20 C.F.R. § 404.1566 – Work which exists in the national economy.

(a) General. We consider that work exists in the national economy when it exists in significant numbers either in the region where you live or in several other regions of the country. It does not matter whether—
1. (1) Work exists in the immediate area in which you live;
2. (2) A specific job vacancy exists for you; or
3. (3) You would be hired if you applied for work.
(b) How we determine the existence of work. Work exists in the national economy when there is a significant number of jobs (in one or more occupations) having requirements which you are able to meet with your physical or mental abilities and vocational qualifications. Isolated jobs that exist only in very limited numbers in relatively few locations outside of the region where you live are not considered “work which exists in the national economy”. We will not deny you disability benefits on the basis of the existence of these kinds of jobs. If work that you can do does not exist in the national economy, we will determine that you are disabled. However, if work that you can do does exist in the national economy, we will determine that you are not disabled.
(c) Inability to obtain work. We will determine that you are not disabled if your residual functional capacity and vocational abilities make it possible for you to do work which exists in the national economy, but you remain unemployed because of—
1. (1) Your inability to get work;
2. (2) Lack of work in your local area;
3. (3) The hiring practices of employers;
4. (4) Technological changes in the industry in which you have worked;
5. (5) Cyclical economic conditions;
6. (6) No job openings for you;
7. (7) You would not actually be hired to do work you could otherwise do; or
8. (8) You do not wish to do a particular type of work.
(d) Administrative notice of job data. When we determine that unskilled, sedentary, light, and medium jobs exist in the national economy (in significant numbers either in the region where you live or in several regions of the country), we will take administrative notice of reliable job information available from various governmental and other publications. For example, we will take notice of—
1. (1) Dictionary of Occupational Titles, published by the Department of Labor;
2. (2) County Business Patterns, published by the Bureau of the Census;
3. (3) Census Reports, also published by the Bureau of the Census;
4. (4) Occupational Analyses, prepared for the Social Security Administration by various State employment agencies; and
5. (5) Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
(e) Use of vocational experts and other specialists. If the issue in determining whether you are disabled is whether your work skills can be used in other work and the specific occupations in which they can be used, or there is a similarly complex issue, we may use the services of a vocational expert or other specialist. We will decide whether to use a vocational expert or other specialist.