The Australian Skills Classification (the Classification) sets out the key core competencies, specialist tasks and technology tools required for occupations in Australia.

The Classification offers a common language of skills, enabling stakeholders to identify and articulate skills using a comprehensive and universal taxonomy.

Core competencies are common to all jobs. Currently there are different terms for core competencies, including employability skills, foundational skills and transferable skills.

Our Classification identifies  ten core competencies common to every occupation in Australia. These core competencies align to the definitions of foundation skills typically used in the Australian VET system, specifically the Employability Skills Framework, developed by the Australian Skills Quality Authority, with minor differences recommended by education system experts.

NEC is an acronym for “Not elsewhere classified”. NEC occupation groups are groupings of small occupations that are not captured in another part of ANZSCO. They share a similar skill level, and sometimes a similar skill set.

For example, the NEC occupation group 139999 Specialist Managers NEC contains 7 occupations – Airport Manager, Ambassador, Ambulance Services Manager, Archbishop, Bishop, Harbour Master and Security Manager (Non-ICT).

Skills data for NEC occupations is not as comprehensive as for other profiles. It includes specialist tasks and technology tools, but not core competencies or the time that is generally spent by the occupation on each specialist task.

Specialisations are commonly used titles which refer to a subset of jobs belonging to an ANZSCO 6-digit occupation.

These jobs involve the performance of more specific tasks rather than the broader range of tasks usually performed in the occupation. As the Classification is industry-agnostic, specialisations help us bring in important contextualising information that reflect the specific contexts in which some work is undertaken – and help stakeholders across sectors see their occupations and skills better reflected in the Classification.

There are more than 1,400 specialisations in ANZSCO, and as we continue to expand the Classification, we will prioritise specialisations that add critical value and context to the Classification and that impact the tools and programs supported by our data.

Specialisation profiles contain more limited data than other profiles. They do not re-list the ANZSCO 6-digit occupation’s specialist tasks or technology tools although some or all of them may be applicable. Additionally, these occupations do not include core competencies or capture time spent for specialist tasks.

Trending skills are defined as skills that have grown in demand over the past five years (2016 to 2021) in a particular occupation. They are not necessarily new skills, but skills that are increasing in demand as a proportion in all jobs advertised for that occupation over a five-year period.

Emerging skills are trending skills that are also new to particular occupations. These are distinct from other trending skills in that they have recently emerged in some occupations where they were not previously identified in job advertisements for that occupation within the last five years.

We encourage stakeholders to explore the Classification and see how it can add value to their operations – however, some potential use cases are also outlined below.

Individuals

The Classification can improve job matching by systematically linking the skills required in one occupation to another. This can help workers identify common and transferable skills, skills gaps and training opportunities.

Employers and Industry

Widespread adoption of this skills framework can help employers in multiple sectors better understand and articulate job requirements, undertake workforce planning and training, access skilled workers, and offer working-age Australians opportunities for skills development, employment and career advancement.

Policy, research and education

The Classification also provides a more detailed framework to identify critical skills and potential labour market skills gaps. Combined with other information, this resource can help stakeholders including training sectors, industry and governments to research and develop new training options.

The National Skills Commission developed the Classification system using a mix of machine learning and human judgement and drew on different data sources including O*Net and the Australian Employability Skills Framework. The employer surveys, education and training course documentation and Australian job advertisement data from Burning Glass Technologies were used for validation and refinement purposes.

Information on the methodology is outlined in Part 3 of the Australian Skills Classification BETA release discussion paper.

As part of the development of the Classification, the National Skills Commission undertook various validation exercises to ensure the accuracy Classification prior to a public release.

This included independent market testing and technical validation exercises outlined in Part 3 of the Australian Skills Classification BETA release discussion paper.

The National Skills Commission is committed to continuous improvement of the Classification based on stakeholder feedback and backed by a data-driven approach.

The National Skills Commission has released the beta version of its Classification in an interactive online interface on its website at https://www.nationalskillscommission.gov.au.

To encourage take up of this new resource, CSV files of the complete Classification are also available for download.

The National Skills Commission supports and encourages the dissemination and exchange of information provided in the Classification.

Use of, including to copy, redistribute, remix, transform, or build upon, all or any part of the ASC must include one of the following attributions:

Minimum requirement:

Australian Skills Classification, National Skills Commission, Commonwealth of Australia. Used under Creative Commons BY 4.0 licence.

However, we would prefer that you use one of the following two options:

If you use all or part of the Australian Skills Classification verbatim:

This [document/website/app] includes content of the Australian Skills Classification by the National Skills Commission, Commonwealth of Australia. Used under CC BY 4.0 licence.

If you make edits or additions to the Australian Skills Classification:

This [document/website/app] includes content derived from the Australian Skills Classification by the National Skills Commission, Commonwealth of Australia. Used under CC BY 4.0 licence.

[Your name or company] has modified all or some of this content, and the National Skills Commission has not approved, endorsed or tested the modified content.

The Classification currently contains over 1000 skills profiles covering ANZSCO 4-digit unit groups and 6-digit occupations, as well as NEC occupations and specialisations.

It does not include some emerging occupations which are not yet reflected in ANZSCO or traditional labour market information.

The National Skills Commission will continuously expand and amend the Classification using stakeholder feedback and a data driven methodology. Part of this continuous improvement will be expanding these emerging occupations.

Our occupation titles also align with those in ANZSCO, so it is also possible that the occupation you are searching for is known by an alternative ‘official’ title. Our interface search functionality allows for the entry of common alternative job titles and will match these to the corresponding ANZSCO occupation.

If your occupation is not currently included, we welcome your feedback. Please access the feedback form on the National Skills Commission website or email us at skillsclassification@skillscommission.gov.au.

The Classification draws on a range of data sources and includes over 1000 skills profiles. Because it is regularly updated, the Classification will assist in picking up new and emerging skills and jobs more readily, compared to occupational frameworks or training packages with slower update cycles.

The breadth of the Classification also means it offers a common language of skills, enabling stakeholders to identify and articulate skills using a comprehensive and universal taxonomy.

The Classification identifies key skills attached to an occupation. This is to highlight common and transferable skills across occupations.

While organisational or sector-specific taxonomies often include granular-level profiles, fine-detail in an economy-wide classification emphasises the differences between occupations. Instead, the purpose of the Classification is to reveal the relationships – and potential transferability – of specialist tasks across occupations.

Please visit the National Skills Commission website to access the feedback form.

The Classification is a living dataset that will continue to change as jobs in the Australian labour market grow and evolve.

While we will continue to expand and improve the Classification, including by working closely with stakeholders, the removal of the BETA status signals that for the most part we have confirmed the Classification’s structure and approach.