Blossfeld’s Occupational Classification

The occupational classification according to Blossfeld groups occupations on the basis of occupational classes, economic sectors (production, services, administration) and qualifications (e.g. unskilled, skilled) to 12 categories in total (cf. Schimpl-Neimanns 2003: 4ff.).

Origin/Creator:	Hans-Peter Blossfeld
Method/Structure:	Blossfeld’s Occupational Classification was developed based on data from the 1970 census and distinguishes between the following categories: - Agricultural occupations with a mainly agricultural orientation, - Simple manual occupations with a share of 60 percent of unskilled workers, - Skilled manual occupations, on the other hand, comprise a maximum share of 40 percent of unskilled workers, - Technicians include technical professionals, - Engineers are highly qualified professionals capable to solve natural scientific and technical problems, - Basic services cover unskilled personal services, - Skilled services include law enforcement and security occupations as well as skilled services, - Semi-professions are academically oriented service occupations, - Professions are liberal occupations as well as highly skilled service occupations, - Simple commercial administrative occupations are rather unskilled clerical and trade occupations, - Qualified commercial and administrative occupations comprise intermediate to higher administrative as well as distributive tasks, - Managers are characterised by control and decision-making power and further include officials (cf. Schimpl-Neimanns 2003: 5 after Blossfeld 1985: 68).
Development/implementation for Germany:	Blossfeld's Occupational Classification was originally developed using data from the 1970 census. Given the comparability of the KldB 92 with the KldB 75 and 70, a transfer of the Blossfeld occupational classification to this more up-to-date classification of occupations from 1992 is possible (cf. Schimpl-Neimanns 2003: 15). Examples of the use of Blossfeld's Occupational Classification include Alba, Handl, Müller 1994 and Schimpl-Neimanns 2000.

Related classifications:

German Classification of Occupations 1992 (KldB 92)

Keywords

occupational classes, socio-economic classification, qualification, economic sector

Blossfeld’s Occupational Classification

Fundamental literature: Schimpl-Neimanns, Bernhard (2003): Umsetzung der Berufsklassifikation von Blossfeld auf die Mikrozensen 1973-1998 ZUMA-Methodenbericht 2003(10).

Blossfeld, Hans Peter (1985): Bildungsexpansion und Berufschancen. Frankfurt: Campus.

Further literature: Alba, Richard D., Handl, Johann, Mueller, Walter (1994): Ethnische Ungleichheit im deutschen Bildungssystem. KZfSS Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie, 46(2), 209-237.