Research Note: Updating National Occupation and Economic Activity Classifications in CIS Data
- The standard national classifications of occupation and economic activity: the CNO and the CNAE in the CIS
In the February 2013 Barometer (study E2978), and thereafter, the two standard national classifications affecting occupation and economic activity (economic sector) were updated. The CNO 2011 and CNAE 2009 were introduced into the CIS, respectively, for coding occupation and economic activity. Both CNO-11 and CNAE-09 are adaptations made by the INE for Spain of the international classifications established by the United Nations and the European Community (through Eurostat). CNO-11 is an adaptation of ISCO-08 (International Standard Classification of Occupations 2008) and CNAE-09 of NACE 2006 Rev. 2.
The previous update of these national classifications had been carried out by the CIS in 2006, when, in study E2634, the CNO-94 and CNAE-93 were introduced, adaptations for Spain, of ISCO-88 and NACE-90 Rev. 1. Before 2006 - and since 1992, when national classifications were introduced by the CIS - the CNO-79 and CNAE-74 were used for the coding of these variables.
- Occupation and status or social class variables of the CIS
Two social status variables are used in the CIS:
(1) the INE Socioeconomic Condition (CSE), which in the CIS appears under the name SITSOC and includes, in addition to the CSE categories - which only classifies the active population - the inactive population (students, housewives, etc.) and
(2) the SSE, a variable for Socioeconomic Status, created ad hoc for the CIS in 1995 and in force since then, which classifies the active population by socioeconomic status (whether this is the interviewee or, where appropriate, the person who contributes the most income to the household, from whom all information relating to occupation, employment status, economic activity, etc., necessary to construct the class or status variables, is also routinely collected).
The SSE consists of 10 categories, presented in five categories. The 10 original SSE categories are homogeneous groupings of occupations, coded according to the three-digit National Classification of Occupations (CNO). The homogenization of these occupational groups is the result of a sophisticated multivariate analysis that has taken into account many other variables related to the employment status, class position, and employment status of the population, including, but not limited to, education and income.
In addition to the impact that can be observed in the SSE categories due to the new occupational classification (CNO-11), the March 2013 Barometer (E2981) introduced some small changes affecting categories 8 and 10 of the SSE10 and especially categories 3 (Old middle classes) and 4 (Skilled workers) of the SSE5. These changes consisted of the following:
1. Category 10 of the SSE now includes codes 641-643 of CNO-11, which were previously included in category 8. With this modification, code 10 of SSE10 now includes not only agricultural workers, but also those engaged in fishing and hunting activities.
2. In SSE5, a slight decrease will be observed in category 3 (owners and self-employed workers) and a slight increase in category 4 (skilled workers). This change reflects the correct attribution of workers in category 10 of SSE10 to category 3 of SSE5 when they are self-employed, and to category 4 (skilled workers) when they are salaried employees. The CNO-11 codes affected by this change are: 611, 612, 620, 630, 641-643, 832 (agricultural, fishing, or hunting activities).
SSE10
1 'Traditional professionals'
2 'Senior managers and large business owners'
3 'Subordinate technicians and professionals'
4 'Administrators'
5 'Workers in administrative routines and services'
6 'Skilled workers, craftsmen and foremen'
7 'Small businesses and self-employed blue-collar workers'
8 'Operators and other semi-skilled workers'
9 'Laborers and other unskilled workers (excluding agriculture)'
10 'Farmers and field workers'
998 'Unclassifiable'
999 'NC'.
SSE5
1 'Upper/upper-middle class' (categories 1, 2 and 3 of the SSE10)
2 'New middle classes' (cat. 4 and 5)
3 'Old Middle Classes' (cat. 7 and part of 10)
4 'Skilled workers' (categories 6 and 8)
5 'Unskilled workers' (category 9 and part of 10)
9 'Not recorded'.
