Saudi Standard Classification of Occupations (SSCO)

Saudi Standard Classification of Occupations (SSCO) is the statistical system for compiling and collecting information about occupations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. it was issued by the General Authority for Statistics with the aim of organizing and streamlining the exchange of data about occupations in the Kingdom among various entities. It is internationally based on the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO-08) issued by the United Nations Economic and Social Council. It is an approved classification according to the Council of Ministers resolution, implemented within the internal systems of government agencies and ministries.

Information and data about occupations in the Kingdom have been collected and compiled through surveys, statistical censuses, and administrative records. Occupations have been classified in a five-level hierarchical structure: major group, sub-major group, minor groups, unit group, as well as occupation's code, title, and description.
The classification aims to provide a common understanding related to the occupational structures of the workforce. Therefore, job and occupation names were classified into hierarchical tabs and matrices based on adopted similarities.

The occupation classification is implemented locally. It is important because it standardizes occupation titles across both the public and private sectors and it identifies the most rapidly growing occupations. It arranges occupations into organized and categorized groups to simplify data collection and dissemination through it. It also unifies occupation descriptions, titles, and codes to improve the workplace and enhance the efficiency of government support for occupations.
The classification is used as key support for the automated linkage project between various entities to drive electronic governance and strengthen the usability and adoption of administrative records data, particularly in labor market statistics and other statistics, as well as to identify local occupations and compare them with regional and international ones.

There are several objectives that SSCO aims to achieve, mainly:

The classification of occupations in the Kingdom is divided into ten main groups, each of which includes forty-three sub-major groups. Each sub-major group is further divided into 130 minor groups, and each minor group is further subdivided into 432 unit groups. Through SSCO, these units are divided into five-level occupations.

The main groups in SSCO encompass a wide range of occupations, including armed forces occupations, managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, service and sales workers, skilled agricultural, forestry, and fishery workers, craft and related trades workers, plant and machine operators and assemblers, and elementary occupations.
Under the armed forces occupations category, there are commissioned armed forces officers, non-commissioned armed forces officers, and other ranks in the armed forces. Each sub-category is divided into secondary groups and units. The managers category includes chief executives, senior executives, and legislators, as well as administrative and commercial managers, commercial directors, production and specialized services managers, and hospitality, retail, and other services managers. The professionals category is also divided into science and engineering professionals, health professionals, teaching professionals, business and administration professionals, information and communications technology professionals, and legal, social, and cultural professionals. The technicians and associate professionals category includes science and engineering associate professionals, business and administration associate professionals, and legal, social, cultural, and related associate professionals. The clerical support workers category includes general and keyboard clerks, customer services clerks, numerical and material recording clerks, and other clerical support workers. The service and sales workers category is divided into personal service workers, sales workers, personal care workers, and protective services workers. The skilled agricultural, forestry, and fishery workers category is divided into market-oriented skilled agricultural workers, market-oriented skilled forestry, fishery, and hunting workers, as well as subsistence farmers, fishers, hunters, and gatherers. The craft and related trades workers category is divided into building and related trades workers, excluding electricians, metal, machinery, and related trades workers, handicraft and printing workers, electrical and electronic trades workers, and food processing, woodworking, garment, and other craft and related trades workers. The plant and machine operators and assemblers category is divided into stationary plant and machine operators, assemblers, and drivers and mobile plant operators. Elementary occupations encompass cleaners and helpers, agricultural, forestry, and fishery laborers, laborers in mining, construction, manufacturing, and transport, food preparation assistants, street and related sales and service workers, and refuse workers and other elementary workers.

The importance of having a scientific and methodical system for classifying occupations in the Kingdom is connected to a set of objectives, mainly: an easy, accurate, and highly detailed collection of statistical data and information about the status of occupations in the labor market, as well as understanding the alignment of the labor market with available occupations and identifying gaps.
The importance of providing a methodical system is also evident in providing a common language for all human resources departments in both government and private sectors, across all economic sectors in the Kingdom, working with qualified occupational authorities, and developing plans to bridge the supply and demand gap in the local labor market.

The review process of SSCO depends on the methodology of following four skill levels and their definitions, which are represented in following the skill-based method for the classification of occupations, using the measures and the descriptions as in the international classification of occupations, and using and conforming the coding method as in the international classification.
Moreover, the four-tier hierarchy is adopted, where the highest tier sets the skill level for all subsequent hierarchical tiers. The nomenclature and the number of the classification hierarchical tiers are used as stated in the international classification.

ISCO adopts four skill levels, which are used to determine and organize occupational groups as follows:

Skill Level One: It involves occupations that require manual and physical tasks or the use of hand-held or electrical equipment. Completion of primary education or the first stage of basic education may be required to meet the required level of competence in certain occupations.
Skill Level Two: It involves occupations that require procedural tasks, such as operating machinery and vehicles, maintaining and repairing them, and storing and processing information. Intermediate education is required as a minimum for occupations at this skill level.
Skill Level Three: It involves occupations that involve complex technical and practical tasks requiring technical, experimental, and procedural knowledge in specific fields and specialties. In this case, a first university degree is required.
Skill Level Four: It involves occupations that demand tasks requiring complex decision-making, problem-solving, analytical thinking, and the application of theoretical knowledge in specialized fields. Competent performance at this level is attained as a result of studies at a higher education institution. It sometimes requires experience, knowledge, and on-the-job training.