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In 1988 the U.S. Office of Personal Management established a position-classification standard for sociology. This means that the federal government officially recognizes the specific contributions which sociology can make. The standard for "Sociology GS-184" begins with the following statement:

This series includes positions which involve professional work requiring a knowledge of sociology and sociological methods specifically related to the establishment, validation, interpretation, and application of knowledge about social process. Sociological study specialized areas such as: changes in the character, size, distribution,
and composition of the population: social mechanisms for enforcing compliance with widely accepted norms and for controlling deviance; social phenomena having to do with human health and disease; the structure and operation of organizations; and the complex interrelationship of the individual and society.

Many Sociology jobs are outside of government.Sociologists are concerned primarily with the study of patterns of group and organizational behavior, social interaction, and social situations in which interaction occurs. The emphasis is on the patterns of behavior
that are characteristic of social groups, organizations, institutions, and nations. Some sociologists perform sociological research, others apply
sociological principles and findings, and some perform a combination
of both kinds of work.

Sociology is helpful for work in areas such as:

Community Planning Series
Social Work Service
International Relations Series
Foreign Agricultural Affairs Series
Manpower Research and Analysis Series
Manpower Development Series
Civil Rights Analysis Series
Social Work Series
Employee Relations Series
Public Health Program Specialist Series
Consumer Safety Service
Industrial Specialist Series