Physical/Manual Labor
Specific interest area · O*NET
Physical/Manual Labor is a specific interest area in the O*NET database, part of the Realistic Holland family. O*NET describes it as: "Work involves manually unloading and moving freight, stock, luggage, or other materials, or performing other physical labor." It is scored for 891 occupations, which average 2.60 out of 7 on the Occupational Interest scale.
How it's measured
O*NET scores each occupation on this interest on a 0–7 Occupational Interest (OI) scale, where higher means the work more strongly rewards this interest. The figures here are those occupation-level scores — a description of what kind of work each job involves, not a ranking of which job is better, harder, or higher-paid.
| Economy-wide average | 2.60 / 7 | Mean across all 891 scored occupations |
| Range across occupations | 1.00–6.84 | Lowest to highest occupation score (spread 5.84) |
| Prevalence vs. other interests | 88th pct | Where this interest's average ranks among all O*NET interest dimensions |
Occupations that fit this interest best
The occupations that score this interest strongest on the 0–7 scale.
Occupations that fit this interest least
The occupations that score this interest weakest — where the work rarely rewards it.
| Occupation | Score |
|---|---|
| Public Relations Managers | 1.00 |
| Public Relations Specialists | 1.00 |
| Regulatory Affairs Managers | 1.00 |
| Regulatory Affairs Specialists | 1.00 |
| Sales Managers | 1.00 |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | 1.00 |
| School Psychologists | 1.00 |
| Search Marketing Strategists | 1.00 |
| Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents | 1.00 |
| Sociologists | 1.00 |
| Software Developers | 1.00 |
| Statisticians | 1.00 |
| Survey Researchers | 1.00 |
| Talent Directors | 1.00 |
| Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents | 1.00 |
| Tax Preparers | 1.00 |
| Telemarketers | 1.00 |
| Telephone Operators | 1.00 |
| Travel Agents | 1.00 |
| Treasurers and Controllers | 1.00 |
| Video Game Designers | 1.00 |
| Web Administrators | 1.00 |
| Web Developers | 1.00 |
| Web and Digital Interface Designers | 1.00 |
| Writers and Authors | 1.00 |
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Singulariki. "Physical/Manual Labor." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/interests/physical-manual-labor
Singulariki. (2026). Physical/Manual Labor. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/interests/physical-manual-labor
@misc{singulariki-physical-manual-labor,
title = {Physical/Manual Labor},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/interests/physical-manual-labor}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.