The data for this variable are reported using the following classification(s) and/or list(s):
- National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2011
- National Occupational Classification for Statistics (NOC-S) 2006
- Variant for analysis by NOC skill level
- Variant of NOC for highly aggregated data
‘Occupation’ refers to the kind of work performed in a job, a job being all the tasks carried out by a particular worker to complete his or her duties. An occupation is a set of jobs that are sufficiently similar in work performed.
Kind of work is described in terms of tasks, duties and responsibilities, often including factors such as materials processed or used, the industrial processes used, the equipment used, and the products or services provided. Occupations are generally homogeneous with respect to skill type and skill level.
Occupation applies to the contribution of labour to that part of economic activity that is within the production boundary defined for the System of National Accounts.
Note: Though "occupation" applies to jobs, a person can be assigned an occupation classification based on the occupation of a job that he or she currently performs or that he or she performed in the past. Occupation can apply to a person's main job or other jobs. However, for occupation to be collected through a survey, a person must be associated with a job.
‘Experienced labour force person’ refers to those who were employed during a long reference period such as a year or more.
Note: In the 2011 National Household Survey (NHS), 'experienced labour force' refers to those who, during the week of Sunday, May 1 to Saturday, May 7, 2011, were employed and the unemployed who had last worked for pay or in self-employment in either 2010 or 2011.