job analysis definition in education

Job Analysis: Meaning, Importance, Components, Methods, Process

Job Analysis is an essential part of human resource management. It determines the skills, ability, duties, authority, and accountabilities a job should have. Let’s learn and understand the meaning of job analysis and its components, methods, tools, processes, and uses in HRM.

Meaning of Job Analysis

Job analysis is the process of determining and reporting pertinent information relating to the nature of a specific job. It is the determination of the tasks that comprise the job and the skills, knowledge, abilities, and responsibilities required of the holder for successful job performance.

Job analysis is studying and collecting information relating to the operations and responsibilities of a specific job.

The information thus collected is analyzed, and the facts about the nature of job working conditions and qualities of an employee can be easily known.

Job analysis defines the jobs within the organization and the behaviors necessary to perform these jobs.

Job Analysis is a systematic exploration, study, and recording of a job’s responsibilities, duties, skills, accountabilities, work environment, and ability requirements.

It also involves determining the relative importance of a job’s duties, responsibilities, and physical and emotional skills.

Definition of Job Analysis

Job analysis gathers and analyzes information about job content, human requirements, and the context in which jobs are performed.

Dessier (2005) defines job analysis as the procedure through which a job analyst determines the duties of different positions of an organization and the characteristics of the people to hire them.

Dale Yoder (1983) defines job analysis as “a process in which jobs are studied to determine what tasks and responsibilities they include, their relationships to other jobs, the conditions under which work is performed, and the personnel capabilities required for satisfactory performance.”

In the opinion of Strauss and Sayles (1977), job analysis consists of two parts, a statement of work to be done (Job description) and the skills and knowledge which must be possessed by anyone filling the job (Job Specification)”.

According to Gary Dessler, “Job analysis is the procedure for determining the duties and skills requirements of a job and the kind of person who should be hired for it.”

According to Edwin B. Flippo, “Job Analysis is the process of studying and collecting information relating to the operation and responsibilities of a specific job.”

Job analysis is a systematic way to gather and analyze information about the content and the human requirements of jobs and the context in which jobs are performed.

Job analysis involves collecting data about the performance of the job in an organization.

However, this definition is probably too simplistic when all of the different types of information that must be collected are considered.

For example, the data collected should clearly describe what is required to perform a specific job.

This should include the:

• Knowledge: Knowledge is the degree to which a job holder must know specific technical material.
• Skill: Skill is defined as adequate performance on tasks requiring tools, equipment, and machinery.
• Abilities: Abilities refers to the physical and material capabilities needed to perform tasks not requiring the use of tools, equipment, and machinery. Further, where the job is completed must be considered.

Types of information to be collected by a job analysis are shown below:

• Work activities.
• Work-oriented activities.
• Machines, tools, equipment, and work aids are used.
• Job-related tangible and intangible.
• Work performance.
• Job context.
• Personal requirement.

15 Terminology Used In Job Analysis

• Task: An identifiable work activity carried out for a specific purpose. For example, typing a letter.
• Duty: Several tasks that are related to some sequence of events. For example, pick up, sort out, and deliver incoming mail.
• Position: A collection of tasks and duties which are performed by one person. For example, the P.A. to Chairman receives visitors, takes dictation, operates the computer, answers queries, attends to complaints, and helps students.
• Job: A group of positions similar in their significant duties. For example, the job of salesmen, technical assistants, computer programmers, etc.
• Job Families: Groups of different jobs that need similar skills. For example, sales jobs and clerical jobs in different departments.
• Job Code: A job code uses numbers, letters, or both to provide a quick summary of a job and its content.
• Job Classification: The grouping of jobs on some basis, such as the nature of work done or the level of pay. For example, skilled, semiskilled, and unskilled Grade II and III officers in a Bank.
• Job Analysis: The process of gathering information about a job.
• Job Description: A written summary of tasks, duties, and responsibilities of a job.
• Job Specification: The minimum skills, education, and experience necessary for an individual to do a job.
• Job Evaluation: A systematic procedure for finding the relative worth of a job.
• Job Sharing: It is a scheduling innovation that allows two or more workers to share a job.
• Job Design: A conscious effort to organize tasks, duties, and responsibilities into a unit of work to achieve a certain objective.
• Job Rotation: Moving employees horizontally or vertically to expand their skills, knowledge, or activities.
• Job Enrichment: Adding more responsibilities, autonomy, and control to a job.

Historical Context and Modern Approaches to Job Analysis

Job analysis has a long history within the HR field. Efficiency expert Fred Taylor’s scientific management studies were key contributions to the evolution of contemporary job analysis methods.

Taylor’s industrial engineering approach was focused on reducing costs and improving the efficiency of the manufacturing worker. In particular, his analysis process concentrated on finding the “one best way” to do any job.

This approach, still a central feature of present-day job analysis, examines two main aspects of each job in the organization;

• the methods employed, and
• the time measurement for task completion.

The first aspect is concerned with how the job incumbent performs the job – that is, with the minimum requirements for success in the job.

These requirements include;

• the individual’s knowledge of production techniques and processes, cognitive (mental) abilities, mechanical abilities, and psychomotor abilities, and
• the working conditions in which the job is performed (e.g., whether the work is done by the individual alone or in conjunction with other members of a team).

The second aspect, common to all job analyses, is time measurement, or the cycle/production time required to produce the goods or services to the organization’s performance standards. This time standard completely depends on the first aspect, concerned with the methods employed (or how the job is performed).

Changing the process from individual to team-based production and modifying the number of raw material inputs or steps in the production process will substantially change the output or number of items that can be produced on a time basis per hour, shift, or day.

4 Features of Job Analysis

From the definitions in the preceding section, we can list the features of job analysis as follows:

• Job analysis is gathering relevant information about various aspects of a job and identifying tasks required to be performed as part of it.
• It systematically defines the role, context, conditions, human behavior, performance standards, and responsibilities of a job.
• It helps establish the job’s worth to an organization. In other words, it measures a job’s value and contribution to the organization’s growth.
• It establishes job-relatedness, which is crucial for HR decisions involving recruitment, selection, compensation, training, health, and safety.

6 Importance of Job Analysis

Job analysis has been described as a fundamental instrument in the manpower management program. However, its importance may be well understood by narrating the areas of its concentration as under:

Ensuring similarity in job title

If the same job is described or titled in different ways in different organizations, the management finds great difficulty in selecting personnel and pricing the jobs. Job analysis helps minimize this problem by introducing similarities in job titles in different organizations.

Clarifying methods and procedures of work

The jobs are studied scientifically to study the duties and the tasks of the workers doing a particular job. Job analysis helps the management to get a clear picture of workers’ requirements regarding the types of supply of tools, machines, and equipment.

It indicates how much training, responsibilities, and supervision the worker should receive to perform the job efficiently. It helps the industrial engineer improve methods or procedures of work and determine the production standards.

Improving physical conditions of the work environment

Job analysis helps the management provide the worker with optimum conditions for work by providing an adequate workplace with good illumination and ventilation.

It also helps the management decide the ways by which it can avoid unnecessary noise, humidity, and dangerous, unhealthy, and hazardous conditions of work.

Delineating the relation of one job to other jobs

Job analysis describes the skill involved in doing a job as well as the characteristics required by the worker to do the job efficiently.

Thus, it helps the management to grade the jobs and to coordinate the work of a job with other jobs. It also helps the management to keep auxiliary workforces in the form of job families to meet any emergency.

When the best characteristics required by the workers are more or less identical in different jobs, then the jobs can be classified under one family. Inter-job, inter-department, and even inter-plant transfer of employees are common under conditions of industrial growth. Scientifically studying the job facilitates economic, efficient, and equitable transfer.

Similarly, men cannot be advanced from position to position and asked to take more responsibilities as they move upward in the organizational ladder unless the nature of the job under question and the human characteristic requirements of higher positions are definitely known.

Job analysis not only informs the management about the blockade of the promotional opportunities in some cases but also links up with other positions in the same or other departments that can offer opportunities.

Determining conditions of employment

Job analysis helps the industrial engineer determine the length and hours of work as well as the responsibilities for a particular job.

It helps the personnel department in pricing the job as well as in determining whether the job can be made permanent or seasonal. Last but not least, it helps the management to have a scientific procedure to provide every employee with opportunities for promotions and advancement.

Reducing grievances

At present, an appreciable amount of labor unrest is due to the absence of adequate information about jobs. Because of this situation, management and unions, in most cases, do not agree upon wage fixation, transfer, and promotion.

Gross inequalities in rates of wages, poor promotion plans, inability of heads of the department to understand fully the intricacies of the job, and lack of scientific analysis of human qualities create discontentment among employees and sometimes lead to serious grievances.

Job analysis supplies systematic information through job evaluation, job specification, job description, job schedule, etc., and thus helps avoid discontentment.

Basically, job analysis and job standardization are service tools; they are the means to an end.

It is closely connected with research studies on time and motion, industrial health and fatigue, causation of industrial accidents, determination of standards of performance and production standards, improvement of methods of procedure in machine operation, adjustment, and maintenance.

KSAs of Job Analysis

Job analysis can be defined as an examination of the jobs in an organization with a view to documenting the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with the successful performance of those jobs. The written outcomes of this process are referred to either as a job description or a job specification.

The difference between these two items centers on whether the emphasis is on the duties or tasks to be carried out on the job (i.e., the job description) or on the competencies or KSAs the jobholder must possess to be a successful performer in a specific job (i.e., the job specification). KSAs are elaborated as follows:

Knowledge : Knowledge is the body of information, usually of a factual or procedural nature, that allows an individual to perform a task successfully.

Skill : Skill is the individual’s level of proficiency or competency in performing a specific task. The level of competency is typically expressed in numerical terms.

Ability : Ability is a more general, enduring trait or capability an individual possesses at the time when he or she first begins to perform a task.

Other attributes : Other attributes include work experience.

9 Objectives of Job Analysis

A sound human resource management practice  dictates that a thorough job analysis should be done, as it may provide a deeper understanding of the behavioral requirements of jobs.

This, in turn, creates a solid basis on which to make job-related employment decisions.

9 main objectives of job analysis;

Organizational structure and design

Human resource planning, work simplification, setting up of standards., support for personnel activities, job description, job specification, job classification system, job evaluation and compensation.

By clarifying job requirements and interrelationships among jobs, responsibilities at all levels can be specified, promoting efficiency and minimizing overlap or duplication.

Job analysis is the foundation of forecasting the needs for human resources and plans for such activities as training, transfer, or promotion.

Job analysis information is incorporated into a human resource information system.

Job analysis provides information related to the job, and this data can be used to make the process or job simple.

Work simplification means dividing the job into small parts, i.e., different product lines or process operations, improving production or job performance.

Standard means minimum acceptable qualities, results, performance, or rewards regarding a particular job.

Job analysis provides information about the job, and each standard can be established using this information.

Job analysis supports various personnel activities like recruitment, selection, placement, training and development, wage administration, performance appraisal, etc.

A job description is a job profile that describes the job’s contents, environment, and condition . It is prepared based on data collected through job analysis. It provides information about the activities and duties to be performed in a job.

Job description differentiates one job from another by introducing unique characteristics of each job.

A job specification is another notable objective of job analysis. It includes information about the requirements of skills and abilities to perform a specific task.

It states the minimum acceptable qualifications an incumbent must possess to perform the assigned duty successfully.

The job specification statement identifies the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform that task effectively .

Selection, training, and pay systems are often key to job classification.

Without job analysis information, it is impossible to determine the relationships among jobs in an organization reliably.

Job analysis also provides the required information that is necessary for evaluating the worthiness of jobs.

After preparing the job description and job specification statements, it assists in evaluating actual performance against the predetermined standard. Then the deviation (if any) is found that has taken place during action.

Moreover, it helps establish the value of different jobs in a hierarchical order, comparing jobs to one another.

These, in turn, are valuable in helping managers identify the kinds of employees they should recruit, select, and develop and provide guidance for decisions about training and career development, performance appraisal, and compensation administration.

Strategic Choice of Job Analysis

The following strategic guidelines should be examined when deciding whether to conduct a job analysis;

• The primary purpose for conducting a job analysis should be specified (such as establishing wage rates or recruiting) to help ensure that all relevant information is examined.
• The primary purpose of conducting a job analysis should be to input the types of information collected (for example, work activities, machines & tools used, or job context).
• The purpose of the job analysis, the types of information required, the time & cost constraints, the level of employee involvement & the level of detail desired should be specified before choosing one or more of the available data collection methods .
• Managers should follow or include the following steps when conducting a job analysis.
• Determine the purpose of the job analysis.
• Identify the jobs to be analyzed.
• Determine the data collection method.
• Explain the process to employees & involve them.
• Collect job analysis information.
• Process the job analysis information.
• Review & update frequently.
• The job analysis should be designed so that job descriptions & job specifications can be derived easily.
• Managers should communicate all relevant information to employees concerning the job analysis to prevent unnecessary uncertainty & anxiety.
• If major organizational changes occur, managers should consider conducting a job analysis.
• If major organizations are anticipated, managers should consider conducting a more future-oriented job analysis.

3 Purposes of Job Analysis

The data collected from the job analysis can be used for three purposes.

3 purposes of job analysis are;

Job Description

Job specification, job evaluation.

Job descriptions describe the duties, responsibilities, working conditions, and activities of a particular job. Job descriptions vary in terms of the level of detail provided.

However, several components are present in virtually every job description—for example, the job title, type of summary, and worker requirements.

One valuable source for locating standardized job descriptions is the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT), published by the US Department of labor, providing more than 12,000 occupations. Managers can adapt the standardized job descriptions from the DOT to the specific jobs within their firm.

Job specifications detail the knowledge, skills, and abilities relevant to a job, including the education, experience, specialized training, personal traits , and manual dexterity required. The job specification is important for several reasons.

First, certain jobs have the qualifications required by law.

For example, airline pilots, attorneys, and medical doctors must be licensed. Another type of job specification is based on professional tradition.

For example, university professors must usually hold a Ph.D. or equivalent degree if they are in a tenure track position.

Finally, job specifications might involve establishing certain standards or criteria for successful performance.

The information gathered during a job analysis can be used as input for the organization’s job evaluation system. The job evaluation determines the worth of a particular job to the organization .

This information is primarily used to determine the pay for the job. Thus, employees should be paid more for working more difficult jobs.

7 Components of Job Analysis

A job can be broken into several components and arranged into a hierarchy of work activities. This hierarchy is depicted in the following figure;

7 components of job analysis are;

• Job Family.

The smallest practical unit into which any work activity can be subdivided.

An identifiable unit of work activity is produced by applying a Composite of methods, procedures, and techniques.

An individual performs several distinct tasks to complete a work activity for which he or she is responsible.

The combination of all the duties required of one person performed a job.

A group of positions that are the same enough or their job elements tasks and others to be covered by the same job analysis.

Jobs are combined across organizations based on the skills, exhaustion, and responsibilities required by the jobs.

A category in which similar cocoons are grouped.

6 Steps or Stages of The Job Analysis Process

There are six steps in the job analysis process. Let’s look at each of them. The steps are shown in the following figure:

• Decide how we will use the information.
• Review relevant background information
• Select representative positions
• Analyze the job
• Verify the job analysis information.
• Develop a job description and job specification

Step 1: Decide how we will use the information.

Decide how we will use the information since this will determine the data and how we collect them. Some data collection techniques – like interviewing the employee and asking what the job entails – are good for writing job descriptions and selecting an employee for the job.

Other techniques, like the position analysis questionnaire, do not provide qualitative information for a job description.

Instead, they provide numerical ratings for each job: these can be used to compare jobs for compensation purposes.

Step 2: Review relevant background information

Review relevant background information, such as organization charts, process charts, and job descriptions.

Organization charts show the organization-wide division of work, with titles of each position and interconnecting lines that report to and communicate with whom.

A process chart provides a more detailed picture of the workflow. A process chart shows the flow of inputs to and outputs from the job we analyze in its simplest form.

Finally, the existing job description usually provides a starting point for building the revised job description.

Step 3: Select representative positions

Select representative positions. There may be too many similar jobs to analyze them all. For example, it is usually unnecessary to analyze the jobs of 200 assembly workers when a sample of 10 jobs will do.

Step 4: Analyze the job

Analyze the job by collecting data on job activities, required employee behaviors, working conditions, and human traits and abilities needed to perform the job. For this step, use one or more of the job analysis methods.

Step 5: Verify the job analysis information.

Verify the job analysis information with the worker performing the job and with his immediate supervisor. This will help confirm that the information is factually correct and complete.

This review can also help gain the employee’s acceptance of the job analysis data and conclusions by giving that person a chance to review and modify our description of the job activities.

Step 6: Develop a job description and job specification

Develop a job description and job specification.

The job description is a written statement describing the job’s activities and responsibilities and its important features, such as working conditions and safety hazards.

Job specification summarizes the personal qualities, traits, skills, and background required to complete the job. It may be in a separate document or the same document as the job description.

7 Job Analysis Methods

An organization uses different methods to collect information and conduct job analysis.

7 job analysis methods are;

Observation method

Job performance, work sampling, individual interview, structured questionnaire, critical incident method, diary method.

In this method, the observer observes a worker or a group of workers doing a job. He lists all the duties performed by the worker and the qualities required to perform those duties.

It is a direct method. Direct exposure to jobs can provide a richer and deeper understanding of job requirements than workers’ descriptions of what they do.

Observations alone may reveal little useful information if the work in question is primarily mental.

With this approach, an analyst does the job understudy to get firsthand exposure to what it demands.

With this method, there is exposure to actual job tasks and the jobs’ physical, environmental, and social demands. It is suitable for jobs that can be learned relatively quickly.

Its main limitation is that the employee becomes conscious when the employee’s work is observed. This method is inappropriate for jobs that require extensive training or are hazardous.

Under this method, a manager can determine the content and pace of a typical workday through a statistical sampling of certain actions rather than through continuous observation and timing of all actions.

A manager or job analyst visits each job site and talks with employees performing each job. A standardized interview form is used most often to record the information.

Frequently, both the employee and the employee’s supervisor must be interviewed to understand the job completely. In some cases, a group of experts conducts the interview.

They ask questions about the job, skill levels, and difficulty levels.

They ask questions and collect information, and based on this information, job analysis is prepared.

This method can provide information about standard and non-standard activities and physical and mental work.

In short, the worker can provide the analyst with information that might not be available from any other source. Its main limitation is that workers may be suspicious of interviewers and their motives.; interviewers may ask ambiguous questions.

Thus, the distortion of information is a real possibility.

A survey instrument is developed and given to employees and managers to complete.

The main advantage of this method is that information on many jobs can be collected inexpensively in a relatively short time. This method is usually cheaper and quicker to administer than other methods.

Questionnaires can be completed off the job, thus avoiding lost productive time. Its main limitation is that it is time consuming and expensive to develop.

The rapport between analyst and respondent is impossible unless the analyst is present to explain and clarify misunderstandings.

Such an impersonal approach may have adverse effects on respondent cooperation and motivation.

In this method, the employee is asked to write one or more critical incidents that has taken place on the job.

The incident will explain the problem, how it is handled, the qualities required, difficulty levels, etc. The critical incident method gives an idea about the job and its importance.

A critical means important, and an incident means anything that takes place on the job. This method focuses directly on what people do in their jobs, and thus, it provides insight into job dynamics.

But this method takes much time to gather, abstract, and categorize the incidents.

It may be difficult to develop a profile of average job behavior as this method describes particularly effective or ineffective behavior.

Under this method, companies can ask employees to maintain log records or daily diaries, and job analysis can be done based on information collected from the record.

A log record is a book in which employee records /writes all the activities performed by him on the job.

The records are extensive and exhausted and provide a fair idea about the duties and responsibilities in any job.

In this method, the worker does the work himself, and the idea of the skill required, the difficulty level of the job, and the efforts required can be known easily.

6 Job Analysis Tools

Job Analysis supports all other management activities, including recruitment and selection , training and development need analysis, performance analysis, and appraisal, job evaluation, job rotation, job enrichment and enlargement, the right job-individual, creation, and regulation of entry and exit of talent in an organization.

There are various tools and techniques, such as the O-Net model. PAQ model. FJA model.

F-JAS model and competency model help HR managers to develop genuine job description and job specification data.

Though not very new, a few high-profile organizations use these specialized tools and techniques.

Not very common in use, but once understood, these systematic approaches prove extremely useful for measuring the worth of any job in an organization.

6 tools for Job Analysis are;

O*Net Model

F-jas model, competency model.

The beauty of this model is that it helps managers or job analysts in listing job-related data for a huge number of jobs simultaneously.

It helps collect and record basic and initial data, including educational, physical, and mental and emotional requirements to some extent.

It also links the compensation and benefits, perks, and advantages to a prospective candidate for a specific job.

FJA stands for Functional Job Analysis and helps collect and record job-related data to a deeper extent. It is used to develop task-related statements.

The technique developed by Sidney Fine and his colleagues helps determine the complexity of duties and responsibilities involved in a specific job.

This work-oriented technique works based on the relatedness of job data, where the complexity of work is determined on a scale of various scores given to a particular job.

The lower scores represent greater difficulty.

PAQ represents the Position Analysis Questionnaire. This well-known and commonly used technique analyzes a job by getting the questionnaires filled by job incumbents and their superiors.

Designed by a trained and experienced job analyst, the process involves interviewing the subject matter experts and employees and evaluating the questionnaires on those bases.

Representing Fleishman Job Analysis System is a basic and generic approach to discovering common elements in different jobs, including;

• verbal abilities,
• reasoning abilities,
• idea generation,
• quantitative abilities,
• attentiveness,
• spatial abilities,
• visual and other sensory abilities,
• manipulative abilities,
• reaction time,
• speed analysis,
• flexibility,
• emotional characteristics,
• physical strength,
• perceptual abilities,
• communication skills,
• coordination, and
• movement control abilities.

This model discusses employees’ competencies in knowledge, skills, abilities, behaviors, expertise, and performance.

It also helps understand what a prospective candidate requires at the time of entry into an organization at a particular designation in a given work environment and schedule.

The model also includes basic elements such as qualifications, experience, education, training, certifications, licenses, legal requirements, and a candidate’s willingness.

This technique defines personality dynamics and suggests an ideal job model.

However, it does not discuss the individual competencies, such as intellect, experience, or physical and emotional characteristics of an individual required to perform a specific job.

Different tools can be used in different situations. The selection of an ideal job analysis tool depends upon job analysis needs and objectives and the amount of time and resources.

8 Key Factors in Job Analysis

• Task identity.
• Responsibility.

Working environment

Interaction with others, recognition and support, outcomes and performance measures, task identity.

Employees receive more satisfaction from doing a ‘whole’ piece of work. This is likely to happen when the job has a distinct beginning and end, visible to the employee and others.

Employees must see the work results they have produced either independently or as a part of a team.

Employees who perform repetitive tasks that offer no challenge may lose interest and become bored and dissatisfied.

Greater variety can improve interest, challenge, and commitment to the task. Variety means more than simply adding an extra but similar task.

