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| Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations | |
|---|---|
| Name | Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations |
| Abbreviation | ANZSCO |
| Type | Statistical classification |
| Released | 2006 |
| Maintained by | Australian Bureau of Statistics and Statistics New Zealand |
Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations The Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) is a joint Australian Bureau of Statistics–Statistics New Zealand occupational taxonomy used for statistical, administrative and migration purposes across Australia and New Zealand. It provides a common framework for labour market statistics, visa assessment, workforce planning and census coding, aligning outputs with international systems such as the International Standard Classification of Occupations and informing agencies including the Department of Home Affairs (Australia), Immigration New Zealand and sector bodies like the Australian Bureau of Statistics-linked research centres.
ANZSCO organises occupations into a hierarchical set of codes used by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Statistics New Zealand, the Department of Education, Skills and Employment (Australia), the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and other agencies for surveys, censuses and policy. It interfaces with classifications used by the United Nations, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the International Labour Organization and national instruments such as the Australian Standard Classification of Education and the New Zealand Standard Classification of Education. Major users include the Australian Taxation Office, the Australian Public Service Commission, the New Zealand Treasury and private research organisations.
Development of ANZSCO was undertaken collaboratively by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Statistics New Zealand following policy accords including the Canberra Agreement-style cooperative frameworks, with initial publication in 2006 and subsequent updates influenced by work of the International Labour Organization and inputs from stakeholders such as the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions and industry peak bodies. Historical precursors include national classifications used by the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics and revisions prompted by changing labour markets observed in post‑millennium analyses by institutions like the Reserve Bank of Australia and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.
ANZSCO’s hierarchical model groups occupations into major groups, sub-major groups, minor groups and unit groups, each assigned a four‑digit code and a six‑digit ANZSCO code for unit groups, using skill level and skill specialisation criteria developed with inputs from the Australian Qualifications Framework and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. The framework aligns with international taxonomies such as the International Standard Classification of Occupations and links to statistical products produced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Statistics New Zealand. Examples of occupations coded within ANZSCO appear alongside professional registers maintained by bodies like the Australian Medical Association, the Nursing Council of New Zealand, the Engineers Australia and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.
ANZSCO is implemented in national censuses conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Statistics New Zealand, migration systems operated by the Department of Home Affairs (Australia) and Immigration New Zealand, labour market reports by the Australian Department of Employment and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, and workforce planning in state and territorial agencies such as the New South Wales Department of Education and the Victorian Skills Authority. It supports visa occupation lists used by the Skilled Occupation List (Australia) process, qualifications recognition involving the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, and employer classification systems used by entities like the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the BusinessNZ lobby.
Revisions to ANZSCO have been undertaken periodically, informed by consultation with professional bodies including CPA Australia, the Australian Institute of Architects, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, and statistical reviews by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Statistics New Zealand. Updates respond to labour market shifts documented by the Productivity Commission (Australia), demographic analyses from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and employment projections from agencies like the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (Australia). Each revision is accompanied by concordance tables to legacy systems and to international standards such as the International Standard Classification of Occupations.
ANZSCO is frequently compared with the International Standard Classification of Occupations, the Standard Occupational Classification (United States), the National Occupational Classification (Canada), the UK Standard Occupational Classification, and regional taxonomies used by the European Union and the ASEAN bloc. Differences arise in granularity, skill-level definitions and mapping methods used by agencies like the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, Statistics Canada and the Office for National Statistics (UK), prompting crosswalks and mapping exercises conducted by academic centres such as the Grattan Institute and think tanks including the Australia Institute.
Critiques of ANZSCO have been raised by unions such as the Australian Council of Trade Unions and researchers at universities like The University of Melbourne, University of Auckland and Monash University, focusing on issues including occupational granularity, timeliness of updates, cross‑jurisdictional comparability, and adequacy for emerging roles in sectors represented by bodies like the Australian Information Industry Association. Limitations noted by commentators in reports to agencies like the Productivity Commission (Australia) and the Parliamentary Library (New Zealand) include challenges in coding hybrid occupations, lagging recognition of digital and gig-economy roles tracked by entities such as the Australian Communications and Media Authority, and the need for closer integration with credentialing organisations including the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.
Category:Occupational classifications