The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) developed a list of high-technology industries based on Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes in 1999.[1] The list was based on measures of industry employment in both R&D and technology-oriented occupations, using Occupational Employment Statistics surveys from 1993 to 1995 in which employers were asked to explicitly report the number of workers engaged in R&D activity. The researchers identified 31 three-digit SIC R&D-intensive industries in which the number of R&D workers and technology-oriented occupations accounted for a proportion of employment that was at least twice the average for all industries surveyed. These industries had at least 6 R&D and 76 technology-oriented workers per 1,000 workers. The BLS list comprised 27 manufacturing and 4 service industries.

The Office of Technology Policy, with assistance from the Bureau of the Census, converted the BLS list of SIC codes into the newer North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) codes using the concordance between the two classification systems. The process necessitated both splitting and combining codes. The resulting list of hightechnology NAICS codes comprises 39 categories that range from four- to six-digit detail. Twenty-nine categories identify manufacturing industries, and 10 identify service industries. The industry categories included in the high-technology segment are shown in table 8-25.