Occupations: Labor Market Classifications, Taxonomies, and Ontologies in the 21st Century

Date
Sep 2018
This technical note discusses what occupational catalogs are and how they can be used to inform labor markets public policy. The main classifications, ontologies and computational developments that have allowed generating up-to-date information about labor market participants are studied. Catalogs play a valuable role in providing a standardized language for the activities that people perform in the labor market. It allows the construction of statistical information on employment and wages, to guide job seekers by informing about the opportunities and requirements of vacancies and to guide those who need training to enter the labor market or change careers. The note also discusses the evidence of the use of catalogs in the region and proposes some ideas to take advantage of technological tools to develop catalogs of comparable occupations in Latin America and the Caribbean.