An Industrial Classification for Reports from Individuals

Abstract

IN A recent article in this JOURNAL, Dr. Gladys L. Palmer discussed the preparation and content of the Convertibility List of Occupations.' Among other things, she pointed out that the Committee on Occupational Classification found it impossible to obtain an adequate grouping of workers from an occupational standpoint without subdividing by industry the occupational titles of Proprietors, managers, and officials, n.e.c., Foremen, n.e.c., Inspectors, n.e.c., Operatives and kindred workers, n.e.c., and Laborers, n.e.c. Some of the problems arising in connection with the determination of these subdivisions showed clearly the need of a thorough examination of an industrial classification system from the point of view of its use in connection with information secured under conditions like those of a house-to-house canvass. Such industry returns are used commonly to classify workers, and occasionally to classify their dependents as well. If the goal is to show the industrial distribution of such items as pay rolls, gross income, or value added by manufacture or by services rendered, the information is almost invariably obtained from employing units, in which case problems of an entirely different kind are encountered. It is the result of the Committee's study of an industrial classification of workers which is presented here.2 In considering the specific industrial groups into which the abovementioned occupations should be subdivided, the starting point was the Standard Industrial Classification, described elsewhere in this JOURNAL by Vladimir S. Kolesnikoff.3 Two reasons for this are obvious -the Standard Industrial Classification provides a carefully thoughtout system covering the entire realm of industry, and is being adopted generally by agencies gathering industrial statistics. In fact, its advantages are so great that deviations from its various levels of principal divisions, major groups, industry groups and industries may be anticipated rarely, unless made necessary by shortcomings in the in-