Developing Work Context in ESCO - European Commission€¦ · Developing Work Context in ESCO 1....

ESCO is a Europe 2020 initiative.

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ESCO (2014) SEC 061

Creation Date: 24/11/2014

Last update: 03/12/2014

Developing Work Context in ESCO

1. Purpose of the document

In order for ESCO to reflect the realities of the labour market and thus increase its value to

stakeholders, it needs to capture more information that describes the vacancy for which a position

is published. One such information is the work context. In ESCO, work context refers to concepts

that can be used to describe the different specific settings that belong to the same occupation.

Work context can for example describe work places, types of company, environmental conditions,

products, technologies and business activities amongst others.

In order to capture this information in ESCO, the SEC is consulting the MAI on a number of

technical questions that would shape the approach to be taken on this issue. Therefore, the

purpose of this document is to:

- present the current scenario,

- discuss the general approach adopted by the SEC and

- consult with the MAI were a number of questions are put up for discussion.

2. Background

Work context can be considered as a concept used by employers to describe the setting in which

the employee would perform his tasks / functions. This work context is generally an integral part

of the job vacancy. This is not mandatory and there is no clear definition of what a work context

description should include in a job vacancy. Employers sometimes do not even detail the core

skills and competences needed for the job, but just give a high level description of the work

context. Since there is no specific standard for the description of the Job vacancy and employers

generally develop the description of the vacancy on free text. Different online portals have

different attributes for the description of a job vacancy.


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The work context gives a clearer picture of the job itself in the job vacancy and thus helps the

employer to attract the right candidates that are fully aware of the scenario. This increases the

matching accuracy between the Job vacancy and the candidate. By providing this information, the

employer is also minimising the risk that newly recruited candidates leave the job due to their

incompatibility to the work setting. The work context makes the occupational profile more

precise, and thus, employers will have better support during the research to develop the Job

vacancy. Work context can be used as a means of filtering to find more accurate concepts.

On the other side of the coin, this is very useful information for the jobseeker as having a better

picture of what to expect once he / she is on the job. This information could result in the

preparation of a more targeted CV, increasing the chances for employability. Work context is also

important for the job seeker during the search for a job as an added filter together with preferred

location, type of contract, whether full time or part time and salary. This will help the job seeker to

have more accurate search results and focus on those vacancies that match the requirements of

the jobseeker.


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As an example, Figure 1 below shows the work context for the position of a Waiter from the

EURES portal.

Figure 1 – A vacancy highlighting work context in the job description.

2.1. Current state of the skills pillar in ESCO

As it currently stands, the skills / competences / knowledge in ESCO are distinguished by

"essential" and optional" on one side and "sector specific", "occupation specific", "cross sector"

and "transversal" on the other. These skills categories are not directly linked to any specific work

context, however the Occupational profile may be different to a certain extent due to a different

work context. For example, the skills of serving wine in a 3-star Michelin restaurant would be

somehow different than the ones in a pub.

Table 1 below is an example of how work context would affect the choice of skills requested by

the employer. The example was chosen from the draft Blue print for a Waiter and it clearly shows

the separation of the skills (both essential and optional) pertaining to a specific work context.


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Occupation Waiter

Work Context Skills / Competences

Wo

rk C

on

ten

t

spe

cifi

c sk

ills

-

Pu

b

Prepare and serve drinks

Handle payment

Take payments for bills

Take food and drink orders

Skill

s ac

ross

dif

fere

nt

wo

rk

con

text

incl

ud

ing:

Eve

nt

cate

rin

g,

Arrange tables for special events

Prepare service trolleys

Advise guests on menus for special occasions and events

Prepare and maintain food service areas

Greet guests and accompany to tables

Table 1 – Skills from the occupational profile of a Waiter that can be different within different work context.

The ESCO guidelines make it clear that skills that are dependent on work context should be listed

as "optional" skills:

'Essential skills ' are those skills that that are usually required when working

in an occupation, independent of the work context or the employer .

'Optional' refers to skills that may be required or occur when working in an

occupation depending on the employer, on the working context or on the

country.

Figure 4 – Definitions of "essential" and "optional" skills. An extract from the ESCO guidelines.

