Field entry, published 2026-11-03T00:00:00.000Z, updated 2026-11-03T00:00:00.000Z. Group: National variants, labelled as variants

How should a reader label a national variant in a report?

Label a national variant in a report by putting its own system name, its version where known, its level and its source beside the figure at first use, and by keeping that label attached through tables, charts and later quotations. A label that appears only in a distant appendix has already failed, because most readers will meet the figure long before they meet the appendix. The rule is practical: if the label would be lost by copying the table alone, the label is not yet in the right place.

ISCO-08 itself should be labelled in the same disciplined way, as ISCO-08, published by the International Labour Organization, with its hierarchy of 10 major groups, 43 sub-major groups, 130 minor groups and 436 unit groups where level matters. Keeping both labels strong is what keeps the two systems apart.

What belongs in a first use label?

A first use label needs, at minimum, the system name in full, not an abbreviation alone. Abbreviations such as SOC, NOC, ANZSCO and KldB are useful after the full name has been given, but a first use label that gives only an abbreviation leaves a reader who does not know the abbreviation to guess. It also needs the country or countries the system serves, the version consulted, the level used, and the source or survey behind the figure.

Where a version is not known, say so plainly rather than omitting the item. A note that version was not stated in the source is more honest than a label that implies a version was checked. Where a figure has been mapped, the label needs one more item, the correspondence used and its version, plus the ISCO-08 level of the mapped result. That extra item is what turns a national figure into a comparable figure, and without it the comparison cannot be repeated.

How do you write a label that survives copying?

Write the label into the table title or the first row of notes, into the chart title or subtitle, and into the caption for any figure that will be shared alone. A label template, using placeholders rather than real codes, can look like this in prose: underlying data coded in [full national system name], [version], at [level], from [source and date]; mapped to ISCO-08 using [correspondence and version] for comparison at [ISCO-08 level]. Fill each placeholder from the actual source, and leave a placeholder visible as not stated if the source does not give it, rather than deleting it silently.

What does a labelling checklist look like?

Use a short checklist before a report is shared, and check each figure against it rather than trusting memory.

• Does the table or chart name the system that produced the original code, in full at first use?
• Does it name the country or countries, the version and the level?
• If the figure was mapped, does it name the correspondence, its version and the ISCO-08 level?
• If the figure was not mapped, does it avoid an ISCO-08 heading entirely?
• Does the label survive if the table or chart is copied without the surrounding chapter?
• Are unmapped, residual or split groups mentioned, with their size, rather than absorbed silently?
• Does the source list point to the national publishing body for the variant and to the ILO for ISCO-08?

A report that passes that checklist may still contain a mapping judgement a reader disagrees with, but the disagreement can be located, discussed and corrected. A report that fails the checklist cannot even be checked, because its figures have no stated system to check against.

How should mixed tables be labelled?

Mixed tables, where some columns are national and some are mapped, need column level labels, not just a general note. A general note that says some figures were mapped leaves the reader to guess which ones. A column heading that carries the system name, or a row of system labels directly under the column headings, removes the guesswork. Where space is tight, use a short system name in the heading and give the full name, version and correspondence in the note directly below the table.

Totals in mixed tables need a label of their own. A total that adds mapped and unmapped figures together is not a pure ISCO-08 total and not a pure national total. It should be labelled as a combined total with its composition stated, or it should not be presented as a single total at all. That restraint feels inconvenient in a summary table, but it prevents a later reader from treating a mixed total as a clean international figure.

What is the closing habit to adopt?

Adopt the habit of labelling before writing the sentence that interprets the figure. Write the system name first, then the figure, then the interpretation, so that interpretation never outruns provenance. A sentence that begins with the system and version forces the writer to check provenance before claiming a trend, a ranking or a policy implication, and it forces the reader to see provenance before accepting the claim.

Over a whole report, that habit builds trust, because a correction can then point to the exact label and method that need changing. A report without labels has no such anchor.

Sources checked

1. ILO, ISCO-08

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