other representatives of
county and regional planning agencies.
Five cities were included in the study. In an
attempt to obtain manpower information on as many
different types of situations as possible, cities were
selected from 5 broad regions of the United States:
Eastern, Central, Southern, Pacific, and Mountain. The
cities selected had differences in population size and
growth trends, types of government organization, and
economic and social characteristics, including racial
composition, income levels, and population density.
However, the five cities selected do not reflect a
scientific sample, and the data obtained cannot be
considered representative of the country as a whole.
Three of the cities selected were participants in the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development's Model
Cities Program, and three had a regional planning agency
located in the city.
No specific attempt was made to determine the
s ig n ific a n c e of different social, economic, or
o rg a n iz a tio n a l characteristics on planning and
administrative activities and manpower problems.
Nevertheless, the primary factor that determines the size
and complexity of planning and administrative
manpower needs appears to be the size of the city. As
indicated in the body of the report, the large cities in the
study were pressed hardest by problems of slum
neighborhoods, deteriorating commercial districts,
transportation inadequacies, and numerous other
problems. They had much more complex organization
and staffing needs than the smaller, more tranquil
communities.
Major Characteristics of the Cities Selected
City

I is a large city of more than a million




population located in the Central portion of the United
States. Population has declined slowly in recent years.
The city has a mayor-council form of government
and is a participant in the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development's (HUD) Model Cities program.
In comparison with other U.S. cities, this city has a
high proportion of nonwhite's and high population
density. Median annual family income was higher than
the average for the United States as a whole ($5,660),
but almost one-fifth of families in the city had annual
incomes under $3,000 in 1959.10/
City II is a large city of between 500,000 and 1
million population located in the Eastern region of the
United States. Population has declined slightly in recent
years.
The city has a mayor-council form of government
and is a participant in the H U D Model Cities Program.
This city has a high proportion of nonwhite
population and high population desnity in comparison
with other U.S. cities. Median annual family income was
roughly the same as the average for the Unites States as a
whole, and almost one-fifth of the families in the city
had incomes under $3,000 in 1959.
City III is a medium sized city, having a population
of between 250,000 and 500,000, and located in the
Southern region of the United States. Population has
increased rapidly in recent years.
The city has a major-council form of government
and is a participant in H U D Model Cities Program.
Nonwhite population as a proportion of total is
higher than that for the United States as a whole.
Population density is relatively low. Median annual
family income was much lower than the average for the
entire United States. Almost three-tenths of the families
in the city had incomes under $3,000 in 1959.
City IV is a medium sized city, having a population
of between 250,000 and 500,000, and located in the
Pacific region of the United States. Population has
increased moderately in recent years.
The city hasa council-managerform of government.

10/ Data on income is from the U.S. Census of
Population 1960. Although more current data are not
available for individual cities, a Bureau of Census
Report, Americans at Mid Decade, Series P-23, No. 16,
published in January 1966 reported, "fam ily income in
1965 showed little evidence of any change in the
inequalities of distribution of aggregate income among
families at various income levels."

Nonwhite population as a proportion of the total is
only slightly higher than that for the United States as a
whole, and population density is relatively low. Median
annual family income was considerably higher than the
overall U.S. average, and only about one-tenth of the
families in the city had annual income of less than
$3,000 in 1959.
City V is the smallest city included in this study
(population of less than 50,000), and it is located in the
Mountain region of the United States.
The city has a commission form of government.
Nonwhite population is very small and population
density is relatively low. Median annual family income is
considerably higher than that for the United States as a
whole, and only about one-tenth of the families in the
city had incomes of less than $3,000 in 1959.
Interview Procedure
Interviews were conducted with the help of an
interview guide that centered around several basic
questions on the following topics: (a) background
information on the type of occupational information
available in central records, (b) the methods by which
planning and administration is carried out in the city, (c)
methods of identifying planning and administrative
occupations, (d) recruiting methods and hiring and
retention problems, (e) education and training of
workers in planning and administrative positions, (f) and
employment growth trends. Under topic (a), for
example, the interviewer asked basic questions such as:
What type of manpower information is available from
central records? How can summary occupational
information such as occupational employment by age
and sex be obtained from the records? Under topic (b),
interviewees were asked to describe their agencies
planning and administrative activities as they relate to
the city as a whole, the particular agency or operating
unit, and State, regional, or Federal planning bodies.
Under topic (c), specific questions centered around
identifying planning and administrative occupations. The
officials interviewed were asked to list all planning and
adm inistrative occupations and provide detailed
occupational descriptions. Topic (d) centered around
recruiting methods and hiring and retention problems.
Officials interviewed were asked basic questions such as:
How does the city agency recruit workers for planning
and administrative jobs? Do you have difficulties in
filling planning and administrative jobs? In what
occupations are shortages or hiring problems most




