Skills & Occupations API

Archive Partners provides a skills and occupations API built on the ESCO v1.2.1 classification. It is compatible with the Lightcast DDN response shape.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

Base URL: https://archive.partners/api

Endpoints

GET /api/skills

Search skills by name or retrieve all skills for a given occupation.

13,939 skills · ESCO v1.2.1

GET /api/occupations

Search occupations by name or ISCO code. Retrieve a single occupation with its full essential and optional skills.

3,039 occupations · ISCO-08 coded

POST /api/skills-to-occ

Submit a list of skills and receive ranked occupations by match score. Mirrors Lightcast's DDN bulk endpoint.

Lightcast DDN-compatible · Up to 50 skills

GET /api/skills

Search skills by name, or get all skills for a specific occupation.

Query parameters

Param	Type	Description
`q`	string	Search skills by name. Partial match.
`occupation`	string	ESCO occupation ID — returns all skills for that occupation.
`type`	string	Filter by `knowledge` or `skill/competence`.
`limit`	integer	Max results. Default `20`, max `100`.

Example — search by name

GET /api/skills?q=python&limit=5

{
  "attributionText": "This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission. ESCO v1.2.1.",
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "ccd0a1d9-afda-43d9-b901-96344886e14d",
      "name": "Python (computer programming)",
      "type": "knowledge"
    }
  ],
  "meta": { "total": 1, "returned": 1, "version": "esco-1.2.1" }
}

Example — skills for an occupation

GET /api/skills?occupation=57af9090-55b4-4911-b2d0-86db01c00b02

Returns definingSkills, distinguishingSkills, and necessarySkills for that occupation.

GET /api/occupations

Search occupations by name or ISCO code, or retrieve a single occupation by ID.

Query parameters

Param	Type	Description
`q`	string	Search occupations by name. Partial match.
`id`	string	ESCO occupation UUID — returns full record with all skills.
`code`	string	ISCO-08 code (e.g. `2512`).
`limit`	integer	Max results. Default `20`, max `100`.

Example — search

GET /api/occupations?q=software+developer&limit=3

{
  "attributionText": "This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission. ESCO v1.2.1.",
  "data": [
    { "id": "57af9090-...", "name": "embedded systems software developer", "code": "2514.2.1" },
    { "id": "781a6350-...", "name": "cloud software developer", "code": "2512.8" },
    { "id": "bb6198c4-...", "name": "industrial mobile devices software developer", "code": "2514.3" }
  ],
  "meta": { "total": 4, "returned": 3, "version": "esco-1.2.1" }
}

Example — single occupation with skills

GET /api/occupations?id=57af9090-55b4-4911-b2d0-86db01c00b02

{
  "attributionText": "...",
  "data": {
    "id": "57af9090-...",
    "name": "embedded systems software developer",
    "code": "2514.2.1",
    "iscoGroup": "2514",
    "essentialSkills": [
      { "id": "...", "name": "C++", "type": "knowledge" },
      { "id": "...", "name": "embedded systems", "type": "knowledge" }
    ],
    "optionalSkills": [
      { "id": "...", "name": "Python (computer programming)", "type": "knowledge" }
    ]
  },
  "meta": { "version": "esco-1.2.1" }
}

POST /api/skills-to-occ

Submit up to 50 skill names or ESCO skill IDs. Returns occupations ranked by how many of your skills they require, with a matchScore from 0 to 1.

Request body

Field	Type	Description
`skills`	string[]	Required. 1–50 skill names or ESCO IDs.
`relationType`	string	`essential` or `any` (default).
`limit`	integer	Max occupations returned. Default `10`, max `50`.

Example

POST /api/skills-to-occ
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "skills": ["Python (computer programming)", "machine learning", "data analysis"],
  "limit": 5
}

{
  "attributionText": "This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission. ESCO v1.2.1. Occupation matching by Archive Partners.",
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "abc123-...",
      "name": "data scientist",
      "code": "2511.4",
      "matchScore": 1.0,
      "matchedSkills": ["Python (computer programming)", "machine learning", "data analysis"],
      "matchCount": 3
    },
    {
      "id": "def456-...",
      "name": "machine learning engineer",
      "code": "2511.8",
      "matchScore": 0.67,
      "matchedSkills": ["Python (computer programming)", "machine learning"],
      "matchCount": 2
    }
  ],
  "meta": { "inputSkills": 3, "resolvedSkills": 3, "version": "esco-1.2.1" }
}

Match score is matchCount / resolvedSkills — the proportion of your input skills that appear in that occupation’s ESCO profile.

Also see

Jobs API — live UK job listings by county via Reed
Company data — Companies House signals, county leaderboards, iXBRL filings
Talk to us — custom feeds, bulk exports, partner access

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