1. Workshop on the data collection of occupational data 28 November 2008
Assessing the quality of the Italian classification of occupations
Francesca Gallo
Istat

2. The six dimesions of quality in the Eurostat framework
comparability;
relevance;
accuracy;
timeliness and punctuality;
accessibility and clarity;
coherence.

3. Aim of the presentation
How to transpose and adapt Eurostat definition of quality which was developed for a statistic to the sphere of a classification
Results of our assessment as far as the classification of occupations is concerned
Actions and instruments we have set up in order to better meet quality criteria

4. Comparability
Statistic: “…extent to which differences between statistics are attributed to differences between the true values of the statistical characteristic”
Classification: differences between statistics collected in different countries or at different times should not be addressed to the classification tool

5. The Italian classification of occupation stems from Isco criteria
Comparability
The Italian classification of occupation stems from Isco criteria
the 4th digit of the 2001 Italian classification of occupations can be univocally attributed to one and only one Isco88 3rd digit
Attempt to push over to the 4th digit the mapping between the Italian classification and the new Isco08

6. Relevance
Statistics: “… degree to which statistics meet current and potential users’ needs”
Classifications: … degree to which classifications meet current and potential users’ needs

7. Relevance Nomenclature of the occupational units (2006)
The need to better satisfy users’ needs (labour market researchers, policy makers) led Istat to improve the 2001 National classification of occupation
Nomenclature of the occupational units (2006)
adds a further digit (the 5th) to the 2001 classification, i.e. splitting the digit codes into digit codes;
gives a general description of the tasks and duties of the 5-digits involved in the classification.

8. Accessibility and clarity
Software ‘The Nomenclature explorer’
Web version
Pc version
for the LFS interviewers

9. Accessibility and clarity
Occupations quick search
Download version

10. Accessibility and clarity
Look-up the
5-digit structure

11. Accessibility and clarity
Occupations descriptions

12. Accessibility and clarity
Isco 88
code

13. Coherence
Statistics: “…. statistics originating from different sources convey coherent messages”
Classification: …criteria inspiring the classification structure are in accordance with data on occupations coming out from statistical sources

14. Coherence
Do Isco criteria (skill criteria) comply with the characteristics of the Italian occupations stemming from statistical surveys?

15. What are the leading characteristics of the occupations performed in
Coherence
What are the leading characteristics
of the occupations performed in
the Italian labour market?
Do they comply with Isco criteria?

16. Coherence
Results of Istat survey on occupations (2007) allow us an assessment of Isco criteria
The object of the survey was :
to describe 805 occupational units (the 5th digit of the classification of occupation)
A sample of workers of a given occupational unit
was asked to assess the importance and level of a given set (250 descriptors) of skills, knowledges, abilities, generalised work activities needed to perform their current job

17. Importance of some skill descriptors for 3 occupational units
(0=not important, 100= extremely important)

18. Coherence
The observed skills. Is it consistent with the classification criteria? P R O D U C T I N V E S
Manual activities versus Intellectual activities
PLANT AND MACHINE OPERATORS
Installation
Repairing
Monitoring machines
CRAFT, TRADES AND
AGRICULTURAL SKILLED WORKERS
Complex problem solving
Time management
Critical Thinking
TECHNICIANS
PROFESSIONALS
LEGISLATORS, SENIOR OFFICIALS AND MANAGERS
SERVICE AND SALES WORKERS
ELEMENTARY OCCUPATIONS
Equipment maintenance
Monitoring machines
Controlling equipments
Service orientation
Social Perceptiveness
Adaptability
CLERKS

19. Accuracy
Statistics: “… the closeness of estimates to the exact or true values”
Classification: the closeness of the codes attributed to a given occupation by different interviewers to the exact code

20. Accuracy Codes attributed by: True code Interviewer_1 Interviewer_2
…………
– Statistician
Interviewer_n

21. This helped us to realize the need:
Accuracy
Monitoring action to estimate the ‘wrong-code’ percentage in the Labour Force Survey
concentration in some specific areas of the classification
This helped us to realize the need:
to equip the interviewers with the new ‘Nomenclature explorer’;
to remove those occupational titles that biased the coding activities;
to add more details to the definitions of those specific occupations affected by a higher error concentration;
to plan specific training sessions for the interviewers.

22. Thank you!