Person Descriptors
Recommendation, 2007 April 15
Editor:
Kim Bartkus, HR-XML Consortium
Kathi Dolan, Manpower
Contributors:
Members of the Recruiting and Staffing, Screening, Cross-Process Object and SIDES workgroups.
Copyright © 2007 HR-XML Consortium, Inc.
Abstract
This document describes the exchange of personal identifying or descriptive information, including legal identifiers, biological descriptors, and demographic data.
Table of Contents
1.3.1 Items within the Design Scope
1.3.2 Items Outside of Design Scope
2 Supported Business Processes
2.1 Regulatory Compliance Reporting. 4
3.1.1 Schema Elements Explained
4 Implementation Considerations
5 Appendix A - Document Version History
6 Appendix B – Related Documents
1 Overview
The Person Descriptors schema allows the exchange of legal identifiers, biological descriptors, and demographic data. This schema may be used for a variety of business purposes, including recruiting, screening, and within the staffing industry. It was designed so that distinct descriptors could be used separately or as a group. For example, a particular background check may only be interested in the legal identifiers and not need the biological or demographic descriptors.
1.1 Objective
The DemographicDetail schema was developed for SEP 1.0 and included information about demographics of an individual. The SIDES and Screening workgroups adopted the schema, where other information was added. Eventually, the schema contained more than demographic data.
This redesigned and renamed schema separates out the types of data into 3 distinct types (legal, demographic, biological) for both clarity and to allow its use in a more effective manner. Although the structure has changed, the contents are similar to the DemographicDetail schema. The following list delineates the enhancements to the PersonDescriptors schema.
New components:
- Person Legal Id (use Entity Id Type with extensions)
- Citizenship
- Residency
- Marital Status
- Children Information
- MonthDayOfBirth
- Other Descriptors
- SupportingMaterials
- User Areas
Modified components:
- Military Status (combined with Veteran Status)
- Visa Status (attributes added)
- Nationality (changed from country code type to a string)
- Race (change to allow multiple occurrences)
- Ethinicity (change to allow multiple occurrences)
- Disability Information (added more details)
- Primary Language (renamed from Language)
Removed components:
§ Home Owner (replaced by Other Descriptors)
§ Government Id, Other Id (replaced by Person Legal Id)
1.2 Design Requirements
The schema:
- Must allow for the use of identifiers as a group or separately.
- Must provide for flexibility of data where it is unlawful to collect in certain countries.
- Must allow for extensions
1.3 Scope
1.3.1 Items within the Design Scope
Redesign of Demographic Detail to exchange pre-hire information used in Recruiting, Screening and other employment related activities. Because HR-XML specifications are designed to be global, input on requirements was received from several countries. Therefore it is unlikely that any one country will use every element. The schema was designed to be flexible enough to allow implementers to use what they need and exclude what they don’t need or should not collect.
1.3.2 Items Outside of Design Scope
This schema is not designed to exchange highly detailed personal information. In the future, the specification may be reviewed for possible re-use in other areas (enrollment, etc.)
This schema is designed to enable the exchange of information. It is not designed to restrict information. It is the responsibility of implementers to understand and place the appropriate constrictions on which data is collected and/or exchanged or how that data is used.
2 Supported Business Processes
2.1 Regulatory Compliance Reporting
Many countries have established regulations and guidelines relating to “fair and equitable” hiring practices. These may relate to race, gender, religion, disability, age or other factors. Complicated and detailed tracking and reporting is often required to allow governments and regulatory agencies to monitor compliance.
Another factor that is heavily regulated, although differently in different jurisdictions, is eligibility to work in a particular country. Information such as visa status, citizenship and residency are commonly used to determine this type of eligibility.
PersonDescriptors will help facilitate these types of reporting, but its scope is not designed to capture every level of information that may ultimately go into a decision on eligibility or discriminatory hiring practices.
