Term	Occupation - 2001 Census
Synonym
Related Term
Source of Definition
Short Definition
Statistical Activity	Population Census

Definition

Variable name:	Occupation
Definition:	An occupation is defined as a set of jobs which involve the performance of a common set of tasks. A job is a set of tasks performed or designed to be performed by one individual. Two jobs are similar if they require the performance of a similar set of tasks or to fulfil the technical requirements of an occupation. Skill is defined as the ability of an individual to perform a set of tasks or to fulfil the technical requirements of an occupation.
Questionnaire:	Individual form question 30
Subject population:	Employed, Census Usually Resident Population Count aged 15 years and over.
Non-response:	In 1996, there were around 80,800 who did not state their occupation, while in 2001 this dropped to around 60,561.
Quality level:	Occupation is a supplementary variable.
Comparability with previous census data:	NZSCO 1999 was the classification used this time. NZSCO 1995 was used in 1996. A concordance between the two classifications is available.
Things to be aware of:	There are some cases where people have been coded to an occupation where in fact they are not really meant to be in the labour force, because occupation is coded independently of work and labour force or employment status. Users need to be aware of the difference in the estimation of sample surveys (eg Household Labour Force Survey) compared to the Census, which can show quite big variations. Care should be taken when using this variable particularly if relating it to other Labour Market variables (ie Status in Employment, Work and Labour Force Status, Hours worked, or Total Income) due to the different time frames (census day, last four weeks, previous week, previous year).
	If help is required with using this variable, email us on info@stats.govt.nz or phone 0508 525 525

Example