TABLE 1.2 Job Classification by ISCO Code, Skill Level, and Education Level ISCO major group
ISCO-88a major group
ISCO-08b major group
ISCO skill level
Education level
High (Levels 3 and 4)
Tertiary and upper secondary
1
Legislators, senior officials, and managers
Managers
2
Professionals
Professionals
3
Technicians and associate professionals
Technicians and associate professionals
4
Clerks
Clerical support workers
5
Service workers and shop and market sales workers
Services and sales workers
7
Craft and related trades workers
Craft and related trades workers
8
Plant and machine operators and assemblers
Plant and machine operators and assemblers
6
Skilled agricultural and fishery workers
Skilled agricultural, forestry, and fishery workers
9
Elementary occupations
Elementary occupations
Low (Level 1)
0
Armed forcesd
Armed forces
Low, Medium, or High (Levels 1, 2, or 4)
Medium (Level 2)
Aggregate group (ISCO codes): other terms usedc Managers, professionals, and technicians (1–3): highskill occupations (HSOs), careers
Clerical workers (4): clerks Secondary
Service and sales (5) Craft trade and plant operators (7–8): production workers
Primary
Agricultural workers (6) Elementary occupations (9) n.a.
l 21
Source: Based on ILO 2012. Note: ISCO skill levels are partially based on typical education levels attained, but since the 2008 adoption of ISCO-08, more emphasis has been placed on the nature of work performed. Hence, the education level associated with a particular ISCO major group (1–10) does not always align directly with that of other groups within the same skill level (high, medium, or low). For example, although ILO (2012) associates skilled agricultural and fishery workers (ISCO code 6) with Level 2 skill (generally associated with secondary education), our analysis finds that this occupation should instead be associated with primary education and is most appropriately grouped with elementary occupations (ISCO code 9). Similarly, we find that clerical occupations (ISCO code 4)—also associated with Level 2 skill, usually requiring secondary education—require upper-secondary education on average, and workers often have some tertiary education as well. ISCO = International Standard Classification of Occupations; n.a. = not applicable (not represented in this report). a. ISCO-88, adopted in 1988, used the same 10 major groups as in the subsequent ISCO-08 but had named some of them slightly differently. In addition, its conceptual model placed more emphasis than ISCO-08 on formal education and training requirements in determining an occupation’s skill level. b. ISCO-08, adopted in 2008, reflects occupational changes (largely because of technological advancement) in the 20-year period since the development of ISCO-88. It also increased the emphasis on the nature of the work performed in determining an occupation’s skill level. c. “Aggregate group” represents the occupations as grouped in this report. d. In ISCO-08, within ISCO major group 0—armed forces (military occupations)—occupations in submajor group 01 (commissioned officers) are at Skill Level 4, associated with tertiary education; those in submajor group 02 (noncommissioned officers) are at Skill Level 2, associated with secondary education; and all other occupations in major group 0 are at Skill Level 1, associated with primary education.
Why Jobs versus Careers?
Primary, secondary, or tertiary