2.2 Employment Screening
In addition to the regulatory requirements, many companies attach other criteria to the hiring of workers. The criteria may vary by location, type of work or other factors. Some examples might include height or weight restrictions if working on a commercial airliner or a certain level of physical ability, if such is required to perform a particular job. In other situations, companies may be permitted to place restrictions on hiring people with particular events in their history. An example of this would be a financial institution excluding a candidate with a validated history of embezzlement.
PersonDescriptors allow business partners to exchange this type of information, but again, it is the responsibility of these implementers to ensure the information is used appropriately.
3 Schema Design
3.1 Schema Diagrams
3.1.1 Schema Elements Explained
|
Elements and Attributes [Global types listed alphabetically in following table.] |
ContentModel* |
Definition |
|
/ |
- PersonDescriptorsType - (1/1) |
Contains legal, biological, and demographic descriptors for a person. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ |
- LegalIdentifiersType - S (0/1) |
A collection of legal identifiers for a person. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ LegalIdentifiers/ |
- PersonLegalIdType - S
(0/*) |
A unique government or other legal identifier for a person. |
|
/
[PersonLegalIdType] / |
- CountryCodeType - |
Contains the ISO 3166-1 two-character country code. |
|
/
[PersonLegalIdType] / |
- xsd:string - |
Specifies the geographical area of the issuing authority. |
|
/
[PersonLegalIdType] / |
- xsd:string - |
Defines the region where the issuing authority is located. |
|
/
[PersonLegalIdType] / |
- xsd:string - |
Specifies the type of document tied to the Government Id. |
|
/
[PersonLegalIdType] / |
- xsd:string - |
The actual source that is reporting the ID. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ LegalIdentifiers/ |
xsd:extension base: xsd:string |
Defines whether the person is currently a member of the military, or other specific information regarding military status at the time of the transaction. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ LegalIdentifiers/ MilitaryStatus/ |
- xsd:string - |
Further defines the associated element in the context provided. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ LegalIdentifiers/ |
xsd:extension base: xsd:string |
Describes the person's visa status. |
|
/ PersonDescriptors/
LegalIdentifiers/ VisaStatus/ |
- CountryCodeType - |
Contains the ISO 3166-1 two-character country code. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ LegalIdentifiers/ VisaStatus/ |
- AnyDateTimeNkNaType - |
The date the event begins, is active or valid. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ LegalIdentifiers/ VisaStatus/ |
- AnyDateTimeNkNaType - |
The date through which the event is active or valid. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ LegalIdentifiers/ |
- CountryCodeType - S (0/*) |
Specifies the country or countries where a person retains legal citizenship. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ LegalIdentifiers/ |
- CountryCodeType - S (0/*) |
Specifies where a person maintains their current residence. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ |
- DemographicDescriptorsType - S (0/1) |
A collection of demographic descriptors for a person. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ DemographicDescriptors/ |
- xsd:string - S (0/*) |
Describes the race of the person, or other information regarding the race of the person. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ DemographicDescriptors/ |
- xsd:string - S (0/*) |
The ethnicity of the person, or other information regarding the ethnicity of the person. [Synonym(s): EEOCCode, Race, RaceCode, Nationality ] |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ DemographicDescriptors/ |
- xsd:string - S (0/*) |
The person's status for belonging to a particular nation by origin, birth, or naturalization. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ DemographicDescriptors/ |
- LanguageCodeType - S (0/*) |
The language required or mandated. |
|
/ PersonDescriptors/
DemographicDescriptors/ |
- xsd:string - S (0/1) |
The birth place of the person. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ DemographicDescriptors/ |
- xsd:string - S (0/1) |
Describes the religion of the person, or other information regarding the religion of the person. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ DemographicDescriptors/ |
- MaritalStatusType - S (0/1) |
Contains information on the marital status of the person. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ DemographicDescriptors/ |
