Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators

Facilitate negotiation and conflict resolution through dialogue. Resolve conflicts outside of the court system by mutual consent of parties involved.

Most important skills

Negotiation
Active Listening
Writing
Reading Comprehension
Speaking
Critical Thinking
Active Learning
Social Perceptiveness

Key knowledge

English Language
Law and Government
Personnel and Human Resources
Administration and Management
Education and Training
Economics and Accounting
Computers and Electronics
Psychology

What the work involves

Confer with disputants to clarify issues, identify underlying concerns, and develop an understanding of their respective needs and interests.
Use mediation techniques to facilitate communication between disputants, to further parties' understanding of different perspectives, and to guide parties toward mutual agreement.
Set up appointments for parties to meet for mediation.
Prepare settlement agreements for disputants to sign.
Prepare written opinions or decisions regarding cases.
Rule on exceptions, motions, or admissibility of evidence.
Evaluate information from documents, such as claim applications, birth or death certificates, or physician or employer records.
Research laws, regulations, policies, or precedent decisions to prepare for hearings.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Enterprising, Conventional, Social.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession. (36.8% of respondents)
Related experience: Over 10 years (47.4%)
On-the-job training: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (31.6%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 5: Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	Very low	Lower on contact with others than 91% of occupations compared	40% of surveyed respondents chose “Contact with others about half the time”
Dealing with the public	Very low	Lower on dealing with the public than 88% of occupations compared	47% of surveyed respondents chose “Not important at all”
Teamwork	Very low	Lower on teamwork than 99% of occupations compared	45% of surveyed respondents chose “Not important at all”
Freedom to make decisions	Very high	Higher on freedom to make decisions than 93% of occupations compared	85% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom”
Time pressure	Moderate	Lower on time pressure than 54% of occupations compared	35% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week”
Conflict situations	Very high	Higher on conflict situations than 94% of occupations compared	45% of surveyed respondents chose “Every day”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	Moderate	Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 51% of occupations compared	35% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Consequence of error	Low	Lower on consequence of error than 77% of occupations compared	35% of surveyed respondents chose “Not serious at all”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: moderate
Conflict situations: very high
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: moderate
Consequence of error: low

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions