Mapping Occupations Across Borders
TL;DR: A "Software Developer" has five different codes in five countries: SOC 15-1252 (US), ESCO 2511.2 (EU), ISCO-08 2512 (global), ANZSCO 261312 (Australia), NOC 21232 (Canada). WorldOfTaxonomy connects 9 occupation systems with crosswalk edges so you can translate, compare, and analyze jobs across borders.
The major occupation systems
graph TD
ISCO["ISCO-08\n619 codes\n(global hub)"]
SOC["SOC 2018\n1,447 codes"] --> ISCO
ANZSCO["ANZSCO 2022\n1,590 codes"] --> ISCO
NOC["NOC 2021\n51 groups"] --> ISCO
ESCO["ESCO\n3,045 occupations\n+ 14,247 skills"] --> ISCO
UKSOC["UK SOC 2020\n43 groups"] --> ISCO
KLDB["KldB 2010\n54 groups"] --> ISCO
ROME["ROME v4\n93 groups"] --> ISCO
ONET["O*NET-SOC\n867 codes"] --> SOC
| System | Region | Codes | Granularity |
|---|---|---|---|
| SOC 2018 | United States | 1,447 | 6-digit (867 detailed occupations) |
| ISCO-08 | Global (ILO) | 619 | 4-digit (unit groups) |
| ESCO | Europe (EU Commission) | 3,045 + 14,247 skills | Highly granular with skill mappings |
| O*NET-SOC | United States (DOL) | 867 | SOC-based with detailed work profiles |
| ANZSCO 2022 | Australia/NZ | 1,590 | 6-digit with unit groups |
| NOC 2021 | Canada | 51 broad groups | 5-digit TEER-based structure |
| KldB 2010 | Germany | 54 groups | 5-digit with competence levels |
| ROME v4 | France | 93 groups | Job/skill domain structure |
| UK SOC 2020 | United Kingdom | 43 groups | 4-digit with sub-major groups |
Where the differences bite
graph LR
subgraph SOC_VIEW["SOC 2018 (US)"]
S1["15-1251\nComputer Programmers"]
S2["15-1252\nSoftware Developers"]
S3["15-1253\nSoftware QA Analysts"]
end
subgraph ISCO_VIEW["ISCO-08 (Global)"]
I1["2512\nSoftware Developers"]
end
S1 -->|many:1| I1
S2 -->|many:1| I1
S3 -->|many:1| I1
| Challenge | Example |
|---|---|
| Granularity mismatch | SOC has 1,447 codes; ISCO has 619. Multiple SOC codes collapse into one ISCO unit group. |
| Conceptual differences | Canada's NOC uses TEER (Training, Education, Experience, Responsibilities). Germany's KldB embeds competence levels in the code. Neither exists in SOC or ISCO. |
| Skill vs. occupation | ESCO maps 14,247 skills to occupations. No other system does this at scale. |
Translate a US job code internationally
curl "https://wot.aixcelerator.ai/api/v1/systems/soc_2018/nodes/15-1252/translations"
Returns ISCO-08, ESCO, O*NET-SOC, and other equivalent codes with match types.
Search across all systems
curl "https://wot.aixcelerator.ai/api/v1/search?q=software+developer&grouped=true"
Returns matching codes from SOC, ISCO, ESCO, ANZSCO, NOC, KldB, ROME, and UK SOC in a single response.
Find gaps between systems
curl "https://wot.aixcelerator.ai/api/v1/diff?a=soc_2018&b=isco_08"
Returns SOC codes with no ISCO equivalent - the gap analysis needed for international expansion.
Practical use cases
| Use Case | Who | Systems Involved |
|---|---|---|
| Global job posting | HR platforms | SOC, ESCO, ANZSCO for regulatory tagging |
| Labor market analytics | Economists | SOC-to-ISCO, ANZSCO-to-ISCO crosswalks |
| Skills gap analysis | Workforce planners | SOC -> ESCO -> 14,247 skills |
| Immigration processing | HR, attorneys | H-1B uses SOC; EU Blue Card uses ISCO |
| Cross-border recruiting | Agencies | Translate job requirements across systems |
The ISCO hub
Like ISIC for industry codes, ISCO-08 serves as the hub for occupation crosswalks. Most national systems have an official or semi-official concordance to ISCO.
Translation between national systems routes through ISCO:
graph LR
SOC2["SOC (US)"] --> ISCO2["ISCO-08"] --> ANZSCO2["ANZSCO (AU/NZ)"]
SOC2 --> ISCO2 --> NOC2["NOC (Canada)"]
SOC2 --> ISCO2 --> ESCO2["ESCO (EU)"]
SOC2 --> ISCO2 --> UKSOC2["UK SOC"]
O*NET dimensions
O*NET goes beyond occupation titles. WorldOfTaxonomy includes each dimension as a separate system:
| O*NET System | What It Captures |
|---|---|
| Knowledge Areas | What knowledge the job requires |
| Abilities | Cognitive, psychomotor, physical, sensory |
| Work Activities | Generalized and detailed work activities |
| Work Context | Environmental and interpersonal conditions |
| Interests (RIASEC) | Holland occupational interest profiles |
| Work Values | Conditions that foster job satisfaction |
| Work Styles | Personal characteristics for performance |
Each dimension has crosswalk edges to O*NET-SOC codes. Search for occupations by required ability, work context, or interest profile - not just by title.