ANZSCO comprehensive review - consultation round 4

From 25 July to 6 September 2024, the ABS conducted a fourth and final round of public consultation for the Comprehensive review of the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO). For this round of consultation, the ABS sought views on the proposed structure of the classification, any implementation concerns and feedback on the web page layout of the draft classification.

This fourth round of consultation was an opportunity for users of the classification to provide feedback for a final time before the classification update is finalised in December 2024.

Organisations and individuals were invited to provide both positive and negative feedback on the draft classification which is based on the proposed changes from the previous three rounds of consultation.

The ABS received over 200 feedback responses from all levels of government, businesses, Jobs & Skills Councils, industry bodies/associations, unions, academics and individuals.

To inform the final updates to the classification structure, its implementation and any other proposed changes, collaborative workshops were organised with a wide range of stakeholders eager to participate and contribute their expertise.

Stakeholders provided both positive and negative feedback on:

• changes already made to occupations following the first three rounds of consultation
• groupings of occupations within the classification structure, and
• changes made to the layout of the classification.

While most changes made to ANZSCO during the review were welcomed by stakeholders, consultation also highlighted areas for refinement, additional emerging occupations and concerns regarding implementation of the new classification.

After four rounds of consultation during 2023 and 2024 and receiving over 800 submissions, the consultation phase of the comprehensive review of the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) has concluded. The ABS is now reviewing the feedback received on the draft classification before finalising the updated classification.

Next Steps

The classification update will be released on the ABS website in December 2024.

The updated classification will be reflected in labour market statistics from August 2026 and in the 2026 Census data. This will improve visibility of new and emerging occupations.

We are also working on a plan for more frequent updates of the classification, and a way for users to provide input to these updates.

We extend our thanks and appreciation to all stakeholders who have provided contributions and expressed their views in the comprehensive review and update of the classification.