prevelant? What steps has the city taken to alleviate
hiring problems? Under topic (e), questions were asked
about the education and training of planning and
administrative personnel. Am ong the questions that were
asked are: Do the curricula of colleges, universities, and
other post high school training institutions give new
graduates the necessary skills for planning and
administrative jobs? What specific courses can be
identified as most valuable? Under topic (f), which
centered on future employment growth expectations,
local officials were asked, for example, to identify
occupations which they expected to grow (or decline)
substantially over the next 5 to 10 years. They also were
asked to describe factors that would cause change.
Despite the use of the interview guide, the interviews
were not structured rigidly. It was felt that a loose
stru c tu re would allow respondents to present
information they felt to be most important.
The interview guide was tested in one of the cities
studied before it was used in the other four cities.
During the "pre-test," several factors were discovered
that helped facilitate the subsequent interviews. Am ong
these was that the civil service commission or personnel
department of the city had written job descriptions for
all occupations found in the city government, and that
these could be sent to Washington to analyze. Primarily
as a result of an analysis of these written job descriptions
that the categorization of planning and administrative
jobs and job descriptions found in appendix A was
developed. Information on the general availability of
data for survey purposes also was supplied primarily by
the Civil Service Commission or Personnel Department.
Operating agency officials, however, were more helpful
in providing information on planning and administrative
activities and related manpower information.
The interview technique used in this study provided
very satisfactory results for this type of study. The
insights that were gained from the manpower problems
of the cities, as well as the problems of collecting
occupational data in a large scale survey, could only be
obtained satisfactorily through personal interviews.
Clearly, studies designed to obtain comprehensive
sta tis tic s on
local government planning and
administrative manpower will require methods that
differ from those used in this study. To collect
occupational data, for example, a statistically valid
sam p le su rve y must be designed and formal
questionnaires developed. (See Chapter 3.)

Appendix C. Available Em ploym ent Statistics
This appendix presents information on the basic
sources of statistics on employment in local governments
that are collected and published on a national basis.
Other data may be collected by professional associations
and by local governments, but no attempt has been
made to include data that may be available through
these sources.
Data on total employment in local governments is
published monthly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as
part of its monthly reports on wage and salary
employment. Each year, the B L S publishes a historical
series of annual average data for both the national total
of local government employment and for selected States
and standard metropolitan statistical areas.12/
The Bureau of the Census collects data and
prepares reports on employment in State and local
governments. Data on employment by State and selected
local governments and by function (education,
highways, police protection, parks and recreation, etc.),
as well as total full-time, part-time, and full-time
13 /
equivalent data, are included in annual reports issued by
the Bureau of the Censes. Similar but more detailed data
are available from the 1962 Census of Governments.14/
Little information on occupational employment
statistics is available for local governments. The most
comprehensive data published covers 279 occupational
groups, sub-groups, and individual occupations collected
during the 1960 decenial census,5and these data have
many limitations. The most severe limitations are (1) the
concept of public administration, (2) currentness, and
(3) lack of specific detail for key planning and
administrative occupations.
Decenial census statistics are classified in such a
manner that occupations in local public administration
cover only part of all local government employment. In
the census tabulations, statistics are classified into
establishments defined according to major economic
activity. For example, school systems and statistics on
their personnel are classified into the educational
services industry, and medical and health related
personnel are classified in the medical services industry;
therefore, they are excluded from the data on public
administration.
Local government employment is increasing at a
very rapid rate, yet census occupational detail is
availab le o n ly at ten-year intervals. Although
information collected during the 1960 decenial census
provided some information on the general occupational
patterns for local governments, it is of little value in




