A job in any given establishment is a set of tasks designed to be performed by one individual in return for a wage or salary. For persons with more than one job, the main job is the one in which the person works the most hours.

Caution is advised in its use with regard to service providers as their activity as a service provider may not be their main occupation.

This metadata item should only be collected from people whose Labour force status is employed.

Occupation is too complex and diverse an issue to fit neatly into any useable small group of categories. Therefore ABS recommend that this metadata item be collected by using the following two open-ended questions:

Q1. In the main job held last week (or other recent reference period), what was your/the person's occupation?

Q2. What are the main tasks that you/the person usually perform in that occupation? The information gained from these two questions can then be used to select an appropriate code from the ANZSCO at any of the available levels (see Guide for use section).

If only one question is asked, question one should be used. The use of question one only, however, sometimes elicits responses which do not provide a clear occupation title and specification of tasks performed. As a result accurate coding at unit group or occupation level may not be possible.

While agencies are encouraged to use the recommended question described above, it is acknowledged that this is not always possible in practice. For example, where the data collection is a by-product of the provision of a health or community service, the information may be ascertained using different means. However, due to the complexities of the metadata item 'Main occupation of person', this will result in inaccurate information. The recommended question should be used wherever possible.

This metadata item may be useful in gaining an understanding of a client's situation and needs. For example, the occupation of a person with a disability may be directly relevant to the type of aids that they require.

National Health Data Dictionary (NHDD) specific:

Injury surveillance - There is considerable user demand for data on occupation-related injury and illness, including from WorkSafe Australia and from industry, where unnecessary production costs are known in some areas and suspected to be related to others in work-related illness, injury and disability.