3. Review of current approach

The Commission has sub contracted the development of the work context. The approach adopted

was based on the analysis of several websites and documents that handle work context. The

contractor selected a few work context groups that could be applied for all sectors. Following that,

the contractor inserted specific work context units/terms that were applicable for the selected


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occupations. The results of this first exercise in the work context can be seen in Annex 1 and

Annex 2, which demonstrate the work context scenario for an occupation from each of the

Healthcare and Trade sectors. They contain group names which are the same across the sectors

but the units/terms can vary per sector and subsector.

These draft work context examples will be discussed with the MAI on how the final version should

look like, as referred to Section 4.4.

4. Requested Technical Advice from MAI

4.1. Options for collecting the data:

The collection of the data to define the different work contexts for each occupation can be done in

several non-mutually exclusive ways:

Via web crawling (big data analysis) – This is an automatic method that extracts

keywords about work context from real job vacancies. The most common categories for

work context for an occupation are captured and listed as such.

Manual analysis based on real data (JVs) – Through this method, a random selection

of CVs of a particular occupation are analysed to extract the different work context for that

occupation.

Editorial work by taxonomists (desk research) – Through this method, the

taxonomists would perform a desk research by analysing other sources including ROME

and national classifications to extract the different work contexts for an occupation.

Via Web crawling and Manual analysis:

Reflect the real labour market situation, based on

actual content of job vacancies;

Easier to get validation from stakeholders as it

reflects the necessities of the sector.

Via Web crawling and Editorial work by

taxonomists:

All combined:

Produces different work context for different

sectors;

More resources are needed to develop and

maintain;

Different level of details in the work context.

Editorial work by taxonomists alone:


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Addresses the need to make sure that there is a

geographical representation of the work context

concepts.

Does not guarantee it represents the current

labour market data.

Via Web crawling:

High costs.

Manual analysis (only):

A lot of resources needed to ensure a

representative sample of the data is gathered and

analysed.

4.2. Options for structuring the data

Once the data has been gathered using any process or a combination of the above processes from

in Section 4.1, it will be important to structure this data. This can be done in several ways,

however only one method can be selected

Using the same approach as the ROME classification - that is to pre-define formal

categories of work context that should be the same for all sectors. Figure 5 below shows

the different categories used by ROME.

Figure 5 – Representation of how ROME addresses work context.

A simple list of "keywords" – In this way, the different work contexts are compiled in a

simple list per sector. This can be visualised, as for example under the work context unit

section within the Annexes.

A list of keywords, collected in different domains – This is a categorised list of work

contexts by sectors, sub- sectors or individual occupations which are tailor made. A good

example in this case would be the categorisations for the work contexts for Veterinarians


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would be: 1) medical specialisms, 2) places of employment, 3) medical treatments and 4)

animal group, etc.

Same approach as the ROME classification:

Based on an already existing method;

Brings consistency and structure in the attributes to

the occupation;

Easier for SREFs to link Work Context to

Occupation.

A list of keywords, collected in different domains:

Gives flexibility to each sector / sub sector to have

a more tailor made categorisation.

Same approach as the ROME classification:

Less flexible as it would have a fixed structure;

A list of keywords, collected in different domains:

Might give rise to endless discussions within SREFs

as they do not agree with the pre-defined

categories.

Not necessarily based on real terminology of job

vacancies

Simple list of "keywords":

Creates confusion and is not create any structure

The MAI is invited to discuss these approaches and advise the Commission on the best approach

for describing the work context.

4.3. Should it be mandatory?

In the implementation of the work context in ESCO, should the work context field be made

mandatory? Should it be mandatory / optional for all, or this is limited to some occupations and

not others? Linked also to this question, is there a specific minimum number of work context that

an occupation should have attributed to it? Moreover, should this be implemented for ESCO V.1?

If mandatory, it creates consistency and makes

content richer.

If mandatory, then more work needs to be done for

V0.1 SREFs where data is almost final. SREFs need

to review the skills within each occupation and

categorise whether "essential" or "optional" based

on whether they belong to a particular work

context. This is time consuming and might have an

effect of delivery for V0.1 and V0.2;

If optional, than this would lead to some

inconsistencies within the data. If for some OCC,


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work context is to be mandatory, then SEC would

need to identify which are the characteristics of

OCC where work context is mandatory. This might

prove very difficult and confusing for SREFs;

Having a maximum number of work contexts linked

to an OCC may reduce flexibility and would risk

leaving important work contexts out due to a

specific limit.