For example, processing different forms would not make the work more meaningful as there would be no extra challenge.

Too much variety can also be frustrating and a source of conflict and dissatisfaction. The optimum amount of variety will differ from person to person and could depend on the level of the position.

Responsibility

Employees need to feel responsible for a significant part of the work they perform, either individually or as part of a team.

Work should be identified, enabling employees to see that they are personally responsible for the successes and failures of their actions.

This goes hand in hand with responsibility. Employees should have some areas of decision-making within the framework of their job.

Autonomy means giving more scope to employees to regulate and control their work.

A job should provide a safe and healthy working environment that is free from discrimination and harassment. It is also important to consider the types of work aids and equipment required to perform the role.

Employees need to understand their reporting relationships.

For example, employees must know to whom they report. It is important to identify the level of interaction that is required with key internal and external customers.

Employees need jobs that contribute to self-respect, particularly through acceptance and recognition by fellow workers and supervisors.

Jobs should permit relationships between individuals and encourage teamwork; otherwise, the employee can feel isolated, resulting in negative feelings about their work and work environment.

Employees need to know their particular targets and how they relate to the organization’s overall operation. This will involve identifying the outcomes required of the position.

The standard of performance also needs to be identified, along with performance measures. This feedback will provide employees with an equitable capacity for ongoing learning and advancement.

Guidelines for Performing Job Analysis

Before actually analyzing the job, using one or more of the tools we turn to in the following section, keep four practical guidelines in mind.

• Make the job analysis a joint effort by a human resources specialist, the worker, and the supervisor. The human resource manager might observe the worker doing the job and have the supervisor and worker fill out job questionnaires. The specialist lists the job duties and required human traits based on all that. The supervisor and worker then review and verify the HR manager’s list of the job’s activities and duties.
• If several employees are doing the same job in different departments, collect job analysis information from employees in different departments, not just one. The way someone with a particular job title spends his time is not necessarily the same from department to department.
• Make sure the questions and processes are clear to the employees. (For example, some might not know what we mean when we ask about the job’s “mental demands.”) Catch problems early.
• Use several different tools for job analysis. Generally, try not to rely on a questionnaire but perhaps supplement the survey results with a short follow-up interview. The problem is that each tool has potential drawbacks.

4 Techniques for Designing Jobs

Basically, there are four techniques used in the design of jobs;

• job simplification,
• job enlargement,
• job enrichment, and
• job rotation.

Job Simplification

Job simplification is a design method whereby jobs are divided into smaller components and subsequently assigned to workers as whole jobs.

Simplification of work requires that jobs be broken down into their smallest units and then analyzed. Each resulting sub-unit typically consists of relatively few operations. These subunits are then assigned to the workers as their total job.

There appear to be two major advantages to using job simplification.

First, since the job requires very little training, it can be completed by less costly unskilled labor.

Second, job speed increases because each worker is performing only a small portion of the previously large job and thus is able to master a smaller, less complicated job unit.

On the negative side, job simplification results in workers experiencing boredom, frustration, alienation, lack of motivation, and low job satisfaction. This, in turn, leads to lower productivity and increased cost.

Job Enlargement

Job enlargement expands a job horizontally. It increases job scope; that is, it increases the number of different operations required in a job and the frequency with which the job cycle is repeated.

By increasing the number of tasks an individual performs, job enlargement increases the job scope or job diversity. Instead of only sorting the incoming mail by department, a mail sorter’s job could be enlarged to include physically delivering the mail to the various departments.

Job Rotation

Job rotation refers to the movement of an employee from one job to another. Jobs themselves are not actually changed; only the employees are rotated among various jobs.

An employee who works on a routine job moves to work on another job for some hours/days/months and returns to the first job. This measure relieves employees from boredom and monotony, improves employees’ skills regarding various jobs, prepares workers’ self-image, and provides personal growth.

However, frequent job rotations are not advisable in view of their negative impact on the organization and the employee.

Job Enrichment

Job enrichment, as it is currently practiced in industry, is a direct outgrowth of Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory of motivation.

It is, therefore, based on the assumption that to motivate personnel, the job itself must provide opportunities for achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement, and growth. The basic idea is to restore to jobs the elements of interest that were taken away under intensive specialization.

Job enrichment tries to embellish the job with factors that Herzberg characterized as motivators: achievement, recognition, increased responsibilities, opportunities for growth, advancement, and increased competence. There is an attempt to build a higher sense of challenge and achievement through vertical loading into jobs.

“Enrichment means building challenge and achievement into workers’ jobs by changing their jobs’ content—letting them order and inspect their own good day schedule, and so forth.”

Vertical job loading entails redesigning jobs to provide:

• Greater responsibility,
• Greater autonomy,
• More immediate feedback to the individual or group.

Job enrichment might include transferring some of the superior’s activities to subordinates.

8 Reasons Why Job Analysis Is Important For HRM!

Job analysis is a process. 8 importance of job analysis are;

Planning and organizing of program

Obtaining current information, conducting needs research.

• Establishing_priorities
• Collecting. job data

Preparing job description

• Developing.job specification

Maintaining and updating the job description and job specification.

The first step is to plan and organize the job analysis program. Planning is done before gathering data from the employees. It is important to identify the objectives of the job analysis.

Top management support is needed to make job analysis a success . A person is designated as in charge of the program, and required authority and responsibility are assigned.

The schedule of the program and budget estimation is prepared.

Current job design information is collected, and the analyst studies job descriptions, job specifications, processes used, manuals, and organization flow charts.

The analyst determines which manager, the department requires the job analysis.

Research is conducted to determine the purpose of the job analysis and the method used to gather relevant information.

Establishing priorities

With the help of various related department managers, an HR manager will identify and prioritize the jobs to be analyzed.

Collecting job data

The next step is collecting the data related to the job selected for the analysis as they are being performed in the organization.

Using job information obtained from job analysis, a job description is prepared.

It states the full information about the job, including the working conditions, nature of the job, processes, machines, and materials used.

Developing job specification

Job specifications are developed using the information given in the job description.

A job specification is a statement regarding the human qualities required to perform a particular job. Such information is used to select the person matching the job requirements.

Once a job description and job specification have been completed and reviewed, a system must be developed to keep them current.

Job and employee requirements may change over time, and accordingly, job descriptions and specifications need to be adapted.

Why is job analysis the Foundation of HR Practices?

HR practitioners refer to job analysis as the foundation for all HR activities, and there are extremely valid reasons for this assertion.

Before we can meaningfully advertise jobs and attract desired individuals to fill job vacancies identified by the HR planning process, we must be able to specify the individual competencies that we are looking for.

Once we have developed a pool of high-quality job applicants, the selection process will incorporate employment tests and interview questions based on the need to choose the individual who best meets the formal requirements for success identified by our job analysis process.

The selection criteria that follow out of the job analysis process are also used in succession planning to appraise the organization’s internal candidates for possible transfer or promotion to management or executive jobs.

Once we have selected an individual to fill a job, he or she should be given a copy of the job description or specification for the job, which provides specific guidance on how to perform the job in accordance with the wishes of the organization.

The performance appraisal process compares the individual’s accomplishments over a predetermined period with the desired standards specified in the job description or specification.

If the performance appraisal process reveals that the individual has deficiencies that can be rectified by training and development, specific programs or courses can be offered to help the individual reach the desired standards.

Furthermore, compensation systems in organizations typically use a classification process based on knowledge and skills, effort, responsibility, and working conditions – the four indispensable factors of the job that are explicitly noted and formalized by the job analysis process.

Finally, successful career planning programs also draw heavily on the front-end requirement of a comprehensive job analysis.

In planning future career moves, the individual and the organization note the employee’s current KSAs and level of performance and compare these to the KSAs required in various target jobs for which the employee would like to apply.

Once this information is provided by job analysis, the employee is informed of the explicit education and skills development that will be required prior to being considered for the target job.

Job analysis, therefore, is not only a critical requirement for the proper implementation and operation of the HR planning process, as examined in this book, but is also an essential prerequisite for the success of virtually all other HR functions.

4 Major Problems With Job Analysis

Having noted the process of job analysis, let’s now turn to an examination of the frequent problems associated with job analysis.

Job Analysis that is neither updated nor reviewed

One must consider the topic of computer technology to recognize the impact that an extremely rapid rate of change has on how work is being performed.

Job analyses must be reviewed regularly by incumbents, supervisors, HR staff, and so on to ensure that the written job requirements reflect the reality of contemporary job performance. Recent changes in technology, materials, and processes must be incorporated into the amended job description or specification.

Obsolete job descriptions not only fail to provide job incumbents with meaningful guidance as to their required duties and tasks but also result in an HR planning process attempting to match individuals to jobs based on no longer valid information.

Job description or specification that is too vague

If job analysis is to provide important information to allow us to select the individual who best meets job requirements, we must be specific as to what those exact requirements are.

For example, organizations often specify that applicants must have a certain number of years of experience in a certain functional area instead of specifying the exact skills or competencies the applicant should have learned over that period.

Without this specific information, experience or time spent on the job has little relevance for selection.

Similarly, organizations may mistakenly include elements such as “dependability” as one of their job requirements without giving specific examples of what constitutes dependable behavior (e.g., the individual arrives on time for meetings with all preparatory work properly completed).

To be an effective component of HR planning, the job analysis process must produce detailed, specific behavioral examples of successful job performance for each job in the work process.

Contamination and deficiency

Although brevity and clarity are definite virtues with respect to job analysis (a short, clear job description is of great use to both job incumbents and the HR staff), taken to an extreme, these characteristics may cause problems during job analysis efforts.

If our job description or specification fails to incorporate important aspects of the job that are required for success, this error of omission is referred to as deficiency.

Conversely, if we include peripheral, unimportant aspects of a job in the formal job description, we run the risk of contaminating it by diverting attention from valid, important correlates of success.

Contamination of our job analysis process may also lead to legal consequences if we use the information to select individuals based on factors not related to the job.

For job analysis, therefore, we should try to be as brief and clear as possible but not at the expense of excluding any important behavioral or performance element of the job.

Time and costs of job analysis

Some organizations are deterred from conducting job analysis due to the significant time and start-up costs perceived to be associated with the process.

Typical costs include consulting fees for job analysis (if the organization does not have in-house HR staff with relevant qualifications), licensing fees associated with usage of copyrighted job analysis methods, the costs of lost production (or overtime) involved with interviewing and surveying job incumbents, managers, and so on, and the administrative costs involved with codifying, analyzing, drafting, revising, and disseminating the information that results from the process.

However, many organizations that bemoan the large time and cost expenditures associated with job analysis do so only because they have not conducted a proper cost-benefit analysis with respect to this decision.

For example, organizations should also consider the time and cost savings that result from the following:

• better matching of individual skills to organizational requirements (e.g., reduced costs and often lower absenteeism and turnover associated with training and development),
• incorporation of the benefits of organizational learning with respect to product and process improvements,
• reduced job ambiguity and wastage,
• clarification of operating procedures and job relationships,
• explicit definition of performance expectations for individuals and teams, and
• facilitation of other HR programs.

If organizations consider the full costs and benefits associated with entering into the job analysis process, the decision to proceed is invariably very clear!

Conclusion: Job Analysis is an essential prerequisite for the effective management

Information is the basic material used by an industry for many kinds of job-related planning. The nature of job information varies from industry to industry, from department to department, and from purpose to purpose. Information used for job analysis must be accurate, timely, and tailor-made.

Job analysis is the process of determining by observation and study and reporting pertinent information related to the nature of a specific job. It is the method used to determine what types of manpower are needed to perform the jobs of the organization.

Job analysis is composed of—(i) Job description, (ii) Job specification, and (iii) Job evaluation.

