A transferable skills analysis identifies work skills and worker traits developed in prior employment and evaluates where those skills may transfer to other occupations. A useful TSA goes beyond occupational databases: it screens potential jobs for functional compatibility, qualifications, wage relevance, and actual availability in the Michigan labor market.
What counts as a transferable skill?
Transferable skills come from the work actually performed, not just the title printed on a resume. They may include operating equipment, scheduling, inventory, quality control, documentation, customer service, supervision, troubleshooting, estimating, sales, data entry, regulatory knowledge, safety practices, production planning, or technical processes.
Some skills transfer broadly; others are tied to a particular industry or credential. The analysis should distinguish between a task that looks similar on paper and a skill that an employer would realistically recognize without substantial retraining.
Why are job titles not enough?
Occupational titles can hide major differences in duties. A “manager” in a small retail store does not necessarily have the same experience as an operations manager in manufacturing. A “technician” may perform highly specialized hands-on work that does not transfer to office-based technical roles. We analyze duties, tools, responsibility level, decision-making, pace, and knowledge requirements before identifying matches.
How are physical and cognitive demands screened?
Potential occupations should be compared with documented functional information. That may include lifting, carrying, standing, walking, positional tolerance, hand use, visual demands, driving, pace, concentration, interpersonal demands, or schedule issues when those factors are relevant and documented.
The TSA should not make medical conclusions. It uses reliable restrictions or abilities supplied by healthcare professionals and identifies where occupational demands appear consistent, inconsistent, or uncertain.
How do education and credentials affect transferability?
A job is not immediately transferable if it requires a license, degree, certification, software proficiency, or technical knowledge the person does not possess. Those gaps should be identified. Some can be addressed with short-term training; others may make the occupation unsuitable as a direct-placement target.
When training is required, the analysis should be explicit about it rather than presenting the occupation as currently available.
Why does the local labor market matter?
A transferable occupation must exist at a meaningful level in the person’s realistic labor market. We compare potential occupations with employer demand, advertised qualifications, wages, commuting patterns, and other market factors. This helps separate occupational possibilities from actual employment targets.
Labor-market research is especially important when the occupation is specialized, the person lives outside a major employment center, remote work is being considered, or wages are central to the referral question.
What should a TSA report include?
The report should identify the work history analyzed, explain the transferable factors, list the occupations considered, screen out weak matches, and describe the remaining options with enough detail to understand why they fit. Where wage or labor-market conclusions are requested, those should be supported with current market evidence.
Frequently asked questions
Is a transferable skills analysis the same as a vocational evaluation?
No. A TSA is usually one component of a broader vocational evaluation or employability analysis. It focuses specifically on how prior work skills may carry into other occupations. A full evaluation may also address interests, barriers, testing, training feasibility, and a broader rehabilitation plan.
Can transferable skills come from unpaid or military experience?
Potentially. Military duties, volunteer work, self-employment, caregiving responsibilities, and other substantive experience may demonstrate skills relevant to employment. The weight given to that experience depends on how directly it supports the target occupation.
Does software automatically determine transferable jobs?
Software can organize occupational information, but professional analysis is still necessary. Database matches should be screened for actual work history, function, credentials, wages, and local availability before they are treated as realistic employment options.
Can a TSA be used to evaluate wage loss or earning capacity?
A TSA can support that analysis by identifying realistic occupations, but wage or earning-capacity opinions require additional labor-market evidence and a clearly defined methodology. Legal standards and the exact referral question also matter.
What if no strong transferable occupations are found?
That may support exploring training, broader career planning, job carving, employer accommodation, or other options. A weak TSA result should not be padded with poor matches simply to produce a list.