The 2008 edition of the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) and its implications for France

Cécile Brousse

Description

The International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) focuses on the “tasks and duties undertaken in the job.” This approach differs substantially from the concepts underlying the definition of French “occupations and sociooccupational categories” (Professions et Catégories Socioprofessionnelles: PCS). These divergences are compounded by the interpretation difficulties raised by the new ISCO adopted in 2008. Establishing equivalences between the French and international socio-occupational classifications will be a delicate task.

Sujets

• INSEE
• Économie

Informations

• Publié par: insee
• Nombre de lectures: 31
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

The 2008 edition of the International Standard
Classification of Occupations (ISCO)
1and its implications for France
! Cécile Brousse*
The International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) focuses on the “tasks and duties undertaken in the
job.” This approach differs substantially from the concepts underlying the definition of French “occupations and socio-
occupational categories” (Professions et Catégories Socioprofessionnelles: PCS). These divergences are compounded
by the interpretation difficulties raised by the new ISCO adopted in 2008. Establishing equivalences between the French
and international socio-occupational classifications will be a delicate task.
he 1988 International Standard - the 2008 ISco update by the Tc lassification of o ccupations International Labor o ffice (ISco -08).
(ISco -88) has been widely
French official statistical authorities disseminated not only at regional
have acted on these developments. level but also at national level.
In See and DAReS, previously on the Many countries around the world
sidelines, took part in the technical use ISco , or a localized version, as
group on ISco updating and in the their national classification. The only
2007 ILo tripartite conference.european countries to maintain their
own classifications of occupations
Until now, ISco -88 codes were
are Austria, France, Germany, the
assigned from the French national
n etherlands, the United Kingdom,
classification of o ccupations and
and (outside the eU) Switzerland.
Socio-o ccupational c ategories (Pc S)
by means of a correspondence table
In France, ISco has gradually
that required information on the firm’s
been disseminated throughout the
size and activity. n ow, France needs
official statistical system at the
to plan the redesign of its occupation-
behest of eurostat and international
coding tools and—in liaison with
organizations (Table 1).
eurostat—its household and business
surveys.International Standard Classification of This trend should accelerate for at
Occupations, French 1968 edition
least two reasons:
1 o riginally published as “L’édition 2008
de la classification internationale type des
professions,” Courrier des statistiques (French – the ramp-up of eU projects
series), no. 125, n ov.-Dec. 2008, pp. 17-21,
using ISco : the socio-economic european register of occupations http://www.insee.fr/fr/ffc/docs_ffc/cs125d.pdf.
* classification (eSec ) and the (euro ccupations) In See , employment Division.
Table 1: ISCO-08 in selected official statistical sources
Sample surveys Administrative sources
French title english title of eU section French title english title of eU section
enquêtes annuelles de recensement c ensus
enquête emploi Labour Force Survey (LFS) Accidents du travail Accidents at work (eSAW)
enquête sur la santé et la
european Health Interview Survey Maladies professionnelles o ccupational diseases (eo DS)
consommation médicale
enquête sur les revenus et les
eU-SILc Annual job vacancy statistics
conditions de vie
enquête Budget des ménages Household Budget Survey Average annual gross earnings
Note: ISCO is also used, most notably, in the Structure of Earnings Survey, the Time Use Survey, the Adult Education Survey, the “SHARE” surveys,
and EU surveys on “ICT usage in households and by individuals.”
c ourrier des statistiques, english series no. 15, 2009 17
Source: ILoc écile Brousse
the few unit groups whose separation Basic principles of ISCO-08
had become obsolete—chiefly in
group 8 of machine operators—and, ISCO focuses on the tasks
conversely, in splitting unit groups or undertaken in the course of an
creating new ones. The aim was to occupation. The grouping levels are
take into account the emergence of determined by the skills required
new occupations in information and for the job. This approach is reflected
communication technologies (Ic Ts). in the english name, which uses o
There was also a desire to remedy for “occupation”; the French name
the fact that the old classification was is “c lassification Internationale Type