Employee turnover is a severe problem in most industries.

Turnover is harmful because it causes serious inconveniences, high costs, wastage of trained workforce, and reduces morale and motivation. It occurs mainly due to frustration for the following reasons:

• A mismatch between expectation and reality, like work,
• A mismatch between the requirements of the job and capabilities,
• A mismatch between responsibility and compensation.

This mismatch has arisen because the work has not been properly defined, designed, and disclosed.

This leads to the concept of job analysis. F.W. Taylor, the father of Scientific Management , also emphasized conducting and studying each part of the job scientifically to develop the best way of doing a task.

Let us now define a job.

Organizations consist of positions that have to be staffed by the right person.

A job is defined as a collection of duties and responsibilities given to an individual employee. Jobs are important to individuals.

They help determine living standards, places of residence, status, and even one’s sense of self-worth. Jobs are important because they are the vehicles through which work is accomplished.

Job analysis is an essential prerequisite for the effective management of the human resources of an organization . It is the process of gathering relevant information about a job. It specifies the tasks involved in a job and the factors that influence the performance of that job.

As a process, it can produce results with great practical relevance for human resource management .

Job analysis has applications in almost all the HR activities of an organization .

It acts as the basis for decisions involving human resource planning, recruitment and selection, training and development, compensation fixation, job evaluation, performance evaluation , career management , and the health and safety of employees.

The end product of a job analysis is a written description of the actual requirements of the job.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

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5.7: What is Job Analysis?

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• Page ID 47036
• Nina Burokas
• Lumen Learning

Learning Outcomes

• Describe the purpose of job analysis
• Identify the steps in the job analysis process
• Identify sources of information for job analysis

OPM (United States Office of Personnel Management) describes job analysis as “a systematic procedure for gathering, documenting, and analyzing information about the content, context, and requirements of the job.” [1]

Purpose of Job Analysis

The purpose of job analysis is to establish what a job entails, including the required knowledge, skills and abilities or KSA as well as job duties and responsibilities and the conditions of the job. Job analysis is essential documentation and a fundamental resource for human resources management actions including recruiting, compensation, training and assessment and performance evaluation. As OPM notes, “a job analysis is the foundation of human resources management. A valid job analysis provides data that should be used to develop effective recruitment, qualification and assessment, selection, performance management, and career development methodologies.” [2]

Job analysis serves four primary purposes:

• Establish and document job-related competencies
• Identify the job-relatedness of essential tasks and competencies
• Establish the legal basis for assessment and selection procedures/decisions
• Establish the basis for determining relative worth

Practice Question

https://assessments.lumenlearning.co...essments/18143

Steps in Job Analysis

Fundamentals of Human Resource Management authors DeCenzo, et.al. identify the following job-specific steps in the job analysis process: [3]

• Establish the organizational relevance of the specific role. Identify how the job relates to the organization’s strategy. Reality check: If there isn’t a clear connection, the job may not be necessary.
• Benchmark positions, if necessary. If it’s impractical to conduct an analysis of every role, jobs can be grouped into categories that have similar characteristics. This is analogous to grouping jobs into categories for compensation purposes, as discussed in Module 8: Compensation and Benefits.
• Identify inputs. Determine what data sources will be used and how information will be collected. Review data and information; clarify any questions.
• Draft the job description. Formats vary, but there are common and required elements, discussed in Job Descriptions.
• Finalize the job description. Review the draft job description with the job supervisor and make revisions as appropriate. The supervisor should approve the final job description.

Summary: The Job Analysis Process

The job analysis process, including inputs and output, are listed below. [4]

• Organization Chart
• Observations
• Questionnaires

Position Data / Information

• Purpose of Role
• Reporting Relationship
• Key Accountabilities
• Internal & External Communication
• Machines & Equipments
• Knowledge & Experience
• Job Description

https://assessments.lumenlearning.co...essments/18144

Sources of Information

As noted above, determining what a job consists of involves identifying sources of information and determining how data will be collected. Internal sources of information include published information including organizational charts, job announcements, position descriptions; direct or indirect (e.g., review of video) observation; input from management, employees and/or a relevant subject matter expert, obtained through interviews or via questionnaires. An additional option for collecting data is the diary method, where a job incumbent keeps a diary or log of daily activities.

Information obtained from internal sources can be supplemented with or compared with external data. A key source of information—relevant for career exploration and job analysis, as the site’s welcome notes—is the O*Net OnLine database. O*Net’s About states the site “is the nation’s primary source of occupational information. O*Net’s database is updated on a continual basis and “contains hundreds of standardized and occupation-specific descriptors on almost 1,000 occupations covering the entire U.S. economy.” The section of particular interest to job analysts and human resource management in general is the Content Module, which provides the “anatomy” or distinguishing characteristics of an occupation including knowledge, skills and abilities and other job dimensions.

O*Net data is organized in the following six major domains:

• Worker Characteristics. Enduring characteristics that may influence both performance and the capacity to acquire knowledge and skills required for effective work performance.
• Worker Requirements. Descriptors referring to work-related attributes acquired and/or developed through experience and education.
• Experience Requirements. Requirements related to previous work activities and explicitly linked to certain types of work activities.
• Occupational Requirements. A comprehensive set of variables or detailed elements that describe what various occupations require.
• Workforce Characteristics. Variables that define and describe the general characteristics of occupations that may influence occupational requirements.
• Occupation-Specific Information. Variables or other Content Model elements of selected or specific occupations.

https://assessments.lumenlearning.co...essments/18146

O*Net’s Content Model  page is interactive; data can be accessed by clicking on a particular section or domain. For example, clicking on Worker Requirements links to a page with four primary folders: Abilities, Occupational Interest, Work Values and Work Styles. Nested under Abilities, defined as “Enduring attributes of the individual that influence performance” are four folders: Cognitive Abilities, Psychomotor Abilities, Physical Abilities and Sensory Abilities.

Completing Job Analysis

As described by the OPM, a job analysis is “a study of what workers do on the job, what competencies are necessary to do it, what resources are used in doing it, and the conditions under which it is done.” [5] Note that a job analysis is not a job evaluation; that is, the analysis is not an evaluation of the person currently performing the job.

Conducting a job analysis includes the following processes:

• Collecting Data. Gathering information from published sources, observation, interviews, online databases, such as O*Net or career sites.
• Developing Tasks. Developing a description of the “activities an employee performs on a regular basis in order to carry out the functions of the job.” [6]
• Developing Competencies. Describing the knowledge, skills, abilities, behaviors, and other characteristics required for successful performance of the role or occupational function. For information on how to write competencies, refer to OPM’s Competencies Quick Tips sheet.
• Validating & Rating Tasks & Competencies. Subject matter expert (SME) review and rating of tasks and competencies. A director supervisor or highly accomplished incumbent would be considered SMEs.
• Finalizing Tasks & Competencies. Finalization of tasks and competencies; those that are not rated by SMEs are required to successfully perform the job are dropped. The job analysis should be documented for validity and dated to provide a reference for updates.

To elaborate on the rating point, the OPM recommends that tasks that are rated as both frequent (every few days to weekly) and important (on a scale from Not Important to Extremely Important) be considered critical for the job. The OPM ranks competencies based on importance and when the skill is needed—for example, on entry or within 6 months, recommending that competencies be considered critical if considered at least Important and needed within the first 3 months.

https://assessments.lumenlearning.co...essments/18145

• U.S. Office of Personnel Management. “ Frequently Asked Questions Assessment Policy .” U.S. Office of Personnel Management. OPM. Accessed October 14, 2019. ↵
• " Delegated Examining Operations Handbook: A Guide for Federal Agency Examining Offices. " U.S. Office of Personnel Management. June 2019. Accessed September 10, 2019. ↵
• DeCenzo, David A., Stephen P. Robbins, and Susan L Verhulst. 2016. Fundamentals of Human Resource Management . New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons ↵
• People Excellence Team. " What is Job Analysis ." pesync. August 28, 2018. Accessed September 10, 2019. ↵
• " Job Analysis ." United States Office of Personnel Management. Accessed September 10, 2019. ↵
• Ibid. ↵

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Performing Job Analysis

This toolkit reviews how job analysis can be used to identify the knowledge, skills and expertise required to effectively perform job assignments, establish criteria for selection and promotions, design objectives for training and development programs, develop the standards for the measurement of performance, and assist with the determination of pay classification levels.

Job analysis is the process of studying a job to determine which activities and responsibilities it includes, its relative importance to other jobs, the qualifications necessary for performance of the job and the conditions under which the work is performed. An important concept in job analysis is that the job, not the person doing the job, is assessed, even though human resources (HR) may collect some job analysis data from incumbents.

Job analysis is often confused with job evaluation, but the two activities are quite different. Job evaluation is the process of comparing a job to other jobs within the organization to determine the appropriate pay rate and is not addressed in this toolkit. See Performing Job Evaluations .

Examples of how an organization may use job analysis data:

• Workforce planning.
• Performance management.
• Recruitment and selection.
• Career and succession planning.
• Training and development.
• Compensation administration.
• Health, safety and security.
• Employee/labor relations.
• Risk management.

Information Collection

Job analysis involves collecting information on characteristics that differentiate jobs. The following factors help make distinctions between jobs:

• Knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) needed.
• Work activities and behaviors.
• Interactions with others (internal and external).
• Performance standards.
• Financial budgeting and impact.
• Machines and equipment used.
• Working conditions.
• Supervision provided and received.

If an employer has not already done so, grouping jobs with related functions is helpful in the job analysis process by identifying the job family, job duties and tasks of related work. For example:

• Job family. Grouping of related jobs with broadly similar content.
• Job. Group of tasks, duties and responsibilities an individual performs that make up his or her total work assignment.
• Task. A specific statement of what a person does, with similar tasks grouped into a task dimension (i.e., a classification system).

A technical service job family, for example, could be identified as follows:

• Job family.   Technical Service.
• Job.  Technical service representative.
• Task.  Provides technical support to customers by telephone.

Job Analysis Methods  

Determining which tasks employees perform is not easy. The most effective technique when collecting information for a job analysis is to obtain information through direct observation as well as from the most qualified incumbent(s) via questionnaires or interviews. The following describes the most common job analysis methods.

• Open-ended questionnaire Job incumbents and/or managers fill out questionnaires about the KSAs necessary for the job. HR compiles the answers and publishes a composite statement of job requirements. This method produces reasonable job requirements with input from employees and managers and helps analyze many jobs with limited resources.  See   Job Analysis Questionnaire  and  Job Analysis Template .
• Highly structured questionnaire These questionnaires allow only specific responses aimed at determining the frequency with which specific tasks are performed, their relative importance and the skills required. The structured questionnaire is helpful to define a job objectively, which also enables analysis with computer models.  See   O*NET Questionnaires .
• Interview In a face-to-face interview, the interviewer obtains the necessary information from the employee about the KSAs needed to perform the job. The interviewer uses predetermined questions, with additional follow-up questions based on the employee's response. This method works well for professional jobs.
• Observation Employees are directly observed performing job tasks, and observations are translated into the necessary KSAs for the job. Observation provides a realistic view of the job's daily tasks and activities and works best for short-cycle production jobs.
• Work diary or log A work diary or log is a record maintained by the employee and includes the frequency and timing of tasks. The employee keeps logs over a period of days or weeks. HR analyzes the logs, identifies patterns and translates them into duties and responsibilities. This method provides an enormous amount of data, but much of it is difficult to interpret, may not be job-related and is difficult to keep up-to-date.  See   Job Analysis: Time and Motion Study Form .
• A team of senior managers identifies future performance areas critical to the organization's business and strategic plans.
• HR assembles panels composed of individuals who are knowledgeable about the organization's jobs (i.e., subject matter experts). These groups may be employees, managers, supervisors, trainers and others.
• A facilitator interviews panel members to obtain examples of job behaviors and actual occurrences on the jobs.
• The facilitator develops detailed descriptions of each identified competency, including descriptive phrases for clarity.
• HR rates the competencies, and panel members identify KSAs required to meet them.
• HR identifies performance standards for each job. The organization must develop and implement selection, screening, training and compensation instruments, or processes that focus on competencies. 

