New occupation classifications The Australian Bureau of Statistics and Statistics New Zealand have announced that while maintaining comparability, each country will introduce their own tailored occupational statistical classifications. The Statistics New Zealand classification, the National Occupation List (NOL), has been released on their website. For Australia, the new classification will be called the Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA), 2024, version 1.0 and will be released on Friday 6 December 2024. Background – from ANZSCO to OSCA The Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) has been jointly managed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and Stats NZ Tatauranga Aotearoa (Stats NZ) since it was first published in 2006. Careful consideration has been given to the shared custodianship of the classification between Australia and New Zealand. It has been agreed by the ABS and Stats NZ that while maintaining comparability, each country will introduce their own tailored occupational statistical classifications. This will allow each agency to maintain separate but aligned classifications, with localised adaptations to better reflect the contemporary labour market and meet stakeholder needs. The ABS and Stats NZ will continue to work closely together through our commitment to providing high quality insights and data to inform important decisions in our respective countries. We will continue to foster our collaborative and cooperative relationship to ensure our international occupation data standards are aligned. Comprehensive review and update of ANZSCO In 2022, the Australian Government announced $23.7 million funding over four years for the ABS to undertake a comprehensive update of ANZSCO and commence an ongoing maintenance program in 2025. This comprehensive review follows two targeted reviews of ANZSCO in 2021 and 2022 which resulted in Australian updates to the classification. Occupation changes during the comprehensive review have been considered in respect of the Australian labour market only. Drivers for change The decision by both Government Statisticians was made following discussions over several years noting the following: The difference between Australia’s and New Zealand’s labour markets is greater than when a joint classification began in 2006. Where this is most visible is when ANZSCO was first published in 2006, all ANZSCO occupations had a common skill level between Australia and New Zealand. Now, 56 of the current 1,076 occupations in ANZSCO have a different skill level in Australia and New Zealand. Stats NZ has been unable to participate in the targeted 2021 and 2022 Australian updates, and the comprehensive review of the classification undertaken by the ABS over the past four years. As a result, the updated classification to be released on 6 December 2024 will reflect the contemporary Australian labour market and not the New Zealand labour market. ABS and Stats NZ have identified different solutions to meet stakeholder demand. Impacts of no longer having a joint occupation classification No longer having a joint occupation classification will have impacts on the understanding and use of OSCA compared to ANZSCO. The classification will have a new name. The name of the (Australian managed) classification will be Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA). All New Zealand specific occupations will no longer have visibility as Australia does not have jurisdiction. There are seven New Zealand specific occupations in ANZSCO 2022. Occupations prominent in New Zealand only, will be aggregated according to skill level and main tasks. All references to New Zealand will be removed from: a. Occupation names b. Lead statements c. Alternative titles and specialisations 5. Te Reo Māori terminology will be removed. 6. References to the New Zealand Qualifications Framework and the New Zealand labour market more generally will no longer be present. 7. Skill level will be determined solely with reference to the Australian labour market. ANZSCO 2022 considered the skill level in Australia and New Zealand, and noted instances where these were different. Availability of ANZSCO versions will remain, along with comparability ANZSCO will continue to be available on the ABS website. Concordances between new occupation classifications and ANZSCO v1.3 will support labour market comparisons between the two countries. Impacts on other joint classifications The future of comparable, but tailored industry classifications for each country (ie. Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC)) is currently being considered. Current arrangements for two other classifications which are jointly owned remain unchanged.  Australian and New Zealand Standard Offence Classification (ANZSOC)  Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC) OSCA Maintenance Phase 2025 The ABS is committed to regular updates of OSCA and is developing a plan for ongoing feedback. We will continue to engage and consult on the classification during 2025.