Alternate Format(s)
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Guide to Allocating Positions Using the 1999 Occupational Group Definitions
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This Guide provides advice on allocating work in the Public
Service to occupational groups using the 1999 occupational group
definitions. It also provides background information on the
nature of the occupational groups and their definitions.
OCCUPATIONAL GROUPS
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OCCUPATIONAL CATEGORIES
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Occupational categories were repealed by
the Public Service Reform Act (PSRA) effective April 1,
1993. The occupational category definitions should be deleted
from the classification standards.
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OCCUPATIONAL GROUPS
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Occupational groups are defined as a
series of jobs or occupations related in broad terms by the
nature of the functions performed.
(Classification System and
Delegation of Authority Policy).
In the Public Service, occupational group
definitions are approved by the Treasury Board of Canada.
Occupational group allocation is based on
the 1999
occupational group definitions including their inclusion and
exclusion statements.
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CHANGES TO OCCUPATIONAL GROUPS
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Pursuant to the provisions of the
PSRA, the Treasury Board of Canada approved occupational
group definitions on March 18, 1999. These definitions were
published in the Canada Gazette on March 27, 1999. The new
occupational group definitions reduced the number of occupational
groups from 72 to 29. There are several aspects of these new
occupational groups to note:
- The 1999 occupational group definitions
were developed to reflect the 1996
occupational group restructuring, which is available on the
Classification Reform website.
- In drafting the occupational group
definitions, the primary objective was to retain the existing
bargaining agent affiliation of all represented employees.
Consequently, positions remained in their occupational group as
structured in 1996.
- A complementary objective was to update
the wording of the occupational group definitions to better
reflect the realities of today’s work place and technology
while maximizing the shelf life and the currency of the
definitions. Consequently, jargon was removed and gender bias in
the terminology (e.g. Instrument Repairman) was minimized.
- Nine new occupational groups were created
by amalgamating several former occupational groups; for example,
the Program and Administrative Services (PA) Group is an
amalgamation of AS, CR, CM, DA, IS, OE, PM, PM-MCO, ST, WP, and
one component of the OM Group.
- To a large extent, the new definitions of
the occupational groups are a blend of the former definitions.
The changes to the group definitions of March 18, 1999 did not
require a review of occupational group allocation with the
exception of positions in the OM Group. Positions in this group
that have, as their primary purpose, responsibility for the
provision of advice on and the analysis, development and design
of forms and form systems are now allocated to the PA
Group. All other positions in the former OM Group are
allocated to the Human Resources Management (HM)
Group.
- The occupational sub-group definitions
and the “Table of Concordance – Linkages between
Occupational Groups, Occupational Sub-groups and Classification
Standards” were published in the
Canada Gazette on July 17, 2004; the effective
date of the sub-group definitions is March 18, 1999,which
coincides with the effective date of the 1999 occupational group
definitions. These occupational group and sub-group definitions
supersede the definitions in the classification standards and
should be used to replace them. The Table of Concordance links
the sub-group definitions to the 1999 occupational group
definitions and the appropriate classification standard.
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OCCUPATIONAL GROUPS & BARGAINING AGENT AFFIIATION
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An important objective in the development
of the 1999 occupational group definitions was the maintenance of
existing collective bargaining agent affiliation. As a result,
bargaining agent representation was not affected by the changes
to the occupational group structure.
It is important to note that the new
occupational group definitions were not designed to
address or fix existing occupational group allocation issues or
problems.
Twenty-five of the 29 occupational groups
are currently represented by bargaining agents. (Note: There are
positions within the represented groups that are excluded from
collective bargaining.)
There are four occupational groups that
are either excluded from or not represented by bargaining agents.
These are: the Executive (EX) Group, the Human
Resources Management (HM) Group, the Career Assignment
(CA) Group, and the Management Trainee (MM)
Group.
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OCCUPATIONAL GROUP DEFINITION NAMES
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In addition to the amalgamated groups,
there have been some changes to the names of the groups that were
not affected by the restructuring. These include:
- the CS Group, which was changed from the
Computer Systems Administration Group to the Computer
Systems Group,
- the FI Group, which was changed from the
Financial Administration Group to the Financial
Management Group.
- the SR Group, which became three distinct
groups:
- Ship Repair Chargehands &
Production Supervisors (SR(C)) Group
- Ship Repair – East (SR(E))
Group, and
- Ship Repair – West (SR(W))
Group.
- the PR Group, which was changed from the
Printing Operations Group to the Non-Supervisory
Printing Services (PR(Non-S)) Group (Note: the supervisory
component of the former Printing Operations (PR) Group is now
included in the Operational Services (SV) Group).
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FORMAT OF OCCUPATIONAL GROUP DEFINITIONS
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The format of the 1999 occupational group
definitions has not changed from the previous occupational group
definition format. Each occupational group definition comprises
an overall definition statement as well as inclusion and
exclusion statements. The definition statement describes
in general terms the type of work allocated to the occupational
group. Inclusion and exclusion statements
provide examples of the types of work that are included in or
excluded from the occupational group.
Inclusion statements must not be regarded
as an exhaustive list of examples. Each inclusion statement must
be read with the definition statement as a complete entity; it is
not just a matter of seeking to match words in the inclusion
statement with words in a work description.
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AUTHORITY TO ALLOCATE POSITIONS
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Deputy Heads are authorized to make
classification decisions in accordance with Treasury Board
policy, the appropriate classification standard, and the
guidelines developed and issued by the Public Service Human
Resources Management Agency of Canada (PSHRMAC)
(Classification System and Delegation of Authority Policy).
