Glossary

Job is defined as a set of tasks and duties executed, or meant to be executed, by one person. Persons are classified by occupation through their relationship to a past, present or future job.

The process of examining a job in detail to identify its component tasks; the detail and approach may vary according to the purpose for which the job is being analysed, e.g., training, equipment design, work layout. Three methodologies for defining occupational standards reflect this evolution from initial task-based to competence-based occupational analysis and standards. The methods include job/task analysis, DACUM, and Functional Analysis.

The level of achievement that an individual is expected to reach by reference to specified rating levels (standards) and criteria that have been decided for each task / activity within a job/job title.

Job-relevant skills are task-related and build on a combination of cognitive and socio- emotional skills. Cognitive skills, defined as the “ability to understand complex ideas, to adapt effectively to the environment, to learn from experience, to engage in various forms of reasoning, to overcome obstacles by taking thought. Social - emotional skills, also referred to as soft or non-cognitive skills, relate to traits covering multiple domains—social, emotional, personality, behavioural, and attitudinal among them.

The aim of the analysis is to divide and subdivide jobs and tasks into their constituent parts, in order to provide information for training and to develop benchmarks for piece rate wages. In spite of fundamental changes in job and task analysis, the approach is still used for specific purposes and in certain sectors, including some service and administrative occupations.