Australian Standard Classification of Occupations 2nd edition
Classification Scheme Attributes
Identifying and definitional attributes | |
Metadata item type: | Classification Scheme |
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| Synonymous names: | ASCO 2nd edn |
| METEOR identifier: | 270547 |
| Registration status: | Community Services (retired), Superseded 27/03/2007 Health, Superseded 04/07/2007 Housing assistance, Standard 01/03/2005 |
| Definition: | The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) classification for occupations. |
| Classification structure: | The ASCO Second Edition is a hierarchically structured classification with five levels of aggregation. The nine Major Groups are distinguished from each other on the basis of skill level and, where necessary, the broad concept of skill specialisation. Skill level is a function of the range and complexity of the set of tasks involved. The greater the range and complexity of the set of tasks, the greater the skill level of the occupation. The criteria to measure skill level are the formal education and/or training (ie. primary, secondary or tertiary education) and previous experience usually required for entry to the occupation. Skill specialisation of an occupation is a function of the field of knowledge required, tools and equipment used, materials worked on, and goods or services produced in relation to the tasks performed. Skill specialisation is used to group occupations according to type, rather than level of skill. The definition of skill specialisation remains unchanged from the First Edition but includes reference to non-production based operations. |
Collection and usage attributes | |
| Guide for use: | Supersedes the Australian Standard Classification of Occupations, First Edition. for concordance tables see Origin. |
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| Comments: | ISCO-88 also uses skill level and skill specialisation as criteria to structure the occupation classification. The 10 major groups in ISCO-88 are broadly consistent similar to the nine ASCO, Second Edition major groups. The most significant difference at the major group level is that ISCO-88 has identified Skilled Agricultural and Fishery workers as a separate major group, where as ASCO Second Edition includes Farmers and Farm Managers as a sub-group in Major Group 1 Managers and Administrators, and Skilled Agricultural and Horticultural workers as a sub-major group in Major Group 4 Tradespersons and Related Workers. ISCO-88 also includes a separate Major Group 0, for the Armed Forces. In ASCO Second Edition, jobs held by members of the Armed Forces are classified together with their civilian equivalents where these exist and to a number of other specific occupations. In common with ISCO-88, ASCO Second Edition now incorporates three sub-major group as a level of aggregation between the major and minor groups. ASCO Second Edition (ASCO) is currently under review. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) will undertake the project jointly. A joint publication will be produced, the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO), which will be available electronically on the ABS and SNZ web sites. It is envisaged that ANZSCO will be implemented in relevant ABS and SNZ statistical collections from 2006 onwards. |
Source and reference attributes | |
| Origin: | Australian Bureau of Statistics 1997. Australian Standard Classification of Occupations Second Edition. Cat. no. 1220.0. Canberra: ABS. Viewed 6 January 2005. Concordance tables included: Available in print and CD-ROM |
| Reference documents: | Australian Bureau of Statistics 1996. Information Paper: ASCO - Australian Standard Classification of Occupations. Cat. no. 1221.0. ABS, Canberra. Viewed 4 January 2005. Australian Bureau of Statistics 1997. Australian Standard Classification of Occupations, Second Edition and ASCO Coder. Cat. no. 1220.0.30.001. Canberra: ABS. Viewed 4 January 2005. Australian Bureau of Statistics 1998. Information Paper - Census of Population and Housing: Link Between First and Second Editions of Australian Standard Classification of Occupations (ASCO). Cat. no. 1232.0. Canberra: ABS. Viewed 4 January 2005, Australian Bureau of Statistics 1998. A Guide to Major ABS Classifications. Cat. no. 1291.0. Canberra: ABS. Viewed 4 January 2005. |
| Revision status: | Original 1997 - Standard |
Relational attributes | |
| Related metadata references: | Has been superseded by Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations, First edition, 2006 Community Services (retired), Superseded 01/10/2013 Health, Superseded 28/04/2016 |
| Value Domains based on this classification scheme: | Occupation code (ASCO 2nd edn) N[NNN]{-NN} Community Services (retired), Superseded 27/03/2007 Health, Superseded 04/07/2007 Housing assistance, Superseded 10/08/2007 Occupation code (ASCO 2nd edn) NN Housing assistance, Superseded 10/02/2006 |