Last updated: 30 March 2026

ANZSCO Codes: How to Find Your Occupation Code

ANZSCO — the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations — is the classification system that underpins Australia’s entire skilled migration framework. Every skills assessment, every Expression of Interest in SkillSelect, and every skilled visa application is organised around ANZSCO occupation codes. Before you can take any meaningful step toward an Australian skilled visa, you need to identify the correct six-digit code for your occupation.

Getting this right at the outset protects you from wasted assessment costs, misrouted applications, and delays caused by code mismatches late in the process.

What Is ANZSCO?

ANZSCO is a hierarchical classification system published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in partnership with Statistics New Zealand. It defines and categorises occupations across the entire Australian and New Zealand workforce.

Each occupation in ANZSCO is described by:

• An indicative skill level — whether the role typically requires a bachelor degree, an advanced diploma, a certificate III, or a lower qualification
• A task list — describing the specific duties typically performed in the occupation
• Specialisations — narrower roles that fall under the broader occupation umbrella

The system was designed primarily for workforce statistics, but Australia’s Department of Home Affairs adopted it as the standard for classifying skilled migrant occupations. This means that when the department assesses whether your occupation is in shortage or eligible for a particular visa, it uses the ANZSCO classification to make that determination.

The Structure of ANZSCO Codes

ANZSCO uses a hierarchical, layered structure with five levels. Understanding these levels helps you navigate the classification more precisely.

Major group (1 digit) — the broadest category. There are eight major groups:

1. Managers
2. Professionals
3. Technicians and Trades Workers
4. Community and Personal Service Workers
5. Clerical and Administrative Workers
6. Sales Workers
7. Machinery Operators and Drivers
8. Labourers

Sub-major group (2 digits) — divisions within each major group. For example, Major Group 2 (Professionals) includes 21 (Arts and Media Professionals), 22 (Business, Human Resource and Marketing Professionals), 26 (ICT Professionals), and others.

Minor group (3 digits) — more specific groupings within sub-major groups. For example, 261 covers Business and Systems Analysts, Programmers and Software Engineers.

Unit group (4 digits) — groups of closely related occupations. For example, 2613 covers Software and Applications Programmers.

Occupation (6 digits) — the individual occupation code. For example, 261313 is Software Engineer.

To illustrate how this stacks: a Software Engineer sits in Major Group 2 (Professionals) → Sub-major Group 26 (ICT Professionals) → Minor Group 261 → Unit Group 2613 → Occupation 261313.

This hierarchy matters because your competition in SkillSelect is organised by unit group — you are compared against other applicants in the same four-digit group when invitations are issued, not against all applicants across all occupations.

Why Your ANZSCO Code Matters for Visa Applications

Your ANZSCO code is a load-bearing element throughout the entire visa process. It determines several critical outcomes.

Which assessing body assesses your skills. Every ANZSCO occupation is assigned to a specific skills assessing authority. ICT occupations go to the Australian Computer Society (ACS). Engineering occupations go to Engineers Australia or one of the other engineering bodies. Nursing occupations go to ANMAC. You do not choose your assessing body — it is determined by your ANZSCO code. Using the wrong code sends your application to the wrong body and can result in a not suitable outcome or a referral elsewhere.

Whether your occupation appears on the MLTSSL occupation list. The MLTSSL is the primary list for points-tested skilled visas. For the Subclass 189 Skilled Independent visa, your occupation must be on the MLTSSL. Your ANZSCO code is how the department checks this.

Your visa pathway options. The Subclass 189 Skilled Independent visa and Subclass 190 Skilled Nominated visa each have specific occupation requirements linked to ANZSCO codes. State and territory nomination programs also specify eligible codes.

Your EOI ranking in SkillSelect. Your Expression of Interest is categorised by ANZSCO unit group. Invitation rounds draw from applicants within a unit group, ranked by points score and date of submission. Knowing your unit group helps you understand the competitive landscape for your occupation.

How to Find Your ANZSCO Code: Step by Step

Step 1: Search the ABS ANZSCO Database

The Australian Bureau of Statistics publishes the complete ANZSCO classification at abs.gov.au. Navigate to the ANZSCO section and use the occupation search tool. Enter your job title — for example, “civil engineer” or “registered nurse” — and review the returned occupation matches.

Do not stop at the title. Open each candidate result and read the full occupation description, including the skill level, indicative tasks, and specialisations.

