ABOUT THIS RELEASE
ASCO is a skill-based classification of occupations developed in Australia as a national standard for the production and analysis of labour force statistics, human resources management, education planning, the listing of job applicants and vacancies, the provision of occupational information and for vocational guidance.
This document is one of a series which presents the first edition of the Australian Standard Classification of Occupations (ASCO). This new classification is the product of an extensive work programme undertaken by a joint project team from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the then Department of Employment and Industrial Relations (DEIR), now the new Department of Employment, Education and Training (DEET).
The development of ASCO was a response to a strong user demand for a skill- based classification suitable for adoption as an Australian standard.
The concept of skill is represented in ASCO by two distinct criteria: skill level and skill specialisation. The skill level of an occupation is a function of the amount of formal education, on-the-job training and previous experience usually necessary before an individual can satisfactorily perform the set of tasks involved. The skill specialisation of an occupation is a function of the field of knowledge required, tools or equipment used, materials worked on and goods and services produced in relation to the tasks performed. Both of these criteria are defined in terms of necessary requirements for the performance of a set of tasks for a given occupation.
This publication has been converted from older electronic formats and does not necessarily have the same appearance and functionality as later releases.
Related to: Australian Standard Classification of Occupations (ASCO), Occupation Definitions, First Edition (cat. no. 1223.0)
Continued by: ASCO - Australian Standard Classification of Occupations, Second Edition, 1997 (cat. no. 1220.0)
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