Creating job classes 

Job classes

Job classes are groups of positions that are created using set criteria. Positions form a job class if they share the following three characteristics:

• they have similar duties and responsibilities
• they require similar qualifications, and
• they are part of the same compensation plan and are within the same range of salary rates

Defining positions

A position is a role held by an employee in an organization - that includes all full-time, part-time, casual, seasonal and temporary positions in the workplace. Positions that are temporarily vacant at the time of the pay equity exercise must also be included.

Grouping positions into job classes

Use the following guidelines to determine if positions can be grouped into the same job class:

1. Positions with similar duties and responsibilities

Although the duties and responsibilities of positions do not have to be identical, they must be similar to be part of the same job class.

When determining whether the positions have similar duties and responsibilities consider:

• the equipment used
• all tasks performed
• the level of responsibility and authority

2. Positions with similar qualifications

To determine whether positions require similar qualifications, look at the level of knowledge, experience and skills or training required to do the job.

The qualifications requirement should reflect the minimum requirements needed to hold the position, as defined by the employer.

Consider the following factors to determine whether positions require similar qualifications:

• the specific degree, professional designation or certification required for the position
• the number of years of experience required
• proficiency with certain software
• specific industry knowledge
• the ability to perform certain tasks requiring specific physical skills

3. Positions within the same compensation plan and salary range

Positions can be part of the same job class if they share the same compensation plan and salary range.

A compensation plan includes all of the compensation elements that an organization provides to their employees for the work that they do. This can include direct compensation (e.g., base pay, variable pay and incentive pay) or indirect forms of compensation (e.g., benefits and paid time off).

A salary refers to a fixed or predictable amount of direct compensation received by an employee.

A range of salary rates provides a scale of salary amounts set between low to high monetary values for a position. This concept can also be referred to as a salary range, a pay band or a pay scale.

Job classes in the core public administration

In the case of the core public administration only, positions that are in the same group and level form a single job class.

For example, the classification of clerical and regulatory clerk, commonly referred to as CR, has seven levels. Level 1 clerical and regulatory positions (CR-01) within the core public administration must be considered as a single job class. This means that a seven-level classification is made up of seven different job classes, each with varying salary steps or salary increments.

The following table: Salary rate presented is based on 2021 data. This data is subject to change with the next renegotiation of the collective agreement.

Example: Clerical and regulatory clerk classification structure (2021 rates)

The table shows that job class CR-01, steps 1 to 6, make up one job class. Job class CR-02, steps 1 to 4, make up another job class. The same rule applies for job classes CR-03, CR-04, CR-05, CR-06 and CR-07.