occupation

Occupation

International Standard Classification of Occupations – ISCO- 08

David Hunter, Department of Statistics International Labour Office

Workshop on Challenges and Strategies in Improving Labour Statistics in AfricaBamako, Mali – 22 – 24 November 2010

1

Occupation – concept and uses

Occupation– Refers to the type of work done by the person employed irrespective of

where (the industry), or under what status in employment,

– An occupation is a “set of jobs whose main tasks and duties are characterized by a high degree of similarity”

– Major component of national labour market information

– Data needed for policy formulation for• labour market programmes, • educational planning, • work related migration • ….

Workshop on Challenges and Strategies in Improving Labour Statistics in Africa Bamako, Mali – 22 – 24 November 2010 2

Concepts of occupation, industry and status in employment

In labour statistics all 3 concepts relate to a job in which a person is employed

Job : a set of tasks and duties performed, or meant to be performed, by one person including for an employer or in self employment. Some people have more than one job Data may be collected only for the main job, for a second job, a job

previously held, or (for those who are not employed) for the last job held

Status in employment and occupation are descriptive characteristics of a job

Industry is a characteristic of the establishment employing a person in a job

Occupation– The type of work done by the person employed regardless of the industry,

or under what status in employment.


International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO)

• Most countries use national occupation classifications based on the (now out of date) ISCO-88

• Current version was endorsed by the ILO Governing Body in 2008: – For this reason it is known as ISCO-08

– Structure and group definitions available on ILO Website or on request

– Usable definitions of all groups have been available since July 2009

– To be published in English, French and Spanish as soon as possible

– Will be used in European Union collections from 2010

– Hierarchically structured classification comprising:• 10 major groups• 43 sub-major groups• 131 minor groups• 436 unit groups

– Many countries are currently updating their national occupation classifications to align with ISCO-08


What is ISCO used for?

International reporting, comparison and exchange of statistical and administrative data

A model for the development of national and regional classifications of occupations

Used directly in countries that have not developed their own national classifications

• National Occupation Classifications are used for: Statistics from censuses, household surveys, employer surveys and

other sources. Administrative and policy-related activities such as:

• matching job seekers with job vacancies

• educational planning

• management of employment related international migration

• determining wage rates


Occupation classifications in employment services

• Automatic matching of job-seekers to job vacancies– Job seekers and vacancies coded to National

Occupation Classifications (NOC)– Resumes of matching jobseekers sent

automatically to employers- Or job vacancy details sent to clients

- May require more detail than provided by ISCO- Possible need for more detail in NOC


Integrated occupational information systems

Framework for provision of careers information

Identification of skill shortages or oversupply

Provision of integrated information about pay, job prospects, working hours, nature of work performed, for example: US O*NET: http://online.onetcenter.org/ Australian Job Outlook: http://joboutlook.gov.au/pages/help.aspx


Underlying concepts –ISCO-08

• Job : a set of tasks and duties performed, or meant to be performed, by one person including for an employer or in self employment.

• Occupation: a set of jobs whose main tasks and duties are characterised by a high degree of similarity: – A person may be associated with an occupation through the main job

currently held, a second job, or a job previously held

• Occupations are organised into groups according to skill level and skill specialisation:– Skill level is applied mainly at the top (major group) level of the

classification.

– Within each major group occupations are arranged into unit groups, minor groups and sub-major groups, primarily on the basis of aspects of skill specialisation.


Table 1: Mapping of ISCO-08 major groups to skill levels


ISCO-08 major groups Skill Level

1 - Managers 3 + 4

2 - Professionals 4

3 - Technicians and associate professionals 3

4 - Clerical support workers5 - Service and sales workers6 - Skilled agricultural and fishery workers7 - Craft and related trades workers8 - Plant and machine operators, and assemblers

2

9 - Elementary occupations 1

0 - Armed forces occupations 1, 2 + 4

What was wrong with ISCO-88?

