Job titles vary between companies and countries, but the ISCO code behind a role is standardised, which is why it matters more than the title when comparing a role across borders or checking work permit eligibility.
What ISCO actually standardises
The International Standard Classification of Occupations groups jobs by the actual skill level and skill specialisation required, not by job title, meaning a mechanical engineer and a naval architect might carry different job titles across companies but sit under closely related, comparably specific ISCO codes because the underlying skill profile is similar.
This is precisely why immigration and labour market systems, including Malta's, reference ISCO codes rather than free text job titles when assessing a role's skill level for work permit or labour market test purposes.
Why the code matters more than the title in practice
A candidate presenting a job title that sounds senior but maps to a lower skill level ISCO code, or the reverse, a modest sounding title that actually maps to a highly specialised code, is a mismatch that only becomes visible once the underlying classification is checked rather than the title alone.
For an employer building a job advertisement or a work permit application, identifying the correct ISCO code for the role before writing the advertisement avoids a mismatch surfacing later in the process, when it is far more disruptive to correct.
Where to find the correct code
ISCO's official structure and search tools are published by the International Labour Organization, and matching a role to its code by actual duties and required skill level, rather than by the closest sounding title, is the reliable way to use it correctly.