4.4. Comments on the draft work context

The MAI Committee is invited to provide feedback to the Commission on the draft work context in

Annexes 1 and 2.

5. Next Steps

Depending on the consultation with the MAI, the ESCO SEC will evaluate and act accordingly. The

most fundamental questions to implementation are whether this is mandatory and whether it

should be implemented for ESCO V.1. One issue that merits consideration is the fact that since

some of the sectors have their content almost at the final stages and have had their data signed

off by the MAI, it will mean that the ESCO SEC will have to work retro-actively in order to rectify

this action.

The results of the consultation with the MAI will be the basis of a set of guidelines that the ESCO

SEC will prepare for the SREFs and content creators to enable them to choose the work context for

each occupation. If necessary, the ESCO will prepare an implementation plan and present it to the

MAI in the next meeting.


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Annex 1 – Healthcare sector – work context

OG OCC Work context group Work context unit

Human healthcare

nurse

Place of employment

hospitals

health clinics

patient's home

aged care organisations

nursing agencies

doctors’ offices

daycare centers

medical equipment and supplies manufacturers

mental health facilities

military bases

family planning clinics

poison control centres

rehabilitation centres

AIDS hospices

prenatal and maternity clinics

ambulatory surgery centers

centers for nursing research

ambulance and helicopter transport services

schools

Size of business

minute/micro <10

small <50

medium <250

large <1000

Physical Work Conditions

indoors

spend time standing/walking

cope with stress, human suffering and emergencies

work in confined spaces

work on weekends, holidays, nights, long shifts

work alone with patients

work with sharp instruments

work in noisy areas

exposed to infectious diseases, bodily fluids

exposed to chemical substances (latex, waste anaesthetic gases, medication, sterilizing agents)

exposed to radiation and lasers

exposed to violence


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exposed to serious traumatic events

exposed to musculoskeletal injuries from patient handling activities: slips, trips, and falls

exposed to occupational skin disorders

Type of business

public

private

self-employed

Social services social worker

Place of employment

general and psychiatric hospitals

hospices

nursing homes

rehabilitation facilities

assisted living facilities

home health agencies

prisons

chronic care facilities

personal care homes

non-governmental organisations

community mental health centers

children’s aid agencies

correctional institutions

welfare administration agencies

schools

private practice offices

community services centres

social planning councils

governmental agencies

universities

juvenile detention facilities

Size of business

minute/micro <10

small <50

medium <250

large <1000


indoor

outdoor

spend long time walking/standing

spend time traveling

exposed to violence

work with people who are emotionally or mentally unstable

work on weekends/holidays/evenings

work alone with social services users


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cope with stress, human suffering and emergencies

exposed to serious traumatic events

exposed to infectious diseases

exposed to sprains and strains associated with lifting and repetitive tasks

Type of business

private

public

self-employed


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Annex 2 – Trade – work context

OG OCC Work context group Work context unit

Renting and leasing of motor vehicles

booking agent

Place of employment

car rental companies- in airports, train stations, busy city areas; global, national, regional or local operators

car dealerships

Size of business

minute/micro <10

small <50

medium <250


indoors

work on weekends/holidays

spend time sitting

Type of business

private

Retail trade promotions demonstrator

Place of employment

supermarket

shopping centre

department or discount stores

retail stores

coffee shops

trade shows

fairs and festivals

Size of business

minute/micro <10

small <50

medium <250


spend long time walking/standing

work on weekends/holidays/ long shifts

outdoor

indoor

Type of business

private

Wholesale trade purchaser Place of employment

purchasing or procurement departments

hospitality companies (hotels)

large industrial organisations (in agriculture, metalurgy, petroleum)

manufacturing companies

hospitals

department stores


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small boutiques

chain stores

Size of business

minute/micro <10

small <50

medium <250

large <1000

enterprise >1000


indoor

extended periods of time viewing computer monitor

exposure to dissatisfied individuals

work long hours, including on weekends/before holidays

may include traveling

spend time sitting

Type of business

private, public

Categories of products

clothing

electronics

agricultural products

metal products

fuel

tobbaco

Etc…

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