Use of Job Analysis Data

• Job descriptions and specifications HR uses the job analysis output to develop a job description and job specifications. The job description summarizes and organizes the information for the organization's job-related actions. Generally, the job description and specifications are combined but compartmentalized to enable independent updating as needed. See  How To Develop a Job Description  and  Sample Job Descriptions .
• Compensation decisions In relation to employee pay practices, job analysis has two critical uses: It establishes similarities and differences in job content, and it helps determine the internal equity and relative worth of like jobs. If jobs have equal content, then the pay established for them will likely be equal. If, on the other hand, job content is perceptibly different, then those differences, along with the market rates, will become part of the rationale for paying certain jobs differently.
• Selection assessments Job analysis information can also be used as a basis for selecting or developing employment assessments that measure the most critical tasks or KSAs. Some assessments involve work samples that simulate job tasks and require candidates to demonstrate that they can perform these tasks effectively. HR uses job-oriented or task-based job analysis data as a basis for developing these types of assessments because they focus directly on assessing how well job candidates can perform critical work tasks. Other assessment methods focus on measuring KSAs that are required to perform job tasks effectively, such as various mental abilities, physical abilities or personality traits, depending on the job's requirements. See  SHRM Talent Assessment Center .

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Module 5: Workforce Planning

What is job analysis, learning outcomes.

• Describe the purpose of job analysis
• Identify the steps in the job analysis process
• Identify sources of information for job analysis

OPM (United States Office of Personnel Management) describes job analysis as “a systematic procedure for gathering, documenting, and analyzing information about the content, context, and requirements of the job.” [1]

Purpose of Job Analysis

The purpose of job analysis is to establish what a job entails, including the required knowledge, skills and abilities or KSA as well as job duties and responsibilities and the conditions of the job. Job analysis is essential documentation and a fundamental resource for human resources management actions including recruiting, compensation, training and assessment and performance evaluation. As OPM notes, “a job analysis is the foundation of human resources management. A valid job analysis provides data that should be used to develop effective recruitment, qualification and assessment, selection, performance management, and career development methodologies.” [2]

Job analysis serves four primary purposes:

• Establish and document job-related competencies
• Identify the job-relatedness of essential tasks and competencies
• Establish the legal basis for assessment and selection procedures/decisions
• Establish the basis for determining relative worth

Practice Question

Steps in job analysis.

Fundamentals of Human Resource Management authors DeCenzo, et.al. identify the following job-specific steps in the job analysis process: [3]

• Establish the organizational relevance of the specific role. Identify how the job relates to the organization’s strategy. Reality check: If there isn’t a clear connection, the job may not be necessary.
• Benchmark positions, if necessary. If it’s impractical to conduct an analysis of every role, jobs can be grouped into categories that have similar characteristics. This is analogous to grouping jobs into categories for compensation purposes, as discussed in Module 8: Compensation and Benefits .
• Identify inputs. Determine what data sources will be used and how information will be collected. Review data and information; clarify any questions.
• Draft the job description. Formats vary, but there are common and required elements, discussed in Job Descriptions .
• Finalize the job description. Review the draft job description with the job supervisor and make revisions as appropriate. The supervisor should approve the final job description.

Summary: The Job Analysis Process

The job analysis process, including inputs and output, are listed below. [4]

• Organization Chart
• Observations
• Questionnaires

Position Data / Information

• Purpose of Role
• Reporting Relationship
• Key Accountabilities
• Internal & External Communication
• Machines & Equipments
• Knowledge & Experience
• Job Description

Sources of Information

As noted above, determining what a job consists of involves identifying sources of information and determining how data will be collected. Internal sources of information include published information including organizational charts, job announcements, position descriptions; direct or indirect (e.g., review of video) observation; input from management, employees and/or a relevant subject matter expert, obtained through interviews or via questionnaires. An additional option for collecting data is the diary method, where a job incumbent keeps a diary or log of daily activities.

Information obtained from internal sources can be supplemented with or compared with external data. A key source of information—relevant for career exploration and job analysis, as the site’s welcome notes—is the O*Net OnLine database. O*Net’s About states the site “is the nation’s primary source of occupational information. O*Net’s database is updated on a continual basis and “contains hundreds of standardized and occupation-specific descriptors on almost 1,000 occupations covering the entire U.S. economy.” The section of particular interest to job analysts and human resource management in general is the Content Module, which provides the “anatomy” or distinguishing characteristics of an occupation including knowledge, skills and abilities and other job dimensions.

O*Net data is organized in the following six major domains:

• Worker Characteristics. Enduring characteristics that may influence both performance and the capacity to acquire knowledge and skills required for effective work performance.
• Worker Requirements. Descriptors referring to work-related attributes acquired and/or developed through experience and education.
• Experience Requirements. Requirements related to previous work activities and explicitly linked to certain types of work activities.
• Occupational Requirements. A comprehensive set of variables or detailed elements that describe what various occupations require.
• Workforce Characteristics. Variables that define and describe the general characteristics of occupations that may influence occupational requirements.
• Occupation-Specific Information. Variables or other Content Model elements of selected or specific occupations.

O*Net’s Content Model  page is interactive; data can be accessed by clicking on a particular section or domain. For example, clicking on Worker Requirements links to a page with four primary folders: Abilities, Occupational Interest, Work Values and Work Styles. Nested under Abilities, defined as “Enduring attributes of the individual that influence performance” are four folders: Cognitive Abilities, Psychomotor Abilities, Physical Abilities and Sensory Abilities.

Completing Job Analysis

Conducting a job analysis includes the following processes:

• Collecting Data. Gathering information from published sources, observation, interviews, online databases, such as O*Net or career sites.
• Developing Tasks. Developing a description of the “activities an employee performs on a regular basis in order to carry out the functions of the job.” [6]
• Developing Competencies. Describing the knowledge, skills, abilities, behaviors, and other characteristics required for successful performance of the role or occupational function. For information on how to write competencies, refer to OPM’s Competencies Quick Tips sheet.
• Validating & Rating Tasks & Competencies. Subject matter expert (SME) review and rating of tasks and competencies. A director supervisor or highly accomplished incumbent would be considered SMEs.
• Finalizing Tasks & Competencies. Finalization of tasks and competencies; those that are not rated by SMEs are required to successfully perform the job are dropped. The job analysis should be documented for validity and dated to provide a reference for updates.

To elaborate on the rating point, the OPM recommends that tasks that are rated as both frequent (every few days to weekly) and important (on a scale from Not Important to Extremely Important) be considered critical for the job. The OPM ranks competencies based on importance and when the skill is needed—for example, on entry or within 6 months, recommending that competencies be considered critical if considered at least Important and needed within the first 3 months.

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• U.S. Office of Personnel Management. “ Frequently Asked Questions Assessment Policy .” U.S. Office of Personnel Management. OPM. Accessed October 14, 2019. ↵
• " Delegated Examining Operations Handbook: A Guide for Federal Agency Examining Offices. " U.S. Office of Personnel Management. June 2019. Accessed September 10, 2019. ↵
• DeCenzo, David A., Stephen P. Robbins, and Susan L Verhulst. 2016. Fundamentals of Human Resource Management . New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons ↵
• People Excellence Team. " What is Job Analysis ." pesync. August 28, 2018. Accessed September 10, 2019. ↵
• " Job Analysis ." United States Office of Personnel Management. Accessed September 10, 2019. ↵
• Ibid. ↵
• What is Job Analysis?. Authored by : Nina Burokas. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution
• Untitled. Authored by : Free-Photos. Provided by : Pixabay. Located at : https://pixabay.com/photos/person-man-male-business-tablet-731479/ . License : CC0: No Rights Reserved . License Terms : Pixabay License
• man and woman sitting on table photo. Authored by : LYCS Architecture. Provided by : Unsplash. Located at : https://unsplash.com/photos/U2BI3GMnSSE . License : CC0: No Rights Reserved . License Terms : Unsplash License

Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology pp 1369–1370 Cite as

Job Analysis

• Amy J. Armstrong 5  
• Reference work entry

222 Accesses

Job analysis is the process of gathering and documenting accurate and objective data relevant to the requirements and outcomes of a job, including what a worker does, how the work is done, why the work is done, the materials used to complete the job, the context of the job, and the characteristics and skills required to complete the job. An evaluation of the context of the job addresses the work and organizational culture, the integration of the worker, as well as environmental conditions. The job analysis is conducted by writing down in sequence all major job duties and the time required to perform each, identifying and describing each job skill that the employee will be required to perform, identifying work-related interaction between employees, and summarizing the analysis of each job. The job analysis is a tool that assists in the job selection process.

The steps to conduct a job analysis include interviewing the employer/supervisor, observing a coworker completing the...

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Griffin, C., Hammis, D., & Geary, T. (2007). The job developer’s handbook: Practical tactics for customized employment . Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.

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Wehman, P., Inge, K. J., Revell, G., & Brooke, V. (2007). Real work for real pay: Inclusive employment for people with disabilities . Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.

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Department of Rehabilitation Counseling, Virginia Commonwealth University, 980330, 23298, Richmond, VA, USA

Amy J. Armstrong

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Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Professor of Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry Virginia Commonwealth University – Medical Center Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, VCU, 980542, Richmond, Virginia, 23298-0542, USA

Jeffrey S. Kreutzer

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John DeLuca

Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Neurology and Neuroscience, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey – New Jersey Medical School, New Jersey, USA

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Bruce Caplan

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Armstrong, A.J. (2011). Job Analysis. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79948-3_406

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Why job analysis is important, with real-world examples

February 20, 2024 - 10 min read

Job analysis is more than just a routine HR process — it’s a strategic approach that can significantly contribute to effectively managing your human resources. By delving into the details of specific job roles, including the requirements, responsibilities, and qualifications, job analysis equips organizations with the knowledge to make well-informed decisions. 

This detailed guide aims to demystify job analysis, highlight its importance, and provide real-world examples of its application. But that’s not all. We also introduce how Wrike’s robust features are designed to alleviate pain points in job analysis, such as lack of clarity in job roles and difficulty identifying skill gaps. 

So, whether you’re a seasoned HR professional or a team leader looking to optimize your team’s performance, this article is an invaluable resource. Let’s explore the world of job analysis together and see how Wrike can elevate your approach to managing your most valuable asset: your people.

What is job analysis?

Job analysis is the systematic process of gathering, examining, and interpreting information about a job role within an organization. It involves collecting data on the tasks, duties, skills, knowledge, and abilities required to perform the job successfully.

