ISCO1988

The International Standard Classification of Occupations 1988 (ISCO‑88) is an international statistical framework developed and maintained by the International Labour Organization (ILO). It provides a systematic way of classifying jobs and occupations for use in national labour statistics, employment surveys, and research on workforce trends. ISCO‑88 was adopted in 1988 as a revision of the earlier 1968 edition, reflecting changes in labour markets and the growing importance of technical and managerial occupations.

The classification scheme is based on a hierarchical structure consisting of four levels. The first level groups occupations into broad occupational groups according to skill level and type of activity. The second level subdivides these into specific major groups, while the third and fourth levels provide increasingly detailed sub‑groups. Titles and key duties are described in a standard language and codes are assigned that are compatible with national classification systems. This coding system facilitates cross‑national comparison of employment data and supports policy analysis on issues such as wage inequality, skill development, and labour market mobility.

Following its introduction, ISCO‑88 influenced national classification systems such as the U.S. Standard Occupation Classification (SOC) and the U.K.’s Standard Occupational Classification (SOC). It has been updated by a 2008 revision (ISCO‑2008) to account for emerging occupations, globalisation of work, and changes in the knowledge economy. Although widely used, critics argue that the hierarchical structure may not capture nuances of hybrid or emerging occupations and may be slow to incorporate rapid technological shifts. Nonetheless, ISCO‑88 and its successors remain foundational tools for international labour statistics, enabling consistent and comparable occupational data across countries.