Comparison with ISCO-08
The International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) was developed by the International Labour Organization (ILO). ISCO was first published in 1958 with revised versions 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 1997 published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. ISCO-08 is currently being revised. The ILO aims to make the revised classification available in time for implementation in 2030.
The following table indicates the number of categories at each level of OSCA 2024 v1.0 and ISCO-08.
| Hierarchical Level | OSCA 2024 v1.0 | ISCO-08 |
|---|---|---|
| Major Group | 8 | 10 |
| Sub-major Group | 53 | 43 |
| Minor Group | 111 | 130 |
| Unit Group | 421 | 436 |
| Occupation | 1,156 | - |
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 OSCA 2024 v1.0 and ISCO-08. It does not provide a correspondence between the two classifications. The detailed relationship between OSCA and ISCO-08 is contained in the correspondence tables between OSCA and ISCO-08 available from Data downloads.
| OSCA 2024 v1.0 | 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 major groups in OSCA 2024 v1.0. 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). OSCA 2024 v1.0 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 OSCA 2024 v1.0.
- OSCA 2024 v1.0 Major Group 4 Community and Personal Service Workers has no equivalent in ISCO-08.
- ISCO-08 Major Group 7 Craft and Related Trades Workers is largely comparable to OSCA 2024 v1.0 Major Group 3 Technicians and Trades Workers except for Sub-major Group 31 Building, Engineering, ICT and Scientific Technicians.
- ISCO-08 Major Group 9 Elementary Occupations is largely comparable to OSCA 2024 v1.0 Major Group 8 Labourers.
- In ISCO-08, jobs held by members of the armed forces are included in Major Group 0 Armed Forces. In OSCA 2024 v1.0, jobs held by members of the armed forces are classified with their civilian equivalents, where these exist, or to one of four defence force specific occupations – 121232 Defence Force Senior Officer, 149231 Commissioned Defence Force Officer, 149431 Senior Non-commissioned Defence Force Member, and 451131 Defence Force Member – Other Ranks.