The purpose of job analysis

• Job analysis aids in talent acquisition and recruitment by identifying the essential qualifications , skills, and experience required for a particular job. This information allows recruiters to develop targeted job advertisements and establish appropriate selection criteria. In short, it’s a recruiter’s best friend. Example : In the field of marketing, Job analysis might reveal that a digital marketing specialist needs to have knowledge of search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, and data analytics. Armed with this information, recruiters can attract potential candidates by crafting job postings that specifically highlight these required skills.
• Job analysis also contributes to the performance appraisal process . By outlining the job duties and performance expectations, it allows supervisors and managers to evaluate employees’ performance objectively. This ensures the appraisal process focuses on relevant aspects and promotes fair and unbiased assessments. Example : In a customer service role, job analysis could show that one of the key performance indicators is the ability to handle customer complaints effectively and provide satisfactory resolutions. Using this knowledge, supervisors can assess employees’ performance in this specific area and provide constructive feedback for improvement.
• Finally, job analysis plays a vital role in facilitating career development . It provides employees with a clear understanding of the skills and competencies necessary for advancement within the organization. Furthermore, it enables HR professionals to design training and development programs that address the specific needs of the job role, fostering employee growth and progression. Example : In a managerial role, job analysis reveals that effective leadership skills, strategic thinking, and the ability to manage cross-functional teams are crucial for career advancement. As such, employees can focus on developing these competencies and seek opportunities for growth within the organization.

The importance of job analysis

Think of job analysis as a deep dive into what a job role in your company involves. It’s like taking out a magnifying glass and closely looking at the tasks, duties, and skills necessary to do the job well. 

And not just that, it’s also about understanding the knowledge and abilities that someone needs to really shine in the role. Pretty important, right?

Taking the guesswork out of job analysis

When it comes to job analysis, Wrike is your ultimate partner and can significantly simplify and enhance your job analysis process. Let’s see how.

• Identify skill gaps with dashboards : By tracking performance and progress on tasks in Wrike’s dashboards, you can pinpoint areas where team members might need additional training or support. You’ll have a clear overview of each team member’s strengths and areas for improvement, enabling you to make informed decisions about professional development.
• Work cross-functionally : Wrike provides a platform where team members can discuss tasks, share ideas, and give feedback. This enhances teamwork and facilitates a better understanding of job requirements and expectations.
• Adapt processes with custom item types : Wrike’s flexibility means it can adapt to your organization’s specific needs. Whether you’re a small team or a large enterprise, Wrike can be customized to fit your unique job analysis process.

Steps involved in job analysis

Organizations typically follow specific steps to perform a comprehensive job analysis. They’re as easy as 1-2-3 — probably because there are only three steps!

Step 1: Gather information

The first step is all about gathering information. This is where you roll up your sleeves and dive into the nitty-gritty details of the job role. What tasks are involved? What skills are needed? What responsibilities does the job entail? It’s like becoming a detective for your organization.

Now, this might sound like a daunting task but don’t worry, Wrike’s got your back. With Wrike, gathering job-related information becomes a breeze. Let’s break it down.

• Wrike folders, projects, tasks, subtasks : Create an unlimited number of items — folders, projects, tasks, and subtasks — for your team and easily view which assignee is responsible for each specific initiative. You can create individual tasks for each element of the job role, making it easier to understand and manage. Plus, you can assign these tasks to team members, providing a clear picture of who does what.
• File attachments : Wrike allows you to attach files directly to tasks. This is great for including additional information or resources related to the job role. Think job descriptions, performance metrics, training materials — you name it. Everything you need is right there in one place.

Step 2: Create the job description

So, you’ve done your detective work, gathered all the information, and now better understand the job role. Great job! Now, it’s time to take all that information and craft a clear, concise, and comprehensive job description. This is like painting a picture of the role that gives potential candidates and your team a clear view of the job.

You might think, “This sounds like a lot of work.” But with Wrike, it’s a lot easier than you might think.

• Powerful workflow automation : Wrike AI does the work for you. You can use Wrike’s automation to make intelligent suggestions uniquely tailored to you and your team to help you get started with a rough draft of the job description.
• Collaboration : One of the great things about Wrike is its collaborative features. You can share the job description with your team, gather their feedback, and make revisions in real time. This collaborative approach ensures your job description is accurate, comprehensive, and approved by all relevant parties.

So, don’t let the job description development stage intimidate you. With Wrike, it’s a smooth, collaborative process that helps ensure your job descriptions are on point. Not only does this help potential candidates understand the role better, but it also helps your current team members understand their roles and responsibilities more clearly. And that’s a crucial step toward a more effective and harmonious workplace.

Step 3: Develop the job specification

Alright, we’re making great progress! We’ve gathered all the information about the job and crafted a comprehensive job description. It’s time to move on to the next step: developing the job specification. 

This is where we outline the specific qualifications, skills, and attributes a candidate needs to perform the job effectively. It’s like creating a wishlist of the perfect candidate.

Another document to create? Don’t worry — with Wrike, this process is much more straightforward and more efficient. Wrike’s task management capabilities are helpful when starting a job specification.

• You can easily organize all the information you’ve gathered about the necessary qualifications, skills, and attributes into individual tasks.
• You can share the job specification with your team, get their input, and make real-time updates.
• Once your job specification is complete, you can easily save it in Wrike. 

Now, let’s check out some real-world job analysis examples to see the steps we walked through above in action.

Real-world examples of job analysis

Job analysis finds applications in various industries and job roles. Here are a few examples of its practical implementation, as well as a few more details on how Wrike can be your guide through the job analysis maze.

Job analysis for a social media manager

Consider a growing company that wants to enhance its online presence and decides to hire a social media manager. 

Job summary: Responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive social media strategy, managing all social media channels, creating engaging content, and analyzing the success of campaigns. The ideal candidate will stay up to date with the latest social media trends and have a customer-focused approach to engaging the online community. This role is a fantastic opportunity for a social media enthusiast ready to take a brand’s social media to the next level.

• Creating and scheduling social media posts
• Responding to audience comments
• Analyzing engagement data
• Developing campaigns
• Degree in marketing or communication
• Familiarity with various social media platforms
• Excellent communication skills
• Experience using social media scheduling and analytics tools
• Creativity in creating engaging content
• Ability to work in a team
• Handle customer complaints professionally

Job analysis for a data scientist

Let’s take the example of a tech company that wants to leverage its data to make informed business decisions and plans to hire a data scientist. 

Job summary: Responsible for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting large datasets, developing algorithms, running complex mathematical models, and generating actionable insights to influence our business strategy.

• Collecting and interpreting complex datasets
• Creating algorithms
• Running tests
• Producing reports that influence business strategies
• Degree in data science or statistics
• Proficiency in programming languages like Python or R
• Experience with machine learning techniques
• Strong analytical skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Attention to detail
• Ability to communicate complex data insights in a transparent manner

Job analysis in the manufacturing industry

Let’s consider a manufacturing company that wants to hire a quality control inspector to ensure its products meet specific quality and safety standards. 

Job summary: Responsible for inspecting and testing materials and finished products to ensure they meet the company's quality standards and identify any defects or deviations.

• Inspecting and testing materials and finished products
• Identifying and documenting defects or deviations
• Interpreting and enforcing quality standards and procedures
• Collaborating with production teams to implement quality control measures
• Degree in quality control or a related field
• Knowledge of quality control standards and testing methods
• Proficiency in using inspection equipment and tools
• Strong reporting skills
• Excellent attention to detail
• Strong problem-solving skills
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
• Strong communication skills

These job analyses provide comprehensive overviews of each role, outlining what the job entails and the skills and qualifications required. This will help create a detailed job description and find the right candidate. So, where should you start?

Enter Wrike, your trusty companion in simplifying this complex process. 

Wrike: Your strategic tool for job analysis

Wrike boosts job analysis through its flexibility and adaptability . An adaptable tool is invaluable in an industry where change is constant and new technologies are always on the horizon. With Wrike, you can easily update job descriptions and tasks as roles evolve or new technologies are introduced. It’s like having a living, breathing document that grows and changes with your industry. 

Plus, our platform’s easy-to-use interface means you can make these updates quickly, keeping your team informed and ready to tackle their roles. 

Overall, Wrike simplifies job analysis, allowing you to streamline and standardize your process and collaborate effortlessly with others in your organization. With Wrike, you’re not just analyzing jobs — you’re building a stronger, more efficient workforce.

By clearly understanding each role, encouraging open communication, and offering insightful data, Wrike helps ensure that every team member is in a role that suits their skills and abilities. This leads to higher job satisfaction, better team performance, and a more successful organization. 

Ready to get started? Start your free trial today to ensure your team members understand their roles and contribute effectively towards your project goals.

Note: This article was created with the assistance of an AI engine. It has been reviewed and revised by our team of experts to ensure accuracy and quality.

Occasionally we write blog posts where multiple people contribute. Since our idea of having a gladiator arena where contributors would fight to the death to win total authorship wasn’t approved by HR, this was the compromise.

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You can build annual plans in Wrike following our suggestion, or using your own format. Our recommendation: Create a folder called "2016 Annual Plans" at the top level of your account and right-click the folder name to share it with the entire company. Inside that folder, create project folders or tasks for all of the different priorities and big initiatives of the year. You can assign responsible directors or managers to the work, so everyone knows who to talk to if they have questions about that objective. From there, you can drill down into immediate key actions by building out tasks, setting deadlines, and assigning the steps to the appropriate parties. Finally, use Custom Fields to make notes on budgeting — data in Custom Fields can be restricted to only show for certain user groups in your account, so your private information stays that way. If you don't have access to Custom Fields, just write information you'd like to share with the entire team in your task descriptions. Establishing Quarterly Plans in Wrike Since quarterly plans only cover 3 months instead of an entire year, it's easy to brainstorm new ideas right in Wrike. On the Wrike content marketing team, we create a project folder called something like "Q2 Ideas", and then individuals on our team can create a new task for every idea they have inside that folder. Inside their task descriptions, team members can add pertinent details if their idea requires a more detailed breakdown, or they've suggested a completely new undertaking and they've already thought out a majority of the work and substeps needed to make the idea a reality. This method of brainstorming and sharing also allows our team to see if someone else has had a similar idea, so we can combine efforts and dump our parallel brainstorms into one big task. After everyone has input their ideas, we have a meeting to vet those ideas for go-no go decisions. 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What Is a Job Analysis? And Why You Should Do It

Grace Ferguson

You have an open position. Fingers poised on the keypad, you're ready to write the job description. But wait… did you perform a job analysis for the role? If not, you skipped a crucial step.

What "job analysis" means

"Job analysis is a systematic process used to identify the tasks, duties, responsibilities and working conditions associated with a job and the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics required to perform that job. " That definition comes from the U.S. Department of Labor. A job analysis is unique because it focuses on the actual job and its functions rather than the person who will be doing it. Although a job analysis sounds like a job evaluation, they are two different processes. Whereas the job analysis examines the job itself, a job evaluation compares the job to others within the company to determine the proper pay rate. That said, data gleaned from the job analysis can help inform pay decisions.

The importance of conducting a job analysis

Job analysis is a process that ensures a microscopic look at the position is taken so you will have all the information you need to successfully:

• Write the job description
• Recruit for the role
• Manage the employee's performance

Skipping this step can cause you to omit vital aspects of the role or provide incorrect information on the job description. If this happens, it can balloon into major problems – such as misleading job applicants about the job and causing new hires to quit as a result. A job analysis helps you:

• Identify the duties and responsibilities of the job
• Determine the competencies required for the role
• Ascertain training needs plus job classification and job grade levels
• Implement suitable pre-employment tests for the job
• Make appropriate personnel decisions, including during performance evaluations
• Gauge whether proper working conditions are present for the job that is being (or will be) performed
• Compare the job to other positions in the same department and job grade
• Deliver a smooth onboarding experience for each new hire
• Maintain a documented system for the above activities

The documentation from a job analysis can serve as a legal defense tool for your employment practices.

Data utilization

Your organization will be able to apply the data received from a job analysis to many initiatives, including:

• Workplace planning
• Recruitment and selection
• Performance management
• Career development
• Succession planning
• Health and safety
• Employee relations
• Employee termination
• Risk management

Tips for conducting a job analysis

Performing a job analysis can be very involved. So, let’s discuss the first three critical steps that need to be completed when preparing a job analysis document.

