An Update to the Australian Skills Classification for Work Sponsored Visas
In December 2023, Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) released the new Australian Skills Classification update. It has greatly increased the number of occupation profiles included in its dataset and has also expanded the information available in relation to each occupation’s skillset.
What is the Australian Skills Classification?
The Australian Skills Classification (‘the Classification’) was initially released in March 2021. The purpose of the Classification is to categorise and define the skills that underpin each job in Australia based on evidence-based data. The Classification identifies three types of skills: specialist tasks, technology tools and core competencies. Similar specialist tasks are grouped into ‘skills clusters’, which are themselves further grouped into ‘skills cluster families’ as follows:
The Classification is accessible to the public on the Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) website through an interactive interface or can be downloaded as a dataset in an Excel file.
Why is Understanding Skills Classification important?
From a migration perspective, the Classification is particularly important as it provides individuals and potential employers with a common resource to articulate the standard skills required for particular occupations. This can be used in conjunction with the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO), which is the primary source for classifying occupations from an immigration standpoint.
For instance, when applying for Employer-Sponsored visas or General Skilled Migration visas, the visa applicant will need to select their job from the list of occupations in ANZSCO. They must ensure that the tasks undertaken for their current employment align with the occupation that they have selected from the ANZSCO occupation list for the selected visa subclass. The updated Classification will greatly assist visa applicants in determining the occupation most suited to their current skill set.
The Key Changes with the December 2023 Update
JSA has reported the following key updates to the Classification:
The inclusion of 300 new occupation profiles, raising the total number to over 1,500 of occupation profiles;
Data improvements to 400 existing occupation profiles;
The addition of ‘skill statements’ for each occupation’s specialist tasks
Updated data on Trending and Emerging skill sets
The addition of extended descriptions for the Classification’s technology tools, and the introduction of a technology tool hierarchy featured in the data download.
The addition of ‘skill statements’ for each specialist task is useful in clarifying the specific meaning of each duty in an occupation. To illustrate, we have extracted below a screenshot of two similar skills ‘cook foods’ and ‘coordinate food service or preparation activities’, alongside their ‘skill statements’.
The inclusion of the skills statement greatly improves the clarity and understanding of each role and enables them to be clearly differentiated from one another.
The expansion of data and information in the Classification will also assist in the process of Employer-Sponsored visas, such as the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) visa or the Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) visa. For instance, when applying for a subclass 186 visa, the employer must demonstrate that they have a ‘genuine need’ for the Applicant. This requires the employer to show that the visa applicant’s current skillset matches the nominated occupation on the subclass 186 visa application and that there is a genuine need for these skills within the business. Having access to detailed explanations for the occupation’s duties will thereby allow the Employer to better demonstrate how their visa applicant’s skills match with that of the nominated occupation.
Moreover, when applying for a skills assessment under bodies such as VETASSESS or the Australian Computer Society (ACS), it is important that the applicant selects a nominated occupation that matches their employment experience. The expanded information on the skills for each occupation will assist applicants in selecting the appropriate occupation to attain a successful skills assessment outcome.
How Can Agape Henry Crux Help
If you need advice in selecting the appropriate nominated occupation for a skills assessment or you are not sure which occupation is the most suitable for your visa application. Feel free to reach out to Agape Henry Crux, our Accredited Specialist Immigration Lawyer(s) and our team of immigration lawyers and migration agents are specialised in handling highly complex matters. You may schedule an appointment with one of our lawyers or agents to seek professional advice by calling 02-8310 5230 or email us at info@ahclawyers.com.
We speak fluent English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Malay. If this isn’t your language, we can also help you arrange an interpreter.
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