A common language for classifying and describing occupations: The development, structure, and application of the standard occupational classification

Abstract

Today's technology-driven global economy forces job seekers, employees, human resources professionals, and managers to work smarter and faster to take advantage of a changing labor market. A common language for describing job titles and task/competency-based occupational clusters will facilitate crucial information sharing critical to meeting today's HR challenges. The Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) captures the current occupational structure, and can be used by the public and private sectors to share information on all types of jobs. This article discusses the development and applications of the new SOC that will help job seekers, employees, human resources professionals, and management. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.