A new Standard Occupational Classification

On 25th June 2010 the Office for National Statistics published as three volumes the 2010 Standard Occupational Classification. This publication marks the culmination of a three year project undertaken by Peter Elias and Margaret Birch at the Institute for Employment Research (IER).

The IER has a long history of development work in this area, starting with work in the 1980s to produce the 1990 Standard Occupational Classification and its introduction across all UK national statistical sources. In the late 1990s this classification was revised, again with IER expertise, to create the 2000 version. The latest version is the second revision.

An article has been published in the Economic and Labour Market Review, detailing the revision process and highlighting the major changes from the 2000 version.

The new classification will be used for the 2011 Census of Population. The IER has also revised and updated software for coding text to this classification (see CASCOT).

Contact details

peter dot elias at warwick dot ac dot uk

m dot e dot birch at warwick dot ac dot uk