• Seriously out-of-date in some areas: – (Eg. ICT, Office clerks, information clerks)

• Excessive detail in some areas: – (Eg. plant and machinery operators)

• Inadequate detail in some areas: – (Eg. service related occupations and occupations that predominate in

the informal sector)

• Wide variation in the size of some sub-major and minor groups• Grouping of managerial occupations• Parallel groups in Major groups 2 and 3 due to differences in

national education requirements


ISCO - Some of the more significant changes in ISCO-08 (1)

• Elimination of parallel groups at different skill levels if tasks performed are the same:– Virtually all teaching occupations are classified in Sub-major Group 24,

Teaching professionals

– Nurses are classified in Major groups 2 or 3 depending on tasks performed and not on qualifications alone

• Reorganization of managerial occupations in Major Group 1• Major updating and expansion of occupations in information and

communications technology:– 2 new sub-major groups in Major groups 2 and 3

• Improved coverage and upgrading of health services occupations– Identifiable at sub-major group level in Major groups 2 and 3 and at

Minor group level in Major group 5, Sales and Service Workers


ISCO - Some of the more significant changes in ISCO-08 (2)

• Reorganization of the section of the classification dealing with office clerks:– Impact of information and communications technology

– Increase from 2 to 4 sub-major groups in Major group 4, Clerical Support Workers

• Reorganization of the aggregate groupings for sales and service workers:– Increase from 2 to 4 sub-major groups in Major group 5

• More detailed categories and greater clarity for some occupational groups involved in agriculture:– Farmers and farm managers are classified in Major group 6, Skilled

agricultural forestry and fisheries workers, with few exceptions

• Extended coverage of occupations that are significant in informal employment:


Number of groups at each level of ISCO-08(Numbers for ISCO-88 are shown in brackets where different)


Major groupsSub-major

Groups

Minorgroups

Unit groups

1 Managers 4 (3) 11(8) 31 (33)2 Professionals 6 (4) 27(18) 92 (55)3 Technicians and associate professionals 5 (4) 20 84 (73)4 Clerical support workers 4 (2) 8 (7) 29 (23)5 Service and sales workers 4 (2) 13 (9) 40 (23)6 Skilled agricultural, fishery, and forestry

workers3 (2) 9 (6) 18 (17)

7 Craft and related trades workers 5 (4) 14 (16) 66 (70)8 Plant and machine operators, and

assemblers3 14 (20) 40 (70)

9 Elementary occupations 6 (3) 11 (10) 33 (25)0 Armed forces occupations 3 (1) 3 (1) 3 (1)Total ISCO-08 (ISCO-88) 43 (28) 130 (116) 436

(390)

ISCO-08 Major Group 1 Managers

11 Chief executives, senior officials and legislators 111 Legislators and senior officials 112 Managing directors and chief executives

12 Administrative and commercial managers 121 Business services and administration managers 122 Sales, marketing and development managers

13 Production and specialised services managers 131 Production managers in agriculture, forestry and fisheries

132 Manufacturing, mining, construction, and distribution managers

133 Information and communications technology service managers

134 Professional services managers

14 Hospitality, retail and other services managers 141 Hotel and restaurant managers 142 Retail and wholesale trade managers 143 Other services managers


Sub-major groups in Major group 2, Professionals - ISCO-88 and ISCO-08


ISCO-88

CodeISCO-88 Title

ISCO-08

CodeISCO-08 Title

21 Physical, mathematical and engineering science professionals

21 Science and engineering professionals

22 Life science and health professionals

22 Health professionals

23 Teaching professionals

23 Teaching professionals

24 Other professionals 24 Business and administration professionals

25 Information and communications technology professionals

26 Legal, social and cultural professionals

22 Health professionals

221 Medical doctors 2211 Generalist medical practitioners 2212 Specialist medical practitioners 222 Nursing and midwifery professionals 2221 Nursing professionals 2222 Midwifery professionals223 Traditional and complementary medicine professionals

2230 Traditional and complementary medicine professionals224 Paramedical practitioners

2240 Paramedical practitioners225 Veterinarians

2250 Veterinarians226 Other health professionals

2261 Dentists2262 Pharmacists

2263 Environmental and occupational health and hygiene professionals 2264 Physiotherapists 2265 Dieticians and nutritionists 2266 Audiologists and speech therapists 2267 Optometrists and ophthalmic opticians

2269 Health professionals not elsewhere classified


Sub-major groups in Major group 3, Technicians and associate professionals - ISCO-88 and ISCO-08


