The National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) has released the 2009 Philippine Standard Industrial Classification (PSIC) which is the latest version of the classification of industries in the country after the 1994 PSIC was amended in 2002. It conforms with the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC) Revision 4 prescribed by the United Nations, but with modifications to suit national situation and requirements. The PSIC is a statistical classification of all economic activities, designed as a guide and a comprehensive framework for securing uniformity and comparability of statistics that are collected, processed and analyzed by various data producers and users from both the government and private sectors.

The changes adopted in the 2009 PSIC involves: (a) further subdivision of certain ISIC groups (3-digit categories) and classes (4-digit categories) and providing separate codes for industries of importance to the national economy, and (b) extension of the classification to five-digit level by further subdividing the classes into subclasses.  Some emerging activities had been elevated to form 4 sections in the 2009 PSIC, namely: (a) Section J – Information and communication; (b) Section E – Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities; (c) Section M – Professional, scientific and technical services; and (d) Section N – Administrative and support service activities.

Emergence and growing importance of new industries, especially in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPOs), e.g., Back-office operations activities, Engineering outsourcing activities, etc.,  and Information and Communications Technology (ICT),  e.g., Internet café, Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) services and related industries which are not in the 1994 PSIC were taken into consideration in the 2009 PSIC.

The 2009 PSIC consists of 21 sections as compared with 17 major divisions in the 1994 PSIC as amended in 2002. Further, it comprises 88 divisions, 245 groups, 520 classes and 1,271 subclasses. It may be  noted that the major divisions in the 1994 PSIC have been renamed into sections in the 2009 PSIC. Also, the 2009 PSIC includes cross references with the 1994 PSIC, ISIC Revison 4 and the ASEAN Common Industrial Classifications (ACIC) at the three-digit level in line with the ASEAN thrust to harmonize industrial classification towards the ASEAN regional integration.

 The interagency Technical Committee on Statistical Standards and Classifications (TCSSC) and its Technical Working Group on Industrial Classification (TWGIC) chaired by the Bureau of Export and Trade Promotion (BETP) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) reviewed and recommended the 2009 PSIC which was approved and prescribed for adoption in the Philippine Statistical System (PSS) by the NSCB Executive Board on February 10, 2010 through NSCB Resolution No. 2, Series of 2010.

The online database is now available at the NSCB website and can be accessed for free at  http://www.nscb.gov.ph/activestats/psic. For further information, please contact the Statistical Classifications and Standards Division (SCSD) of the  Programs, Policies and Standards Office (PPSO) at telefax numbered 897-1773, or e-mail: sb.decosto@nscb.gov.ph/lr.ragos@nscb.gov.ph or the National Statistical Information Center (NSIC) at tel. numbered 895-2767 and e-mail address info@nscb.gov.ph.

ROMULO A. VIROLA
Secretary General

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