Collect information about the position

  Below are ways to gather this information:

• Define the purpose of the job – meaning the reason it exists
• Directly observe an employee currently in the role – or observe employees in similar positions – and note the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) they use to do the job
• Have employees fill out a questionnaire about the KSAs needed for the role
• Gather input from the employee's manager/supervisor , immediate coworkers, customers, and other people the position is responsible for interacting with
• Talk to a subject matter expert (SME) within or outside of your company to gain deeper insight into the competencies and working conditions of the role
• Determine how the job will be executed , including methods, tools, or equipment
• Keep occupational standards in mind. To do this well, you need to consider the various rules and regulations when assessing the job requirements

If the position is new, work with SMEs to clearly define the parameters of the role. In the end, the goal is to assemble as much credible information as possible, and SMEs can help you achieve this.

Prioritize tasks and link them to competencies

Make a list of the required tasks for the job, based on the information received from employees, managers/supervisors, SMEs, and other relevant sources.

• Rate each task according to their level of importance .
• Determine competencies for the role , including those critical to the role.
• Rate the extent to which each competency is needed to perform the task .
• Remove any task that cannot be linked to one or more competencies .

Create an internal form for conducting a job analysis

This is essential to streamlining and formalizing the process. The job analysis form may include:

• Name of the manager or supervisor
• Name(s) of people who will be interviewed for the job analysis
• An overview of the purpose of the job
• Details of the job – including what, when, and how tasks are done
• The extent to which the job requires the involvement of others, such as interactions with immediate manager and peers, people in other departments, executives, and customers
• Whether the role comes with decision-making authority or supervisory responsibility – and if so, to what extent
• How much physical effort the role demands, such as walking, standing, or lifting
• Work conditions, including any adverse conditions
• Education, training, and years of experience required
• Other requirements, such as licensure or bilingual skill

When do you need to conduct a job analysis?

You may need to update the job analysis if any of the following scenarios apply:

• The position is new
• The role you're looking to fill is different from the other positions in your company
• You've never done a job analysis for the role
• The last conducted job analysis for the position is outdated or unreliable
• The requirements of the job are likely to change quite often. Therefore, you should ensure the position's responsibilities are periodically reviewed (every 6 months or once per year).

You can perform a job analysis on an as-needed basis if the requirements of the role are relatively fixed.

The job analysis and the job description work as a team

After you've conducted a job analysis and you're confident about the results, you can create or update the job description for the position. Remember, poorly executing the job analysis can negatively impact the job description. This will result in a ripple effect leading to turnover. With that in mind, it's essential to carry out the job analysis in a systematic way that leaves no (or very little) room for error.

This communication is for informational purposes only; it is not legal, tax or accounting advice; and is not an offer to sell, buy or procure insurance.

This post may contain hyperlinks to websites operated by parties other than TriNet. Such hyperlinks are provided for reference only. TriNet does not control such web sites and is not responsible for their content. Inclusion of such hyperlinks on TriNet.com does not necessarily imply any endorsement of the material on such websites or association with their operators.

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Decode Your Workplace: The Basics of Job Analysis

Written by Salary.com Staff

September 19, 2023

Ever wonder what exactly is involved in a certain job role or position? Not just what the job listing says but the details of its daily tasks and functions. A job analysis definition  aim to uncover these important details by thoroughly exploring a role.

Whether an employee seeks a new career or a company aims to hire fresh talent, a job analysis definition is key. It provides a data-driven approach to defining a job's specifics. This includes the required skills, knowledge, and duties, which enable individuals and companies to make informed decisions.

Job Analysis Definition

The job analysis  definition  centers on defining what duties and functions make up a job. It highlights what a job entails and what good job performance looks like. Job analysis aims to identify the key details of a specific role. It helps companies hire top talent and provide suitable compensation .

Job Analysis Definition: Why It Matters

Job analysis definition provides data that serves as the foundation for various HR programs . It helps companies pinpoint the skills needed for a job. This data allows companies to recruit, hire, and train the right talent.

Job analysis also helps set fair pay rates for a role. Companies also use job analysis definition details to create job descriptions , performance metrics, and appraisals.

Job Analysis Definition: Key Components

There are various aspects required when conducting job analysis. It includes:

• Job description : Outlines the key functions and duties of a role, helping job seekers understand the requirements as per the job analysis definition.
• Job specifications: Define the basic requirements to perform the job, including education, experience, skills, and knowledge. These ensure job seekers have the required skills to excel in the role.
• Task inventory: An in-depth list of duties required for certain job roles makes up the task inventory . It groups tasks based on similarity and importance. The list outlines task frequency and difficulty , helping candidates understand the workload and complexity involved.
• Equipment/tools: This includes any equipment, software, machinery, or tools  used on the job. Candidates need to be proficient in the technologies required to accomplish their tasks.

Conducting an accurate job analysis is crucial to attracting and hiring the right talent. By understanding the job analysis definition and role specifics, companies can find the perfect candidates. It empowers companies to hire, train, compensate, and retain the best employees.

Job Analysis Definition: Methods to Use When Performing Analysis

As per the job analysis definition, job analysis helps companies gain a better understanding of a specific role. There are various methods  companies can use to conduct job analysis:

Interviewing current employees and their managers is an effective way to gather information about job duties, responsibilities, and requirements. Open-ended questions can provide qualitative data about the job.

• Observations

Observing employees as they perform their jobs allows analysts to see firsthand what the job entails. This method provides a realistic sense of the pace, challenges, and environmental factors of the role. Conduct observations at different times to capture a complete picture of the job.

• Questionnaires

Having employees and supervisors fill out questionnaires about the job and its requirements is an efficient way to collect data from various sources. Questionnaires can incorporate rating scales, open-ended questions, and checklists. They provide quantitative and qualitative information about the job.

• Work Diaries

Requiring employees to record all activities and tasks for a certain period in a diary or log provides a detailed account of what the job involves daily. Diaries give insight into the job that other methods may miss. The only drawback is that they can be time-consuming and tedious for employees to complete.

Employing these methods , as per the job analysis definition, produces the most accurate and comprehensive analysis of any job. Conducting regular job analysis ensures that companies have the right talent for the right roles.

Job Analysis Definition: How Companies Can Use Job Analysis to Improve Workflows

Job analysis is a crucial process to determine the needs and duties of a specific role. Analyzing the duties, tasks, and skills needed for a job improves various HR functions. Here are the ways in which companies can use job analysis, as per the job analysis definition, to improve their workflows:

• Hiring the Right Talent

Accurate job analysis helps identify the key qualities and qualifications to look for in candidates. Companies can tailor job listings and screening tools around the findings of the analysis. It can help filter applicants who are the best fit for the role. This results in higher-quality candidates progressing to the interview stage.

• Developing Training Programs

Job analysis data shapes the content and curriculum of employee training programs . Knowing the skills and tools required enables tailored training for new hires and existing staff. This equips them with the competencies to complete their work.

• Setting Compensation

The information gathered from analyzing a job helps determine suitable pay levels . Various factors influence the salary range, which includes work complexity, responsibility, education level, and job conditions. Accurate job analysis ensures fair compensation  aligned with the demands and contributions of the role. Employees tend to feel more satisfied and motivated when they perceive their pay as equitable to their performance.

• Improving Performance Appraisals

Data from job analysis provides a reference point for evaluating employee performance . Managers can measure the key duties and standards outlined in the analysis. It helps determine if the employee is fulfilling the needs of the role. Appraisals tend to be more justified when tied to the expectations of the actual job. The results can then guide the creation of performance improvement plans, if needed.

In a nutshell, job analysis is a robust tool that improves various areas of HR and business functions. Conducting systematic analysis of roles within a company, as per the job analysis definition, leads to a more efficient, productive, and engaged workforce.

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Job analysis

Meaning & definition, job analysis.

Job analysis refers to a systematic process of collecting all information about a specific job, including skill requirements, roles, responsibilities and processes in order to create a valid job description. Job analysis also gives an overview of the physical, emotional & related human qualities required to execute the job successfully.

Job analysis is an important step in ensuring that the right candidate is selected. Job analysis helps the employer in recruitment and selection, performance management, choosing compensation and benefits, etc. It helps the employees to have a clear picture of what is actually required of them.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

Why is a job analysis important, how do you conduct a job analysis, what is job analysis vs job description, what are the components of job analysis, what methods can you use to conduct a job analysis, when should a job analysis be conducted, what are the disadvantages of job analysis, who conducts a job analysis, what is the difference between job analysis and job evaluation, manpower planning.

Job analysis is a qualitative aspect of manpower needs, as it determines job requirements in terms of skills, qualities and other human characteristics. This facilitates the division of labor into different occupations.

Recruitment, Selection and Placement

In order to hire a good person for the job, it is very important to know the requirements of the job and the qualities of the person who will be doing the job. Information on these two elements comes from the job description or job description and helps management to tailor the job requirements as closely as possible to the attitudes, skills, interests of employees, etc.

Training and Development:

Job analysis determines standard levels for job performance. Helps manage learning development programs.

Job Evaluation

Job analysis provides the basis for job evaluation. The purpose of a job appraisal is to determine the relative value of the job which in turn helps determine job compensation.

Performance Appraisal

Job analysis data provides a clear standard of performance for each job. Employee performance can be objectively evaluated against the job performance standard.

Job Designing

Industrial engineers may use the job analysis information in designing the job by making the comprehensive study of the job elements.

Safety and Health

Management can take corrective actions to ensure the safety of workers and reduce the risk of various hazards to eliminate harmful conditions.

The job analysis is mainly based on the effective policies. Effective policies may be formulated in regard to promotions and transfers.

Employment Guidance

Job description, which is basically carried out on the basis of Job analysis, helps the aspirates in ascertaining the job, for which they have the necessary ability and skills.

Labour Relations

Job analysis serves as the basis for resolving disputes that may arise due to quality of performance expected of workers.

Gather information about a position

Observe and interview employees who are currently employed. Encourage employees to perform their duties and be as specific as possible when defining responsibilities. Read the manual or document that explains your current position. Compare your current job description with what your employees are actually saying and doing. Record results by department or individual position. Create an account for all the tasks and skills involved in the job.

Evaluate the importance of each task and competency

Once you understand what skills are needed to perform each task, you can rate the difficulty of each task and skill. Determine the top-level skills for each location. Note which skills require entry level and more experience. You may think differently from this job as you thought it was an important part of the job.

Research industry standards

Find status data in your job analysis to make sure you're tied to your current workforce. Test your results using information from government literature and corporate organizations. Seek expert advice on the subject that can explain the tasks you need to do your job. Compare your network and data with other businesses.

Revise job descriptions and standards

Once you've identified and discovered the most important qualifications needed to do the job, make a list for each job and skill. Use this to edit an existing job description or create a new one to suit your analysis. Create a set of criteria for each position that matches your employees' feedback and your own work observations. Include expectations that you may not have met, but are based on professional guidelines from your research.

Use data to make changes

Look at the entire organization. Based on the analysis, determine if the right task is assigned to the right task. If you find that a job in one department is suitable for another team, move these tasks to another job. You may also find that some departments handle more than others. You can use job analysis data to find ways to transfer job responsibilities based on the capabilities of each job.

Job analysis can be understood as the process of gathering information related to a particular job. This information includes knowledge, skills and abilities to work effectively. It is useful for preparing job description and job description.

A job description is a document that indicates what the job covers, that is, the functions, responsibilities, duties, powers and officers, attached to the job. 