ISCO-88

Code

ISCO-88 Title ISCO-08

Code

ISCO-08 Title

31 Physical and engineering science associate professionals

31 Science and engineering associate professionals

32 Life science and health associate professionals

32 Health associate professionals

33 Teaching associate professionals

33 Business and administration associate professionals

34 Other associate professionals

34 Legal, social, cultural and related associate professionals

35 Information and communications technicians

Major group 4, Clerical support workers: Sub-major and minor groups

41 General and keyboard clerks411 General office clerks412 Secretaries (general)413 Keyboard operators

42 Customer services clerks421 Tellers, money collectors and related clerks422 Client information workers

43 Numerical and material recording clerks431 Numerical clerks432 Material-recording and transport clerks

44 Other clerical support workers441 Other clerical support workers


Sales and Service Workers

51 Personal service workers511 Travel attendants, conductors and guides512 Cooks513 Waiters and bartenders514 Hairdressers, beauticians and related workers515 Building and housekeeping supervisors516 Other personal services workers

52 Sales workers521 Street and market salespersons522 Shop salespersons523 Cashiers and ticket clerks524 Other sales workers

53 Personal care workers531 Child care workers and teachers' aides532 Carers in health services

54 Protective services workers541 Protective services workers


52 Sales workers

521 Street and market salespersons5211 Stall and market salespersons5212 Street food salespersons

522 Shop salespersons 5221 Shop keepers5222 Shop supervisors5223 Shop sales assistants

523 Cashiers and ticket clerks5230 Cashiers and ticket clerks

524 Other sales workers5241 Fashion and other models5242 Sales demonstrators5243 Door to door salespersons5244 Contact centre salespersons5245 Service station attendants5246 Food service counter attendants5249 Sales workers not elsewhere classified


Major group 6: Skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers

61 Market-oriented skilled agricultural workers611 Market gardeners and crop growers

6111 Field crop and vegetable growers

6112 Tree and shrub crop growers

6113 Gardeners, horticultural and nursery growers

6114 Mixed crop growers

612Animal producers

6121 Livestock and dairy producers

6122 Poultry producers

6123 Apiarists and sericulturists

6129 Animal producers not elsewhere classified

613Mixed crop and animal producers

6130 Mixed crop and animal producers


62 Market-oriented skilled, forestry and fishery and hunting workers

621 Forestry and related workers6210 Forestry and related workers

622 Fishery workers, hunters and trappers6211 Aquaculture workers

6212 Inland and coastal waters fishery workers

6213 Deep-sea fishery workers

6214 Hunters and trappers


63 Subsistence farmers, fishers, hunters and gatherers

• ISCO-88 Sub-major group 62, Subsistence agricultural workers has been retained

– Name and code change

– Extra detail to reflect the minor group structure of 61

• The definitions for this group and for Sub-major groups 61, 62 and 92 have been improved to make it clear that:

– Workers engaged in agricultural, forestry and fisheries activities should be classified in Sub-major group 63 if the main aim of the production is to provide goods (mainly food) for consumption by the workers’ own household

– Those who only perform simple tasks requiring little judgement or experience should nevertheless be classified in Sub major group 92, Agricultural, forestry and fishery labourers

– Subsistence hunters, trappers and collectors should also be classified in Sub-major group 63


63 Subsistence farmers, fishers, hunters and gatherers

631 Subsistence crop farmers

6310 Subsistence crop farmers

632 Subsistence livestock farmers

6320 Subsistence livestock farmers

633 Subsistence mixed crop and livestock farmers

6330 Subsistence mixed crop and livestock farmers

634 Subsistence fishers, hunters, trappers and gatherers

6340 Subsistence fishers, hunters, trappers and gatherers


7 Craft and related trades workers

71 Building and related trades workers711Building frame and related trades workers712 Building finishers and related trades workers713 Painters, building structure cleaners and related trades workers

72 Metal, machinery and related trades workers721 Sheet and structural metal workers, moulders and welders, and related workers722 Blacksmiths, toolmakers and related trades workers723 Machinery mechanics and repairers

73 Handicraft and printing workers731 Handicraft workers732 Printing trades workers

74 Electrotechnology trades workers741 Electrical equipment installers and repairers742 Electronics and telecommunications installers and repairers

75 Food processing, wood working, textile and other craft and related trades workers

751 Food processing and related trades workers752 Wood treaters, cabinet-makers and related trades workers753 Textile, garment and related trades workers754 Other craft and related workers


8 Plant and machine operators, and assemblers

81 Stationary plant and machine operators811 Mining and mineral processing plant operators812 Metal processing and finishing plant operators813 Chemical and photographic products plant and machine

operators814 Rubber, plastic and paper products machine operators815 Textile, fur and leather products machine operators816 Food and related products machine operators818 Other stationary plant and machine operators

