Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC)

Structure

The ANZSIC is structured hierarchically into four levels of aggregation, as follows:

• Divisions: There are 19 divisions denoted by English alphabets from A to S. This is the broadest level in the ANZSIC classification system. For example, section B represents "mining".

• Subdivisions: There are 86 subdivisions represented by two-digit numeric codes. For example, code 07 represents "Oil and Gas Extraction".

• Groups: There are 214 groups represented by three-digit numeric codes.

• Classes: There are 506 classes represented by four-digit numeric codes.

The table below gives a breakdown of each of the 19 divisions in the ANZSIC system. The manufacturing division has the highest number of classes (143), followed by "agriculture, forestry, and fishing" (49), and retail trade (43).

History & Versions

• Previous National Classifications in Australia: The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABI) produced the first Australian Standard Industrial Classification (ASIC) in the late 1960s. It was based on the UN's International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC), but the finer industry (class) level of the hierarchy was composed according to the characteristics of Australian businesses. Revisions of the ASIC were released in 1978 and 1983.

• Previous National Classifications in New Zealand: Statistics New Zealand (Statistics NZ) released the first New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (NZSIC) in 1970, also based on the ISIC, but with adaptations for the New Zealand economic context. Second and third editions of the NZSIC were released in 1975 and 1987.

• Development of the ANZSIC (ANZSIC1993): Economic agreements between Australia and New Zealand date back to the 1920s with the statistical agencies of both countries meeting regularly to monitor progress and harmonize statistics where possible. The possibility of adopting a common industrial classification in Australia and New Zealand was first suggested in 1990 while a review of the ASIC by the ABS was ongoing. The first edition of the joint classification (ANZSIC) was subsequently released by the two agencies in 1993.

• Current version (ANZSIC 2006): ANZSIC 2006 (Revision 2.0) is the current version of ANZSIC. It reflects, expectedly, a significant review of all aspects of the original 1993 edition in light of changes in the economies of Australia and New Zealand. It applies a supply-side approach such that business units carrying out similar productive activities are placed in the same group. In its current version, the effort was also made to ensure comparability (at the subdivision level) with international classification standards such as ISIC and NAICS. The table below shows the changes in each hierarchy of the 2006 and 1993 versions of the ANZSIC.

Where is it used?

The ANZSIC is used by government agencies in both countries to compile economic and industry data. It is also commonly used in academic research on business and socioeconomic issues in both countries.

Further resources

Download ANZSIC

• Current version: ANZSIC 2006

• Older version: ANZSIC 1993