The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and Statistics New Zealand have announced that while they will continue to maintain comparability, each country will now introduce their own tailored occupational classifications. This move marks a shift from the joint Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) established in 2006.
What’s Changing?
Australia will introduce the new Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA), 2024, with the first version being released on 6 December 2024.
New Zealand will implement its tailored list starting 20 November 2024, designed to better reflect its modern labour market.
A Unified Approach with Individual Focus Australian Statistician Dr. David Gruen and New Zealand Government Statistician Mr. Mark Sowden have emphasised the importance of maintaining Trans-Tasman and international comparability while also adapting to each country’s evolving labour markets.
What This Means:
For Australia: The new classification will be tailored to the needs of the Australian labour market, ensuring that local changes are accurately represented while still supporting Trans-Tasman data comparisons.
For New Zealand: The new list will reflect the country’s unique labour market dynamics while maintaining crucial comparability with Australia.
The agencies will develop concordances to map between classifications, ensuring data continuity and consistent time-series analysis across both countries.
For more details, check out: https://www.abs.gov.au/about/consultation-and-conferences/updating-anzsco/about-osca