Changes to the Skills and Competencies Taxonomy

Summary of changes

The 2025 version of the SCT was updated with the following changes:

• Oxford commas: All remaining Oxford commas in descriptor labels and definitions were removed to ensure greater consistency across the Taxonomy.
• Standardization in French of the "Compétences" and "Habiletés"categories: Their definitions now consistently begin with "La capacité de/d’…" or "L’habileté à…" respectively.
• Correction of syntax errors.
• Reformulation of several labels and definitions to improve clarity, along with adjustments to the corresponding footnotes. Below is an example of a definition that has been clarified:
  • V2023 Skills / Analytical Skills / Evaluation: The capability to systematically assess products, services or processes using measurable indicators with the goal of ensuring or improving performance.
  • V2025 Skills / Analytical Skills / Evaluation: The capability to identify and systematically apply criteria, indicators and measurement tools at defined intervals to assess the effectiveness, value, impact or performance of products, services, processes, programs or policies.
• Significant revisions to the "Work Activities" section, carried out as part of developing task statements by profile for the Occupations and Skills Information System (OSIS). Twelve descriptors were removed because they were not mutually exclusive and overlapped with others. These descriptors had not been integrated into the OaSIS and therefore did not have ratings. The twelve descriptors are:
  • Comparing, Document Use, Information Synthesis, Facilitating Group Discussion, Interviewing, Artistic Designing, Catering, Performing Janitorial Services, Constructing, Debugging and Reprogramming, Manipulating–Operating, and Sorting.
• Two descriptors were moved from one category or subcategory to another:
  • "Working With Computers" was moved from the Work Activity category to the Work Context / Structural Characteristics of Employment subcategory.
  • "Writing or composing" was moved from the Work Activity / Activities Physically-Oriented Activities subcategory to the Work Activity / Information-Oriented Activities subcategory.
• One descriptor was reinstated, and another reverted to its original definition:
  • "Performing administrative activities" was reinstated in the SCT with a modification to its original definition and remains under Work Activities / Information-Oriented Activities.
  • "Documenting and Recording Information" reverted to its original definition: "Entering, transcribing, recording or maintaining any type of information in written or electronic form".
    • In the 2019 version of the SCT, this descriptor was titled "Information Documentation" and was placed under the Work Output subcategory. In the 2023 version, the label was changed to "Clerical Activities" while keeping the same definition. In the 2025 version, it was reinstated with its original label under the Information-Oriented Activities subcategory.

Comparative table of the number of descriptors per category by SCT version

Summary of changes

A feature of the revision process for the 2022 version is that it was produced in light of the Occupational and Skills Information System (OaSIS). This exercise allowed the descriptors to be contextualized to actual occupational profiles. As a result, changes were made at all levels of the Taxonomy's structure, within categories, sub-categories and descriptors.

Changes to the categories

The Personal Abilities and Attributes category was split into two. In the 2019 version of the Taxonomy, descriptors associated with Personal Attributes were categorized in the Personal Qualities subcategory. In the 2022 version, the Abilities category contains only descriptors identified as abilities and Personal Attributes now have their own category and subcategories. Although the number of descriptors was large enough to assign a separate category, the main reason for this split was to avoid confusion. Note that some descriptors were added to this category.

The Tools and Technology category was temporarily removed from the Taxonomy since the development of the interactive database is underway.

Sub-categories

The sub-categories of the Knowledge category have been completely redesigned. In the 2019 version of the Taxonomy, this category contained 11 sub-categories and 46 descriptors, which were categorized according to fields of study. This classification had the consequence of translating the concept of "knowledge" as well as the definitions into an academic sense. However, the descriptors did not take into account all knowledge acquired outside of the academic world, such as through employment, volunteer work, or other settings. As part of the 2022 revision of the Taxonomy, the Knowledge section was reworded in its entirety so that the concept of "knowledge" would be broad enough to capture both academic and technically related knowledge and expertise. As a result of these changes, the 2022 version of the Taxonomy now has 10 sub-categories and 46 descriptors that were completely redefined.

The headings of the sub-categories of the Work Activities category were renamed to be more representative of their respective sub-categories, and the content of the Service/Care Supply sub-category was either eliminated or reassigned to other sub-categories. The headings were replaced as follows:

In the 2019 version of the Taxonomy, the Value at Work subcategory, under the Work Context category, had a note indicating that it was under revision. For the 2022 version, this subcategory was temporarily removed from the Taxonomy since the revision is still in progress and some of the descriptors in it conflict with descriptors in other categories.

The Canadian Inventory of Work-Related Interests sub-category under the Domain of Interest category was also removed. An analysis, in light of the organizations that use it, is underway to assess whether or not it should be included in a future version of the Taxonomy.

Changes to the descriptors

A considerable number of headings and descriptor definitions were modified to be more precise, to better reflect the meaning of the concept and to correspond to the evolution of the Canadian labour market. Also, some descriptors were moved from sub-categories to increase the homogeneity of the sections while others were removed or combined with other descriptors.

Below is a table representing the number of descriptors per category in the 2019 and 2022 versions.

Summary of changes

July 2019, was the time of the first publication of the SCT. It was released on the Employment and Social Development Canada National Occupational Classification website. It was also published in August 2019 in the LMI Outlook Report #16, Connecting Skills to Occupations: a short think piece for identifying skills from the NOC, from the Labour Market Information Council.

Initially there were under each category:

• Skills: 47 descriptors listed under 5 sub-categories
• Skills and Personal Attributes: 85 descriptors listed under 5 sub-categories
• Knowledge: 46 descriptors listed under 11 sub-categories
• Area of Interest: 11 descriptors listed under 2 sub-categories
• Work Context: 84 descriptors listed under 5 sub-categories
• Work Activities: 66 descriptors listed under 5 sub-categories
• Tools and Technologies: descriptors are not counted in the Taxonomy but will be counted through the Occupational and Skills Information System

During the development of the Taxonomy, the Essential Skills (a product of ESDC-Bureau of Literacy and Essential Skills (OLES) were integrated into the first edition of the Taxonomy in July 2019. In May 2021, ESDC-Office of Skills for Success (formerly BACE) released a new model entitled Skills for Success. While there is common meaning between the descriptors in the Taxonomy and the Skills for Success model, there are some differences in their definitions explained by distinct purposes between the two models. The Taxonomy is a product directly related to the world of work and occupations, while the Skills for Success model is a product designed to help people become active members of their communities, succeed in learning and achieve in the world of work. The Skills for Success model is intended for individual learners, employers and trainers. Each competency has a series of components that simplify the learning steps to achieve the goal of mastering the given competency in the context of a specific occupation. The Skills and Competencies Taxonomy is a tool for analysts, researchers, employment counsellors, and employers, as well as for anyone embarking on a job or career search, such as job seekers, students, and their parents. Endnotes are added in the Taxonomy for descriptors covered in the Skills for Success model.