A frequent claim from labour market information users (e.g., educational and training providers) is the lack of disaggregated data to identify the current requirements of the labour demand. This project, conducted by Dr Jeisson Cardenas-Rubio, pilots and assesses whether information from job portals can be classified according to the relatively new 6- digit UK Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) developed by the ONS. It thus opens new research avenues in assessing the possibility of organising and coding vacancy data and understanding the dynamics of the labour market at a more disaggregated level.

This report sets out the process and findings of the feasibility study. It proves that data collected from job vacancies can provide a source of information at SOC 6-digit level. Using these data in further analyses, it would be possible to examine labour demand, wage levels, and education and skills requirements (and trends) at this occupational level. With this disaggregated information, education and training providers could have a high-quality source of updated labour demand information to align their programmes with the employers’ needs.

Read the report on the IER project website.