In excellent terms, job analysis means an in-depth examination and evaluation of a particular job. Therefore, the job description is a statement that is characteristic of a particular job.

Job Position

The position of the job and the employee holding that position in the organization are known as the position of the job. Job status serves as the basis of the compensation system in the organization. Highly placed jobs as well as job holders get higher returns than lower returns.

Job Description

Each situation is different from each other because each situation requires different tasks and responsibilities, e.g. Experience, expertise and level of knowledge. These tasks, duties, roles, and responsibilities are detailed in how to perform this job.

Work value refers to the calculation of the value of work in the organization. In other words, job value is an estimate of how much the job contributes to the overall goal of the organization.

Asking an employee to give details about their job is one way to create an accurate job description. Employers will ask questions about specific tasks and also request a breakdown of the duties performed by those in a certain position.

Observations

An employer may also choose to watch as employees complete their jobs, noting the tasks they complete and the skills needed for those tasks. Observations work well for processes related to physical task and product related outcomes.

Survey are tools used to find out how often a certain task is completed or how much a skill set is used. These surveys can be highly structured forms where employees use a scale to answer questions about the job. Surveys can also be used more informally for employees to answer open-ended questions.

Employers may request a written account of daily work for a certain period of time. This allows an employee to give a clear description of the regular duties of their job and the timeframe required for each task.

Job analysis should be conducted as a first step in the recruitment process. Writing an analysis helps you to clarify your needs and expectations. It also collects the information you will need to write a job description.

Time consuming

The biggest drawback of the job review process is being very time consuming. This is a serious limitation, especially when jobs change frequently. This emphasizes personal bias: if the supervisor or analyst is an employee of the same organization, the process may involve their personal likes and dislikes. This is a major obstacle for the collection of reliable and accurate data.

Too much human effort

The process involves a lot of human effort. Because each job has different information and there is no set pattern, custom information must be collected for different jobs. The process must be carried out separately to collect and record order-related data.

Lack of Skills

If the analyst is unaware of the purpose of the job analysis process and doesn't have the proper skills to carry it out, it is a waste of company resources. You must be trained to obtain reliable data.

Lack of mental abilities

Last but not least, mental abilities such as intelligence, emotional characteristics, knowledge, competence, mental and endurance are intangible things that cannot be directly observed or measured. People work differently in different situations. Therefore, general standards for mental abilities cannot be set.

Job Analysis may be conducted by the employer's Human Resources department or by a trained Job Analyst/Consultant.

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How the American middle class has changed in the past five decades

The middle class, once the economic stratum of a clear majority of American adults, has steadily contracted in the past five decades. The share of adults who live in middle-class households fell from 61% in 1971 to 50% in 2021, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of government data.

From 2020: Are you in the American middle class? Find out with our income calculator

The shrinking of the middle class has been accompanied by an increase in the share of adults in the upper-income tier – from 14% in 1971 to 21% in 2021 – as well as an increase in the share who are in the lower-income tier, from 25% to 29%. These changes have occurred gradually, as the share of adults in the middle class decreased in each decade from 1971 to 2011, but then held steady through 2021.

The analysis below presents seven facts about how the economic status of the U.S. middle class and that of America’s major demographic groups have changed since 1971. A related analysis examines the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the financial well-being of households in the lower-, middle- and upper-income tiers, with comparisons to the Great Recession era. (In the source data for both analyses, demographic figures refer to the 1971-2021 period, while income figures refer to the 1970-2020 period. Thus, the shares of adults in an income tier are based on their household incomes in the previous year.)

This report analyzes data from the Annual Social and Economic Supplements (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS) to study how the economic status of the American middle class has changed since 1971. It also examines the movement of demographic groups in and out of the American middle class and across lower- and upper-income tiers from 1971 to 2021.

The CPS is the U.S. government’s official source for monthly estimates of unemployment ; the ASEC, conducted in March each year, is the official source for its estimates of income and poverty . The COVID-19 outbreak has affected data collection efforts by the U.S. government in its surveys, limiting in-person data collection and affecting the response rate. It is possible that some measures of economic outcomes and how they vary across demographic groups are affected by these changes in data collection. This report makes use of updated weights released by the Census Bureau to correct for nonresponse in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

In this analysis, “middle-income” adults in 2021 are those with an annual household income that was two-thirds to double the national median income in 2020, after incomes have been adjusted for household size, or about $52,000 to $156,000 annually in 2020 dollars for a household of three. “Lower-income” adults have household incomes less than $52,000 and “upper-income” adults have household incomes greater than $156,000.

The income it takes to be middle income varies by household size, with smaller households requiring less to support the same lifestyle as larger households. The boundaries of the income tiers also vary across years with changes in the national median income. Read the methodology for more details.

The terms “middle income” and “middle class” are used interchangeably in this analysis for the sake of exposition. But being middle class can refer to more than just income, be it the level of education, the type of profession, economic security, home ownership, or one’s social and political values. Class also could simply be a matter of self-identification.

Household incomes have risen considerably since 1970, but those of middle-class households have not climbed nearly as much as those of upper-income households. The median income of middle-class households in 2020 was 50% greater than in 1970 ($90,131 vs. $59,934), as measured in 2020 dollars. These gains were realized slowly, but for the most part steadily, with the exception of the period from 2000 to 2010, the so-called “ lost decade ,” when incomes fell across the board.

The median income for lower-income households grew more slowly than that of middle-class households, increasing from $20,604 in 1970 to $29,963 in 2020, or 45%.

The rise in income from 1970 to 2020 was steepest for upper-income households. Their median income increased 69% during that timespan, from $130,008 to $219,572.

As a result of these changes, the gap in the incomes of upper-income and other households also increased. In 2020, the median income of upper-income households was 7.3 times that of lower-income households, up from 6.3 in 1970. The median income of upper-income households was 2.4 times that of middle-income households in 2020, up from 2.2 in 1970.

The share of aggregate U.S. household income held by the middle class has fallen steadily since 1970. The widening of the income gap and the shrinking of the middle class has led to a steady decrease in the share of U.S. aggregate income held by middle-class households. In 1970, adults in middle-income households accounted for 62% of aggregate income, a share that fell to 42% in 2020.

Meanwhile, the share of aggregate income accounted for by upper-income households has increased steadily, from 29% in 1970 to 50% in 2020. Part of this increase reflects the rising share of adults who are in the upper-income tier.

The share of U.S. aggregate income held by lower-income households edged down from 10% to 8% over these five decades, even though the proportion of adults living in lower-income households increased over this period.

Older Americans and Black adults made the greatest progress up the income ladder from 1971 to 2021. Among adults overall, the share who were in the upper-income tier increased from 14% in 1971 to 21% in 2021, or by 7 percentage points. Meanwhile, the share in the lower-income tier increased from 25% to 29%, or by 4 points. On balance, this represented a net gain of 3 percentage points in income status for all adults.

Those ages 65 and older made the most notable progress up the income ladder from 1971 to 2021. They increased their share in the upper-income tier while reducing their share in the lower-income tier, resulting in a net gain of 25 points. Progress among adults 65 and older was likely driven by an increase in labor force participation , rising educational levels and by the role of Social Security payments in reducing poverty.

Black adults, as well as married men and women, were also among the biggest gainers from 1971 to 2021, with net increases ranging from 12 to 14 percentage points.

On the other hand, not having at least a bachelor’s degree resulted in a notable degree of economic regression over this period. Adults with a high school diploma or less education, as well as those with some college experience but no degree, saw sizable increases in their shares in the lower-income tier in the past five decades. Although no single group of adults by education category moved up the income ladder from 1971 to 2021, adults overall realized gains by boosting their education levels . The share of adults 25 and older who had completed at least four years of college stood at 38% in 2021, compared with only 11% in 1971.

Progress up the income ladder for a demographic group does not necessarily signal its economic status in comparison with other groups at a given point in time. For example, in 2021, adults ages 65 and older and Black adults were still more likely than many other groups to be lower income, and less likely to be middle or upper income.

Married adults and those in multi-earner households made more progress up the income ladder from 1971 to 2021 than their immediate counterparts. Generally, partnered adults have better outcomes on a range of economic outcomes than the unpartnered. One reason is that marriage is increasingly linked to educational attainment , which bears fruit in terms of higher incomes.

Married men and women were distributed across the income tiers identically to each other in both 1971 and 2021. Both groups nearly doubled their shares in the upper-income tier in the past five decades, from 14% in 1971 to 27% in 2021. And neither group experienced an increase in the share in the lower-income tier.

Unmarried men and women were much more likely than their married counterparts to be in the lower-income tier in 2021. And unmarried men, in particular, experienced a sizable increase in their share in the lower-income tier from 1971 t0 2021 and a similarly large decrease in their share in the middle-income tier. Nonetheless, unmarried men are less likely than unmarried women to be lower income and more likely to be middle income.

Adults in households with more than one earner fare much better economically than adults in households with only one earner. In 2021, some 20% of adults in multi-earner households were in the lower-income tier, compared with 53% of adults in single-earner households. Also, adults in multi-earner households were more than twice as likely as adults in single-earner households to be in the upper-income tier in 2021. In the long haul, adults in single-earner households are among the groups who slid down the income ladder the most from 1971 to 2021.

Despite progress, Black and Hispanic adults trail behind other groups in their economic status. Although Black adults made some of the biggest strides up the income tiers from 1971 to 2021, they, along with Hispanic adults, are more likely to be in the lower-income tier than are White or Asian adults. About 40% of both Black and Hispanic adults were lower income in 2021, compared with 24% of White adults and 22% of Asian adults.

Black adults are the only major racial and ethnic group that did not experience a decrease in its middle-class share, which stood at 47% in 2021, about the same as in 1971. White adults are the only group in which more than half (52%) lived in middle-class households in 2021, albeit after declining from 63% in 1971. At the top end, only about one-in-ten Black and Hispanic adults were upper income in 2021, compared with one-in-four or more White and Asian adults.

The relative economic status of men and women has changed little from 1971 to 2021. Both experienced similar percentage point increases in the shares in the lower- and upper-income tiers, and both saw double-digit decreases in the shares who are middle class. Women remained more likely than men to live in lower-income households in 2021 (31% vs. 26%).

Adults 65 and older continue to lag economically, despite decades of progress. The share of adults ages 65 and older in the lower-income tier fell from 54% in 1971 to 37% in 2021. Their share in the middle class rose from 39% to 47% and their share in the upper-income tier increased from 7% to 16%. However, adults 65 and older are the only age group in which more than one-in-three adults are in lower-income households, and they are much less likely than adults ages 30 to 44 – as well as those ages 45 to 64 – to be in the upper-income tier.

All other age groups experienced an increase in the shares who are lower income from 1971 to 2021, as well as a decrease in the shares who are middle income. But they also saw increases in the shares who are upper income. Among adults ages 30 to 44, for instance, the share in upper-income households almost doubled, from 12% in 1971 to 21% in 2021.

There is a sizable and growing income gap between adults with a bachelor’s degree and those with lower levels of education. In 2021, about four-in-ten adults with at least a bachelor’s degree (39%) were in the upper-income tier, compared with 16% or less among those without a bachelor’s degree. The share of adults in the upper-income tier with at least a bachelor’s degree edged up from 1971 to 2021, while the share without a bachelor’s degree either edged down or held constant.

About half or a little more of adults with either some college education or a high school diploma only were in the middle class in 2021. But these two groups, along with those with less than a high school education, experienced notable drops in their middle class shares from 1971 to 2021 – and notable increases in the shares in the lower-income tier. In 2021, about four-in-ten adults with only a high school diploma or its equivalent (39%) were in the lower-income tier, about double the share in 1971.

Note: Here is the methodology for this analysis.

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