too detailed in certain fields and not des Professions,” but the French
detailed enough in others such as professions is not an exact equivalent
healthcare, office work, tourism, and of the english “occupation.”
the informal sector.
Aircraft mechanic at Siemens
ISco -08 comprises four nested
o n balance, the reorganization of aggregation levels. At the detailed
groupings reduces the visibility of level, it is divided into 436 headings
machinery used, equipment on the highest-skilled occupations in called unit groups. These are
which—or with which—persons government but increases that of consolidated into 130 minor groups,
work, and type of goods and services the lowest-skilled occupations in which form 43 sub-major groups and,
produced. the tertiary sector: workers in direct at the most aggregated level, 10
personal services and protection and major groups (Appendix).
security services.
From ISCO-88 to ISCO-08:
main changes
Difficulties in interpreting
The ISco updating encompassed all ISCO-08
aggregation levels of the classification.
At level 1, the most important changes In its current state, the classification
concerned farmers, overseers (chefs still contains imprecisions, some of
d’équipe) and retailers, nurses, and which may be cleared up when the
primary-school teachers. explanatory note is released. The first
interpretational difficulties concern
Smallholder farmers have been the conceptual framework. Given
Farm holding: wine harvest at Beaumes-de-Venise,
shifted from major group 1 to major in the Vaucluse (France) the weight attached to skill criteria,
group 6. Supervisors were formerly managers of small hotels or small
aggregated with the workers under restaurants could have taken the same
their supervision—often in major path as small retailers and managers
o ccupations are distributed across groups 7, 8, and 9. n ow, they are of small farm holdings rather than stay
the groups according to the level separated under distinct headings in sub-major group 14 with managers
and type of skills required to engage of major groups 3, 4, and 5. The of large retail outlets.
in them. The skill-level criterion is position of retailers has been defined
based on the International Standard more precisely: “small retailers” have There is also imprecision in ISco ’s
c lassification of education (ISce D) moved from major group 1 to major practical implementation for statistical
and serves to characterize eight of the group 5. Lastly, the previous version purposes: lack of information on
ten major groups. For example, major of ISco contained “parallel groups” criteria for distinguishing supervisors
group 9 of elementary occupations for nurses and teachers. Depending (Box) from other workers,
is composed of categories requiring on the education level required for from managers, corporate executives
skills equivalent to those taught in these occupations, countries were from retailers and craftsmen/
primary education. There are two allowed to classify these workers in women, managers from high-skilled
exceptions to this rule: major groups major group 2 or major group 3. This professionals, and so on.
0 (Armed forces) and 1 (Managers), arrangement has been eliminated.
for which the skill-level criterion is Similarly, sub-major group 14 is
used to rank the sub-major groups o verall, the changes reflect the rising supposed to cover activities performed
that compose them (Table 2). importance attached to task content in “modest-sized” enterprises, but no
and skills, which should facilitate such size criterion is available.
In each major group, occupations are international comparisons.
classified by type of skill, a criterion Regarding agricultural occupations,
that reflects four dimensions: scope At the most detailed level of ISco , questions may arise on the skill
of knowledge needed, tooling and the update consisted in aggregating criterion for distinguishing between
18
Source: Wikipédia
Source: WikipédiaThe 2008 edition of the International Standard c lassification of o ccupations (ISco )
Table 2: Correspondence between ISCO-08 major groups and skill levels
ISco -08 major groups Skill level ISce D-97 c orresponding education levels
First stage of tertiary education (short or medium
duration)
1 Managers 3 + 4 5 - 6
Second stage of tertiary education (leading to an
advanced research qualification)
First stage of tertiary education (medium duration)
2 Professionals 4 5a - 6 Second stage of tertiary (leading to an
advanced research qualification)
Technicians and associate professionals First stage of tertiary education, first level (short or
3 3 5b
medium duration)
4 c lerical support workers
5 Service and sales workers
6 Skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers 2 2 – 3 - 4 Secondary and post-secondary education (non-tertiary)
7 c raft and related trades workers
8 Plant and mach