assessing the nature and extent of recent trends in
changing occupational structure. Questions relating to
current problems must be evaluated with current
statistics.
Furthermore, the census occupational tabulation
does not provide seperate detail for some key
occupations related to the planning and administration
of urban programs. These occupations are recognized
and classified by the Bureau of the Census, but, for
technical reasons, are not presented separately. City
planners, for example, are classified as one of the
administrative occupations, and in the published
statistics are a component of a large group of
m isc e lla n e o u s occupations titled Officials and
Administrators, Not Elsewhere Classified, Public
Administration. Detail for many other occupations
similarly are lost inthe presentation of published statistics.
In addition to the decenial census, data on
occupational employment in scientific and technical
occupations in local governments was collected for
October 1963, as part of the Bureau of Labor Statistics
program of occupational employment statistics. These
statistics provided measures of employment for
engineers, chemists, and several of the science
occupations and are the benchmark for employment of
these workers in local governments. However, data of
this type are needed on a continuing or regular basis, not
only for these occupations but others related to
administration and planning activities.

11/ Employment and Earnings and Monthly Report
of the Labor Force. U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau
of Labor Statistics.
12/ Employment and Earnings Statistics for the
U n ite d States 1909-67 (Bulletin 1312-5), and
Employment and Earnings Statistics for States and Areas
1939-66 (Bulletin 1370-4). Both are published by the
U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
13/ Em ploym ent in 1967 and City Public
Employment in 1967, Census G E Series, Numbers 3 and
4, Annual, U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of the
Census.
14/ Census of Governments 1962 - Compendium of
Public Employment, Vol. Ill, U.S. Department of
Commerce Bureau of the Census.
15/ U.S. Census of Population 1960, Occupation by
Industry, 1963. Final Report PC(2)7C, U.S. Government
Printing Office, Washington, D.C.
16/ Occupational Employment Statistics 1960-66,
Bulletin 1579, U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of
Labor Statistics.

A P P E N D IX D. A B S T R A C T
The primary objectives of this pilot study were to
(1) identify occupations that entail planning and
administrative functions within local governments; (2) to
identify problems urban governments are having in
meeting current skill requirements in such occupations
and to indicate actions taken or contemplated to resolve
those problems; and (3) to identify areas where further
research is needed. The report is based primarily on
information drawn from interviews with local officials in
five cities of varied size, characteristics, and geographic
location.
Several hundred professional, administrative, and
technical (PAT) job titles were identified. These titles
were condensed into 40 occupational groups, ranging
from chief executives to technician level planning aids. A
large proportion were high level jobs, typically filled by
promotion from within. Occupational shortages were
identified mainly at entry levels. The most prominent
shortage occupations were city planner, administrative
specialist, and planning aid and assistant.




City approaches to alleviating manpower shortages
included increasing salary levels and instituting tuition
rebate and other educational aid programs, substituting
personnel of a lower grade or related specialty, and using
technician level aids and assistants to support high level
planning and administrative personnel. Efforts also were
being made to expand and intensify recruiting
campaigns.
Long-range manpower planning is not common in
the cities studied, but local officials interviewed
expected growth in programs that require PAT
personnel.
The most important research needs identified in the
report are: (1) Development of wide scale occupational
employment surveys; (2) development of projections of
future manpower requirements; (3) occupational
mobility studies; (4) job opportunity studies; and (5)
studies of education and training requirements in
planning, administrative, and related occupations.

*

U.S. GOVERNM ENT P R IN T IN G OFFICE : 1969 0 - 3 5 6 - 1 7 4




U.S. D E P A R T M E N T O F LABOR
B U R E A U O F L A B O R S T A T IS T IC S
W A S H IN G T O N ,

D .C .




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