82 Assemblers821 Assemblers

83 Drivers and mobile plant operators831 Locomotive engine drivers and related workers832 Car, van and motorcycle drivers833 Heavy truck and bus drivers834 Mobile plant operators835 Ships' deck crews and related workers


9 Elementary occupations

91 Cleaners and helpers 911 Domestic, hotel and office cleaners and helpers 912 Vehicle, window, laundry and other hand cleaning workers

92 Agricultural, fishery and forestry labourers 921 Agricultural, fishery and forestry labourers

93 Labourers in mining, construction, manufacturing and transport

931 Mining and construction labourers 932 Manufacturing labourers 933 Transport and storage labourers

94 Food preparation assistants 941 Food preparation assistants

95 Street and related sales and service workers 951 Street and related service workers 952 Street vendors

96 Refuse workers and other elementary service workers 961 Refuse workers 962 Other elementary service workers


Models for developing or adapting national classifications based on ISCO

• Adopt ISCO directly for national use– Much less than ideal

– Some small countries with limited resources have no other choice

– Collaborating with similar neighbouring countries may be an option

– Some work at national level is still required

• Adapt ISCO to suit national circumstances– A popular choice

• National occupation classification NOC is not based on ISCO– A common situation for countries with own tradition or history of

occupation classification

– May make adjustments to national classification to improve comparability with ISCO or take advantages of new features in ISCO


Possible points for discussion

• How suitable is ISCO-08 for use in national statistical applications in Africa?

• What types of adaptations need to be made to satisfy national analytical needs in African countries?

– Is employment in your country concentrated in certain industries or occupational groups.? Which ones?

• What steps do you need to take in advance of upcoming Censuses?

• Do you have the capacity (technical and resources) to undertake this work

• What kind of technical support is needed and how can this be provided?

• Are there opportunities for collaboration between countries on occupation classification?

– Harmonization of occupational information in single labour markets (Eg East Africa)

• Need for collaboration and coordination between ministries of labour, employment services and statistical offices on occupation classification.


Collection and coding of data on occupation


Occupation – information needed for coding

• For accurate coding to any level of ISCO (and related national classifications) information is needed on:– Name or title of occupation– Main tasks or duties usually performed in the job

• The following information may also be useful– The type of economic activity of the establishment (industry)– Whether or not the main aim of the activity is own consumption

(subsistence)

• Information about the level of skill or qualifications of an individual is not necessary and not useful


Occupation – types of question

• Three types of question on occupation are typically used. – One or two pre-coded questions on the jobs that the individuals

had (not recommended)– One (write-in) question to obtain occupation-relevant information

about an individual’s job– Two or more (write-in) questions, a basic question on the title of

the position held with follow-up on main tasks of the individual in the job


Occupation – single open-ended questions

• A single question such as:a) What is the main occupation of (the person) in this workplace?

b) What kind of work did (the person) do?

may provide adequate information from some but not all respondents– But may yield responses such as ‘Manager’, ‘Consultant’,

‘Farm work’ that can not be coded accurately to any level of ISCO

• Interviewers need to be trained to probe when information provided is insufficient

• Two questions are preferred


Occupation – multiple open-ended questions

• Use of separate questions on job title and tasks performed generally assures that sufficient detail is provided

• Asking for two different types of information helps the respondent to respond fully, for example:

Title: Sales manager

Tasks: Selling used cars

Title: Customer service consultant

Tasks: Selling used cars


Occupation question – agricultural activities

• Special attention should be given to subsistence farming:– Are separate job titles used for subsistence farmers?

– If subsistence farming is significant consider an additional question:

E.g. ‘Do you produce goods mainly for sale or mainly for your own or family use?’

4 response categories are recommended such as: Only for sale Mainly for sale but partly for own or family use Mainly for own or family use but partly for sale Only for own or family use

The respondent must decide whether production is mainly for sale or mainly for own consumption

– If subsistence activity is collected as part of Status in employment question it should be used in occupation coding or edit process


Hypothetical questions recommended for testing and use (part 1)

(In the main job held last week) what was (your) work or occupation?

Please give full job title and be specific, for example:

Fruit picker

Legal secretary

Restaurant manager

Secondary school teacher

Cattle farmer

Registered nurse

Occupation:

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………


Hypothetical questions recommended for testing and use (part 2)

What are your main tasks or duties in that job?