Departments must allocate positions
according to the intent of the occupational group and sub-group
definitions and be aware of the impact of their decisions on
interdepartmental relativity and on bargaining agent
affiliation. Departments are required to consult with the Agency
on group allocation issues that may have a significant impact on
interdepartmental relativity, have collective bargaining
implications, or result in a significant increase of salary
expenditures.
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CLASSIFICATION PROCESS
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Given the elimination of occupational
categories, the classification process for a completed work
description is the following:
- Review and understand the work
description and the organizational chart to understand the
primary purpose of the work.
- Allocate the position to an
occupational sub-group, where applicable, based on the
sub-group definitions and the review of
corresponding inclusion and exclusion statements.
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GROUP ALLOCATION PROCESS
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IDENTIFY THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THE WORK
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The primary purpose of the work is
determined through the review of the work description.
The information to support the
determination of the primary purpose is usually found in the
Client-Service Results statements and the Key Activities of the
work description.
The Client-Service Results statements
should provide the fundamental information in terms of
identifying the clients and the products and services being
delivered; the Key Activities should provide information on the
activities that are undertaken to achieve the specified results.
If the primary purpose is not clear after reading the Client
Service Results and the Key Activities, it will be necessary to
review the complete work description.
Other information related to
organizational context that is useful for group allocation
purposes can be found in legislation, departmental mandates,
project plans, business plans, organizational charts, etc.
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EXAMINE THE RELEVANT GROUP DEFINITIONS
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After determining the primary purpose of
the work, review several occupational group definitions that may
be relevant before coming to a preliminary conclusion.
Use the definition statement of the 1999
occupational group definition for this preliminary selection.
Then consider the inclusion and exclusion statements. It is
important to note, however, that all occupational group
allocations should be made primarily with the definition
statement in mind, and not just from an examination
of the inclusion statements.
It is equally important that evaluators
look at each inclusion statement and group definition as a
complete entity, and not just match the words. The
definitions and inclusions are to be viewed holistically, and not
“cherry-picked” for specific terms or phrases that
may match the words of the work description.
Relying on the above concepts, determine
which occupational group definition best reflects the primary
purpose of the work.
Where the position performs work that
could be described by more than one occupational group
definition, establish the best fit by identifying those
aspects of the work that describe why the position was created
and ensure that these are reflected in the definition of the
group that has been tentatively chosen. Consultation with the
position’s manager may be required to confirm its primary
purpose. The Occupational Group Definition Maps
provide the 1999 group definitions and their
corresponding inclusion and exclusion statements. The maps
explicitly link the relevant parts of the overall occupational
group definition to each classification standard. They should be
inserted in the appropriate classification standard to replace
the original group definitions.
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CHECK YOUR PRELIMINARY GROUP SELECTION
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Once again, review the inclusion
statements for the group tentatively chosen to determine if the
primary purpose of the work is reflected in the statements.
In some cases, one inclusion statement
will apply; in others, several may apply. In some cases, there
may not be an inclusion statement that applies, in which case,
group allocation is made solely on the basis of the group
definition.
When selecting an inclusion statement to
support the group allocation, you must link it to the definition
statement of the group definition. This is particularly important
when the work of the position outlined in the work description
meets the inclusion statements of different occupational
groups.
It is important that the requirements of
the work are reflected in both the occupational group definition
and the inclusion statement(s). However, it should also be noted
that the inclusion statements are not exhaustive.
If there are still areas of doubt,
compare the position under review with other positions with
similar work requirements. This will foster consistency in group
allocation.
Benchmark positions contained within the
classification standards are also useful for comparative purposes
to facilitate the allocation process.
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MAKE YOUR FINAL ALLOCATION
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As a final check to confirm that the most
appropriate group has been selected, review the exclusion
statements for the occupational group to ensure they do
not reflect the primary purpose of the work. If so,
the steps above will need to be repeated for another occupational
group.
Remember to consider the requirements of
the work, rather than the educational or skill attributes of the
incumbent. Evaluate the work, not the person.
When group definitions, inclusion
statements and exclusion statements have been thoroughly
examined, make your final decision.
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TROUBLESHOOTING
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UNDERSTANDING THE DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN OCCUPATIONAL GROUPS
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Occupational categories, which no longer
exist, were defined as job families characterized by the nature
of the functions performed and the extent of academic preparation
required.
In the absence of occupational
categories, it is important to remember that group allocation is
based on the responsibilities and skills required by the work,
and not the skills, abilities or education of the incumbent.
As an example, the application of a
comprehensive scientific and professional knowledge is
required by the Applied Science and Engineering (AP) Group
definition. From a recruitment/appointment perspective, this
refers to knowledge normally acquired through a university
degree. From a work description perspective, it means that
aspects of the work require the application of knowledge at the
theoretical or conceptual level. By contrast, jobs in the
Technical Services (TC) Group apply principles, methods
and techniques.
Work descriptions need to differentiate
the requirement for the application of practical technical
knowledge from the application of comprehensive theoretical or
conceptual knowledge.
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DIFFICULTY IN DETERMINING THE MOST APPROPRIATE GROUP ALLOCATION
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The quality of the work description is
important. To facilitate the allocation of a position, the work
description must clearly indicate the primary purpose of the
work. Some positions perform work that can be found in more than
one occupational group, for example, surveying work, work in a
laboratory environment or financial work. Work descriptions for
these types of positions must be written so that the primary
purpose of the work is evident to ensure the appropriate
group allocation.
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COMBINATIONS OF WORK
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The same unique, generic or
broad-based work description cannot be allocated to different
occupational groups or evaluated with different classification
standards.
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