These were grouped into four new categories indicating the type of job: elementary (category 9), less skilled job (categories 4 through 8), technician or associate professional (category 3), and professional (categories 1 and 2).
In the questionnaire, the following answering categories were used: (1) legislator, senior official or manager; (2) professional; (3) technician or associate professional; (4) clerk; (5) service, shop or market sales worker; (6) skilled agricultural or fishery worker; (7) craft or related trades worker; (8) plant/machine operator or assembler; (9) elementary occupation; and (10) armed forces.
The odds of returning to work were lower among workers in elementary occupations OR 1.0 (reference group) than they were among workers in occupations that require skills at a basic level, OR 1.50 (1.38 to 1.64), technicians and associate professionals, OR 2.33 (2.05 to 2.65) and professionals, OR 3.04 (2.70 to 3.43).
Occupational grade in 1989 (low: manual worker or clerk, intermediate: technician or administrative associate professional, or high: engineer or manager) was available from EDF-GDF company records.
Based on this framework, it was expected that most health service providers would fall into one of two major groups: "professionals" (generally well-trained workers in jobs that normally require a university or advanced-level degree for recruitment) and "technicians and associate professionals" (generally requiring skills at a tertiary non-university educational qualification level).
Among the 10 major ISCO-88 occupational groups, two were of interest here: group 2 "professionals" (generally well-trained workers in jobs that normally require a university or advanced-level degree for recruitment) and group 3 "technicians and associate professionals" (generally requiring skills at a non-university educational qualification level).
The main occupations of interest with a health care-related specialization fall within two of the ten major groups: group 2 "professionals" (generally well-trained workers in jobs that normally require a university or advanced-level degree for recruitment) and group 3 "technicians and associate professionals" (generally requiring skills at a tertiary non-university educational qualification level).
"Technicians and associate professionals" were more common in "downward pattern" (11.1%) and less common in "upward career" (12.0%).
But some of the occupational groups clearly have a higher socioeconomic level than the others, such as occupational group 1, "managers"; group 2, "professionals" and, group 3, "technicians and associate professionals".
The different categories are the following ones: 1) Legislators, seniors officials; 2) Professionals; 3) Technicians and associate professionals; 4) Clerks; 5) Service Workers and shop and market sales workers; 6) Skilled agricultural and fishery workers; 7) Craft and related trades workers; 8) Plant and machine operators and assemblers; 9) Elementary occupations.
