I. PURPOSE AND USES OF THE 2022 UPDATES TO THE 2012 PSOC
The 2012 PSOC is a detailed classification of the different occupational groups of the working population, including the military workforce in the country. It is patterned after the 2008 International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO-08) released by the International Labor Organization (ILO) but with modifications to suit the national situations and requirements.
In the absence of international revisions or amendments by the ILO on the ISCO, the PSA, through Statistical Classifications Division, updated the 2012 PSOC to capture new occupations brought about by new industries, developments in technology, equipment, and machinery, new production patterns, and new needs for economic analysis and decision-making. The 2022 Updates to the 2012 PSOC incorporated and highlighted new and emerging occupations and occupational groups formed since 2012.
The 2022 Updates to the 2012 PSOC will serve as a framework in the classification and aggregation of occupational information from statistical operations and activities such as censuses and surveys. As well as the basis for manpower and educational planning, program formulation, and policy decision-making.
II. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
The framework and concepts used in the 2022 Updates to the 2012 PSOC are the same with the ISCO-08 which are based on three important concepts:
- Job is defined as a set of tasks and duties performed, or meant to be performed, by one person, including for and employer or in self-employment;
- Occupation refers to the kind of work performed in a job, it is defined as a set of jobs whose main tasks and duties are characterized by a high degree of similarity; and
- Skill is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties of a given job.
Furthermore, there are two criteria used in classifying occupations in the PSOC:
- Skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. Skill level is measured operationally by considering one or more of:
- the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties defined for each skill level;
- the level of formal education required for component performance of the tasks and duties involved; and
- the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for component performance of these tasks and duties.
- Skill specialization is used in classifying occupations in PSOC Sub-Major Groups, Minor Groups, and Unit Groups. Skill specialization is considered in terms of the field of knowledge required, the tools and machinery used, the materials worked on or with, and the kinds of goods and services produced.
III. CLASSIFICATION STRUCTURE, LEVELS AND CODES
The classification structure consists of four levels, as follows:
10 major groups (1-digit code) - the highest level of occupation aggregate and represent broad fields of work;
43 sub-major groups (2-digit code) - represent the second level of aggregation;
130 minor groups (3-digit code) - represent the third level of occupation aggregate; and
456 unit groups (4-digit code) - represent the fourth level of occupational groupings.
All levels of occupation aggregate are completed by definitions given for each title. The definition of an occupation is given in the form of a short opening statement describing the general functions of the occupation followed by an enumeration of the main tasks performed while the codes serve as symbols not only to denote levels of occupational groupings, but also to give some indications of the nature of the occupations covered.
Major Group 1. Managers - workers in this group plan, direct, coordinate and evaluate the overall activities of enterprises, governments and other organizations, or of organizational units within them, and formulate and review their policies, laws, rules and regulations.
Major Group 2. Professionals - workers in this group increase the existing stock of knowledge, apply scientific or artistic concepts and theories, teach about the foregoing in a systematic manner, or engage in any combination of these activities.
Major Group 3. Technicians and associate professionals - workers in this group perform mostly technical and related tasks connected with research and the application of scientific or artistic concepts and operational methods, and government or business regulations.
Major Group 4. Clerical support workers - workers in this group record, organize, store, compute and retrieve information related, and perform a number of clerical duties in connection with money-handling operations, travel arrangements, requests for information, and appointments.
Major Group 5. Service and sales workers - workers in this group provide personal and protective services related to travel, housekeeping, catering, personal care, or protection against fire and unlawful acts, or demonstrate and sell goods in wholesale or retail shops and similar establishments, as well as at stalls and on markets.
Major Group 6. Skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers - workers in this group grow and harvest field or tree and shrub crops, gather wild fruits and plants, breed, tend or hunt animals, produce a variety of animal husbandry products, cultivate, conserve and exploit forests, breed or catch fish and cultivate or gather other forms of aquatic life in order to provide food, shelter and income for themselves and their households.
Major Group 7. Craft and related trades workers - workers in this group apply specific knowledge and skills to construct and maintain buildings, form metal, erect metal structures, set machine tools, or make, fit, maintain and repair machinery, equipment or tools, carry out printing work, produce or process foodstuffs, textiles, or wooden, metal and other articles, including handicraft goods.
Major Group 8. Plant and machine operators and assemblers - workers in this group operate and monitor industrial and agricultural machinery equipment on the spot or by remote control, drive and operate trains, motor vehicles and mobile machinery and equipment, or assemble products from component parts according to strict specifications and procedures.
Major Group 9. Elementary occupations - occupations in this group involve the performance of simple and routine tasks which may require the use of handheld tools and considerable physical effort.
Major Group 0. Armed forces occupations - this major group includes all jobs held by members of the armed forces. Members of the armed forces are those personnel who are currently serving in the armed forces, including auxiliary services, whether on a voluntary or compulsory basis, and who are not free to accept civilian employment and are subject to military discipline. Included are members of the army, navy, air force and other military services, as well as conscripts enrolled for military training or other service for a specified period.
IV. SUMMARY OF CHANGES IN THE 2022 UPDATES TO THE 2012 PSOC
A. New Unit Groups
B. Splitting of Unit Group
The Unit Group 2121 – Mathematician and Actuaries was split into 2121 – Mathematician and 2123 – Actuaries.
V. CODING SCHEME
The coding scheme of the 2022 Updates to the 2012 PSOC follows a four-digit structure with the first digit represents the major group, the first two digits denote the sub-major group, the first three digits represent the minor group, and the first four digits correspond to the unit group.
