One of the problems with the BLS API, that makes it difficult to wade through the existing documentation are the series IDs. As the BLS API FAQs state, there isn't an easy list of series IDs, which are the only way to access the information. However, the documentation does contain a page that explains the pattern that series IDs follow. Based on the type of information the developer is looking for, there are eight main categories, each with subcategories whose format pattern is then explained (be prepared to wade through the series ID format page to find the information you are looking for!).
Once you've figured out which of those top-level categories, you'll have to choose a sub-category. For example, in Spending and Time Use, we have the options American Time Use Survey and Consumer Expenditure Survey. Choosing American Time Use Survey, BLS gives an overview about this survey, and the format for seriesIDs inquiring about it. See the example below:
Series ID TUU10101AA01011987 Positions Value Field Name 1-2 TU Prefix 3 U Seasonal Adjustment Code 4-8 10101 Type of Estimate Code 9 A Time Period Code 10 A All ATUS data series have the character "A." 11-12 01 Number of years Code 13-18 011987 Character Code
We can see from this example, that the seriesID is 10 digits. The prefix to mark the American Time Use Survey is TU. The following sections control factors such as the seasonal adjustment code (U for unadjusted, S for seasonally adjusted), the type of estimate, the time period (for example, A for annual), the number of years, and an additional character code that filters the information by characteristics such as age, labor force status, etc. While most of the information you will need is there, it will require digging to find, along with some experimenting to fill in gaps in the information, such as with the 6-character code.
As another example, if we want occupational employment statistics for the annual mean wage for photographers nationwide, unadjusted seasonally. We can look up the OES and see that the prefix is OE, U for unadjusted, N for national, 0000000 for national for USA, 541920 for the industry Photographic Services, 274021 for photographers, and 04 to get the annual mean wage. Putting all of this together gives us a 15 digit seriesID of OEUM003890054192027402104.
Each of the programs included in the BLS API has a seriesID prefix and digit positions with relevant codes. It's worth it to dig through the seriesID format because the seriesID is the most important part of requesting data through the BLS API.