Step 2: Match Your Duties, Not Your Title

Your job title alone is rarely determinative. What matters is whether your actual duties, qualifications, and skill level align with the occupation description. Work through this checklist for each candidate code:

• Does the skill level requirement match your qualification? (A role at Skill Level 1 typically requires a bachelor degree or higher.)
• Do the indicative tasks match what you do most of the time?
• Are your day-to-day responsibilities described in the specialisations or task list?

A match on 70 percent or more of the indicative tasks is generally a reasonable indicator you are in the right code.

Step 3: Check Your Assessing Body’s Guidance

Each assessing authority publishes documentation on how it maps occupations to ANZSCO codes. Before lodging a skills assessment application, review this material carefully.

The ACS skills assessment for ICT occupations includes an online tool that helps you identify the ANZSCO code that applies to your ICT role and understand what qualifications and experience ACS expects for each code.

The Engineers Australia skills assessment specifies which engineering disciplines map to which ANZSCO codes and distinguishes between Professional Engineer (Skill Level 1, bachelor degree or higher) and Engineering Technologist assessments.

VETASSESS, which assesses a large number of professional and trade occupations, provides occupation-specific requirements documents for each code it assesses.

Step 4: Cross-Reference with the Skilled Occupation Lists

Once you have a confirmed ANZSCO code, check it against the relevant occupation lists on the Department of Home Affairs website:

• MLTSSL — required for the Subclass 189; also eligible for state-nominated 190 and 491 pathways
• STSOL — eligible for some employer-sponsored and state nomination pathways, but not the 189
• State lists — check the specific state’s current occupation list if you are targeting state nomination for the 190 or 491

If your preferred code does not appear on the list you need, review whether an alternate classification is legitimate and discuss it with your assessing body before proceeding.

Common ANZSCO Codes by Profession

The table below shows frequently used ANZSCO codes in Australian skilled migration applications. Always verify these against the current ANZSCO publication and the relevant skills assessing body’s requirements, as codes and assessment criteria are updated periodically.

Information Technology

Engineering

Healthcare

Accounting and Finance

Construction and Trades

What to Do When Your Job Doesn’t Match Any Code Well

This situation arises frequently, particularly for people in emerging roles, hybrid positions, or industries that have evolved since the ANZSCO classification was last updated. Several strategies can help.

Look at the unit group description, not just the occupation title. The four-digit unit group often accommodates roles not specifically named at the six-digit level. Reading the unit group introduction gives you a broader view of what is included.

Check the “not elsewhere classified” (nec) codes. Many unit groups include an nec code to cover related occupations that do not fit neatly elsewhere. For example, 261399 covers Software and Applications Programmers not elsewhere classified, and 299999 covers Other Technicians and Trades Workers not elsewhere classified.

Anchor your match to primary duties. ANZSCO matching is based on what you do most of the time, not your job title. If you spend 60 percent of your time developing software and 40 percent managing infrastructure, your primary ANZSCO classification is likely a software development code.

Seek pre-assessment guidance from your assessing body. ACS, Engineers Australia, and VETASSESS each offer advisory services or pre-assessment consultations. For occupations that are genuinely ambiguous, a short engagement with the body before you invest in a full assessment can clarify which code applies and what evidence is required.

Get professional advice for high-stakes cases. Where your ANZSCO code determination significantly affects your visa pathway — for example, if one code opens the MLTSSL and another does not — a MARA-registered migration agent’s input before you commit to an assessment is a reasonable investment.

ANZSCO Version and Currency

The current version used for Australian immigration purposes is ANZSCO Version 1.3, released in 2022. Earlier versions (1.0 and 1.2) contained different occupation definitions and, in some cases, different codes.

If you have a skills assessment issued several years ago, verify that the ANZSCO code on your assessment corresponds to the current version of the classification. If a code has changed or been restructured, contact your assessing body to confirm whether your assessment remains valid and whether any re-assessment or variation is required before you lodge your EOI.

Next Steps After Confirming Your ANZSCO Code

Once your ANZSCO code is confirmed through a positive skills assessment:

1. Cross-reference it with the current MLTSSL on the Home Affairs website to confirm your visa pathway eligibility
2. Lodge your Expression of Interest in SkillSelect using the confirmed code
3. Check relevant state occupation lists for state nomination opportunities under the 190 or 491
4. Review the points test to understand your competitive position given your occupation’s current invitation history

The ANZSCO code is the foundation of every skilled visa application. A clear, accurate code — confirmed by an authorised assessing body — gives you a stable starting point for every subsequent step of the process.