The European Socio-economic Classification

Table 1: The European Socio-economic Classification

ESeC ClassCommon TermEmployment regulation
1Large employers, higher grade professional, administrative and managerial occupationsHigher salariatService Relationship
2Lower grade professional, administrative and managerial occupations and higher grade technician and supervisory occupationsLower salariatService Relationship (modified)
3Intermediate occupationsHigher grade white collar workersMixed
4Small employer and self employed occupations (exc agriculture etc)Petit bourgeoisie or independents
5Self employed occupations (agriculture etc)Petit bourgeoisie or independents
6Lower supervisory and lower technician occupationsHigher grade blue collar workersMixed
7Lower services, sales and clerical occupationsLower grade white collar workersLabour Contract (modified)
8Lower technical occupations*Skilled workersLabour Contract (modified)
9Routine occupations*Semi- and non-skilled workersLabour Contract
10Never worked and long-term unemployedUnemployed
* If analysts wish to identify agricultural workers separately from others, classes 8 and 9 may be sub-divided in to 8a, 8b, 9a and 9b. In each case sub-classes 8b and 9b would be for farm workers. ISCO minor groups 600 and 610-613 go to 8b. 614 and 615 could go here if analysts wished to include forestry and fishing workers in 8b. ISCO 920 and 921 form class 9b. Readers should note that in cases where we refer to minor groups ending with a zero (e.g. 600, 610, 920), this refers to the convention that this code is employed where it is not possible (either because of lack of information or because of the need to ensure respondent anonymity) to code occupation more precisely to a particular minor group.