Standard Occupational Classification 2020 (SOC2020) revision consultation

Overview

SOC is a coding framework used to classify people’s occupations within the UK. It assigns all jobs a four-digit code, which is based on the skills and qualifications needed for the job.  

It is used by the ONS in the UK census and in the production of labour market statistics, as well as being used by other government agencies for their own purposes. For example, UK Visas and Immigration use SOC to grant Skilled Worker visas according to occupational shortages within the UK.  

Due to the continual evolution of occupations, we need to ensure that SOC is reflective of any significant changes which have occurred due to: 

• technological developments
• innovation and new products
• the use of new materials
• improved methods of production or delivery of services

Please note that to ensure the correct changes are made, there will be an evidence-based assessment on proposed changes to ensure occupation groups affected are sufficiently populated to be statistically viable at low output levels.  

We are asking users and interested parties of SOC which areas of SOC2020 should be reviewed and updated, and why. We are responsible for maintaining and updating SOC, which was introduced in 1990, and is revised every 10 years. 

Details

We are proposing to revise the SOC2020 to ensure that it can facilitate comparison and statistical analysis across different surveys, datasets and areas over time.

An advantage of revising SOC2020 includes having codes that better represent today’s labour market and allows sufficient granularity for analysis of different occupational groups.

A disadvantage of revising SOC2020 is that changing the framework makes comparison over time more difficult. When the framework changes, we will need to understand how SOC2020 aligns with SOC2030 before users can analyse trends over time.

The types of changes we will look to make to SOC2020 are: 

• creating new unit groups where the number of job titles have significantly grown and now require their own group
• combining unit groups where numbers have significantly reduced
• updating unit group descriptions within SOC volume 1 to include the latest available information
• incorporating the 6-digit extended SOC structure into the 4-digit SOC structure
• reviewing entry qualifications for occupations and their current positioning in the SOC structure

We propose to update SOC2020 because of the continual evolution of occupations, and to ensure that SOC reflects significant changes in the labour market. 

Next steps

1. Consultation period February - May 2026
2. Analysis period May - July 2026
3. SOC revision cycle begins Autumn 2026 through to Spring 2029:

• Proposals by Major Group
• Publish Major Group
• Review and feedback, re-publish with changes
• Repeat for next Major Group

How to respond

SOC has a wide range of users, and we welcome views from individuals and organisations such as:  

• industry experts
• academic and research institutions
• central government and the public sector
• devolved and local governments
• recruitment and career agencies
• professional associations

We encourage you to respond online wherever possible when submitting responses as this is our preferred method of receiving responses.

However, responses in writing or via email submitted to SOCrevision@ons.gov.uk will also be accepted. Should you wish to submit your main response via our consultation and participation platform and any supporting information via hard copy or email, please be clear that this is part of the same consultation response.

When responding, please state whether you are responding as an individual or representing the views of an organisation. Your response will be most useful if it is framed in direct response to the questions posed, though further comments and evidence are also welcome. 

Accessibility

An accessible Word version of this consultation is also available to complete. Please email the completed questionnaire to SOCrevision@ons.gov.uk. 

Confidentiality and data protection

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) needs your name and email address to recieve your response. We may contact you about your response to the consultation.

We aim to be as open as possible in our decision-making process. As part of this, we plan to publish an anonymised summary of the responses we receive. We will not publish the personal name of any respondent. Names of individuals, organisations and groups will not be linked to any comments that you give.   

The names of all organisations and groups responding to the consultation will be published in a list of respondents. 

Please be aware that, as a public authority, we are subject to the Freedom of Information Act and can never completely guarantee that names and responses will not be published.  We will not publish personal contact details, such as email addresses. To find out more, read our Privacy Policy: Privacy - Office for National Statistics - Citizen Space (ons.gov.uk) .

This consultation has been carried out in accordance with the government’s consultation principles, available here.

If you have any complaints about the way this consultation has been conducted, please email: external.affairs@ons.gov.uk.