Using national-level data on occupational characteristics, former WCPC Dissertation Fellowship Recipient Colleen Chrisinger (now an Assistant Professor of Planning, Public Policy, and Management at the University of Oregon) and colleagues Christopher S. Fowler and Rachel G. Kleit identified 25 occupation clusters based on similarities in job tasks, skills, interests, values, and knowledge. The resulting clusters include diverse occupations and indicate that occupational groups might be better understood in terms of job skills and worker knowledge characteristics, rather than industry or product. Chrisinger et. al argue that using these occupation clusters in economic development efforts could help define possible career paths within clusters and across industries, as well as identify potential avenues of upward mobility for low-income workers. Read more here.