Please give details. For example:

Picking and carrying oranges and peaches

Preparing legal documents

Managing the operations of a restaurant

Teaching mathematics

Managing a cattle farm

Caring for the sick and administering medications

Main tasks or duties:

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………


Coding occupation data

• The main aim of the coding process– To determine and record correctly to which of the categories in the

respective classifications the jobs belong• at the most detailed level of the classification possible on the basis of the information

provided in the responses

• Responses to up to four open ended questions have to be assigned to the appropriate category in an occupation classification

• Not a simple process• Responses to questions on occupation (title and tasks), industry and

name and address of workplace are relevant• Coding should be done using an index of occupations based on

words used in surveys– Mapping directly to the classification is error prone and inefficient!


Strategic coding and processing options

• Field or office coding?– The following choices are available:

1. The interviewer codes in the field, either during the interview or before the questionnaire is forwarded for further processing• A variation on pre-coded questions

OR• Enumerator writes down the response (or keywords) and codes the

response after the interview using an index.

2. Specially trained coders code in connection with consistency checks of the questionnaire and data entry• Office coding – the preferred option in most cases


Office coding

• Can be done manually with a paper index, or with computer assistance

• Can be combined with automatic coding• Coders may specialize in the coding of one (or a few)

variables or deal with the whole form• Coders need to be thoroughly trained and tested before

they start coding• Quality of coding operations can and should be

rigorously controlled


What is a coding index?

• The key instrument for matching responses to questions with classification codes

• It can be in the form of a durable printed publication, a loose-leaf binder, computer printout, or a machine readable file within a computer system– The same index can be used in all of these forms

• Formal names for classification categories (Eg education manager) are not usually the same as terms normally used to describe jobs and industrial activities

• The index entries usually includes a code for one or more classification systems, and some words based on responses given in censuses and surveys

• The index is searched alphabetically but can also be sorted in code order for updating and query resolution


Developing and updating a coding index

• Index must be in place before the coding operations start• Basis should be responses to questions in surveys• The same index should be used in all household based collections• Collection and coding of elements to be included in the index should

be done by experts in the classification concerned


Organization and structure of the index

• Two basic approaches– All-inclusive – Structured

• In an all-inclusive index every type of response should in theory have an entry in the index, usually in natural word order– Size of index may slow down coding process– Irrelevant words have to be included in the index– Inevitably, many responses do not match exactly with an entry in

the index– Supplementary information from task, industry and place of work

questions are not used systematically– May work efficiently and accurately in automatic coding


Organization and structure of the index (2)

• A structured index does not include every possible response– Irrelevant words are omitted– Each entry starts with a key word– If the key word is insufficient to uniquely identify a category, one

or more qualifying words or phrases are added

Response: keyword/first qualifying word/second qualifying word

Cost accountant: accountant/cost

Drilling machine operator: operator/machine/drilling

Aircraft instrument maker: maker/instrument/aircraft

Room maid: maid/room

Marine biologist: biologist/marine

Capstan lathe setter-operator: setter-operator/capstan lathe


Automatic and computer assisted coding

• Both approaches use computing power to speed up process of searching an index, identifying matching responses, following coding rules and recording the correct code

• In Computer assisted coding (CAC) the coder enters a small number of characters from key and qualifying words

– Matching index entries are displayed and coder selects matching entry– Correct code is recorded by coder or the computer or a query is raised

• In automatic coding (AC) responses are key entered or captured photographically, then matched automatically by the computer

– Match rates of up to 70% have been achieved– Remaining entries are coded using CAC– Requires a high degree of sophistication and a very well designed index

• Software solutions are available at low cost but cost of integration into larger processing systems may be high


Data collection and coding– points for discussion

• What problems do you foresee in collecting and producing employment statistics classified by occupation in your country?

• For example– Is subsistence agriculture important in your country and how can you measure it?– What questions have been used in existing national surveys? Do you need to

change these.– How will you capture, code and process data on occupation?


Recap on discussion points from Part 1

• How suitable is ISCO-08 for use in national statistical applications in Africa?

• What types of adaptations need to be made to satisfy national analytical needs in African countries?

– Is employment in your country concentrated in certain industries or occupational groups.? Which ones?

• What steps do you need to take in advance of upcoming Censuses?

• Do you have the capacity (technical and resources) to undertake this work

• What kind of technical support is needed and how can this be provided?

• Are there opportunities for collaboration between countries on occupation classification?

– Harmonization of occupational information in single labour markets (Eg East Africa)

• Need for collaboration and coordination between ministries of labour, employment services and statistical offices on occupation classification.


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