Last updated: 30 July 2026. Data source: SVH production dataset (anzsco_osca_crosswalk, ABS OSCA 2024 correspondence), cross-checked against DHA Skilled Occupation List.
Data scope: This article covers occupation classification codes, not visa grant data. It applies to every visa pathway that references an occupation code, including skilled migration and course-to-occupation mapping for study planning.
If you researched your migration pathway occupation any time before 2024 and the code you noted down doesn't match what you're seeing on government sites and course pages now, you haven't made a mistake. The classification system itself changed.
What actually changed
The Australian Bureau of Statistics maintains the official occupation classification used across Australian skilled migration, labour market data and course-to-occupation mapping. For years that classification was ANZSCO (the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations). The ABS has since introduced OSCA (Occupation Standard Classification for Australia) as the current classification, built on a fresh correspondence to the ANZSCO 2022 code set.
SVH's production crosswalk table, sourced from the ABS OSCA 2024 correspondence, holds 1,076 ANZSCO occupation codes mapped to their OSCA equivalents.
How the mapping actually works
| Relationship type | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| One to one | 878 | 81.6% |
| Merge (many ANZSCO codes to one OSCA code) | 198 | 18.4% |
| Total mapped | 1,076 | 100% |
Source: SVH production dataset, anzsco_osca_crosswalk (ABS OSCA 2024 correspondence).
Most occupations map cleanly. Just over 80% of ANZSCO codes have a single, unambiguous OSCA equivalent. If your occupation is in this group, the code changed but nothing about how it's counted did.
Almost one in five sit inside a merge. 198 ANZSCO codes collapse into a smaller number of OSCA codes, meaning several previously distinct ANZSCO occupations now share one OSCA code. This is the detail that matters most if you're using labour market demand figures published against an OSCA code: a demand figure attached to a merged OSCA code covers every ANZSCO occupation that feeds into it, not just yours. Do not read an OSCA-level shortage or demand number as if it describes your specific pre-2022 occupation alone. Check which ANZSCO codes feed into your OSCA code before drawing a conclusion about your own occupation's outlook.
The 25 codes that aren't mapped yet, and why
Separately from the crosswalk table above, SVH's occupation eligibility data carries a legacy list of 505 occupations from the old MLTSSL, STSOL and ROL skilled occupation lists. Of those, 25 carry a retired ANZSCO 2013 code that has no entry in the current ANZSCO 2022 hub SVH's crosswalk is built from. These 25 are excluded from occupation-eligibility results by design, flagged explicitly rather than silently defaulted, because guessing at a successor code risks misrepresenting an occupation's actual current eligibility.
This is a known, bounded gap. The remap of those 25 codes against the official ABS ANZSCO 2013-to-2022 correspondence is tracked as a separate, parked piece of work at SVH and does not block any of the 1,076 currently mapped occupations. If you land on an occupation page flagged as a superseded 2013 code, treat it as "not yet remapped," not as "ineligible."
What this means if you're planning a pathway
- Look up your occupation by current code, not by whatever you noted down years ago. If your remembered code returns nothing, it may be a retired 2013 code awaiting remap, not a sign your occupation was removed.
- If your OSCA code is part of a merge, check the full set of ANZSCO occupations behind it before applying a demand or shortage figure to your specific occupation. The published number is for the group, not necessarily for you.
- A superseded-code flag is not a rejection. It means the classification hasn't caught up, not that the occupation is no longer viable. Verify current eligibility through the CSOL search table using your current ANZSCO 2022 code where available.
Individual circumstances vary. This article is general information, not migration or legal advice. For guidance on a specific application, consult a MARA registered migration agent.
Data sources: DHA Skilled Occupation List · Australian Bureau of Statistics (abs.gov.au), OSCA 2024 correspondence