Relationship to other occupation classifications
Comparability with ISCO
The International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) was developed by the International Labour Organization (ILO). ISCO was first issued in 1958 and revised versions were produced in 1968, 1988 and 2008. The main aims of ISCO are to provide a basis for international comparisons of occupation statistics between member countries and to provide a conceptual model for the development of national occupation classifications.
The current edition, ISCO-08, uses skill level and skill specialisation as criteria in the conceptual framework for the classification. Four broad skill levels are used, defined in terms of the educational categories and levels that appear in the International Standard Classification of Education 1976, published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
Comparison between ANZSCO and ISCO
The following table indicates the number of categories at each level of ANZSCO and ISCO
| Hierarchical Level | ANZSCO 2021 Australian Update | ISCO-08 |
|---|---|---|
| Major Group | 8 | 10 |
| Sub-Major Group | 43 | 43 |
| Minor Group | 99 | 130 |
| Unit Group | 364 | 436 |
| Occupation | 1 070 | - |
The occupation level is not defined in ISCO-08 as it is expected that individual countries will develop this level of detail to suit their requirements.
The following table compares the major group titles for ANZSCO and ISCO-08. Note that this table does not provide a correspondence between the two classifications.
| ANZSCO | ISCO-08 |
|---|---|
| 1 Managers | 1 Managers |
| 2 Professionals | 2 Professionals |
| 3 Technicians and Trades Workers | 3 Technicians and Associate Professionals |
| 4 Community and Personal Service Workers | 4 Clerical Support Workers |
| 5 Clerical and Administrative Workers | 5 Services and Sales Workers |
| 6 Sales Workers | 6 Skilled Agricultural, Forestry and Fishery Workers |
| 7 Machinery Operators and Drivers | 7 Craft and Related Trades Workers |
| 8 Labourers | 8 Plant and Machine Operators and Assemblers |
| 9 Elementary Occupations | |
| 0 Armed Forces Occupations |
The ten major groups in ISCO-08 are broadly similar to the eight ANZSCO major groups. The most significant differences at major group level are:
ISCO-08 identifies Skilled Agricultural, Forestry and Fishery Workers as a separate major group (Major Group 6). ANZSCO includes Farmers and Farm Managers as a sub-major group in Major Group 1 Managers; Skilled Animal, Agricultural and Horticultural Workers as a sub-major group in Major Group 3 Technicians and Trades Workers; and Farm, Forestry and Garden Workers as a sub-major group in Major Group 8 Labourers.
ISCO-08 Major Group 3 Technicians and Associate Professionals has no equivalent in ANZSCO.
A major group of Community and Personal Service Workers has been introduced for ANZSCO and has no equivalent in ISCO-08.
In ISCO-08, jobs held by members of the armed forces are included in Major Group 0 Armed Forces. In ANZSCO, jobs held by members of the armed forces are classified with their civilian equivalents, where these exist, or to a number of defence force specific occupations.