NumberOfChildren
- xsd:nonNegativeInteger - S (0/1) |
Contains information about a person's children. This may include the number of children, ages, etc. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ DemographicDescriptors/ ChildrenInfo/ |
- xsd:nonNegativeInteger - S (0/1) |
Specifies the number of children associated with the higher level element. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ DemographicDescriptors/ ChildrenInfo/ |
- xsd:string - S (0/1) |
Describes the contextual information relating to a group of elements. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ |
- BiologicalDescriptorsType - S (0/1) |
A collection of biological descriptors for a person. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ BiologicalDescriptors/ |
- LocalDateNkNaType - C (0/1) |
A person's birth date. |
|
/ PersonDescriptors/
BiologicalDescriptors/ |
- xsd:gMonthDay - C (0/1) |
The month and day of a person's birth date. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ BiologicalDescriptors/ |
- xsd:nonNegativeInteger - S (0/1) |
The age of a person, specified in years. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ BiologicalDescriptors/ |
- GenderCodeType - S (0/1) |
Describes the sex of the person based on representation of human sexes. Representation of human sexes values are represented in accordance with ISO 5218. 0 = None; 1 = Male; 2 = Female; 9 = None Specified |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ BiologicalDescriptors/ |
- EyeColorQualifiers - S (0/1) |
The person's eye color. |
|
/ PersonDescriptors/
BiologicalDescriptors/ |
- HairColorQualifiers - S (0/1) |
The person's hair color. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ BiologicalDescriptors/ |
xsd:extension base: xsd:string |
Specifies the height of a person. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ BiologicalDescriptors/ Height/ |
- xsd:string - |
Unit in which the quantity is measured. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ BiologicalDescriptors/ |
xsd:extension base: xsd:string |
A number to indicate the physical weight of the person. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ BiologicalDescriptors/ Weight/ |
- xsd:string - |
Unit in which the quantity is measured. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ BiologicalDescriptors/ |
- xsd:string - S (0/*) |
Information about any identifying marks on a person. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ BiologicalDescriptors/ |
- DisabilityInfoType - S
(0/*) |
Contains information about a person's physical or psychological impairment. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ BiologicalDescriptors/ DisabilityInfo/ |
- xsd:string - S (0/1) |
Describes the level of a persons physical or psychological impairment. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ BiologicalDescriptors/ DisabilityInfo/ |
- xsd:integer - S (0/1) |
A percentage. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ BiologicalDescriptors/ DisabilityInfo/ |
- xsd:string - S (0/1) |
Further defines the associated element in the context provided. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ BiologicalDescriptors/ DisabilityInfo/ |
- xsd:boolean - S (0/1) |
Indicates that special accommodations are needed in the workplace. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ |
- OtherDescriptorsType - S
(0/*) |
Allows the exchange of identifying descriptors not explicitly defined as a legal, biological, or demographic descriptor. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ OtherDescriptors/ |
- xsd:string - S (0/1) |
A descriptive identifier within the given context. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ OtherDescriptors/ |
- xsd:boolean - C (0/1) |
Indicates if the associated element applies to this transaction. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ OtherDescriptors/ |
- xsd:string - C (0/1) |
A numerical quantity that is assigned or determined by calculation or measurement. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ OtherDescriptors/ |
Item - xsd:string - S (1/*) |
A list of items associated with the higher level element. |
|
/
PersonDescriptors/ OtherDescriptors/ List/ |
- xsd:string - S (1/*) |
A single item within a list. |
|
Global types |
ContentModel* |
Definition |
|
/ |
- [Union]: PersonEyeColorQualifiers, |
Globally scoped data type. See element or attribute declaration for definition. |
|
/ |
- [Union]: PersonHairColorQualifiers, |
Globally scoped data type. See element or attribute declaration for definition. |
|
/ |
xsd:restriction base: xsd:string [Enumerations]: Domestic Partner, Divorced, Married, Unreported, Separated, Unmarried, Widowed, Legally Separated |
Globally scoped data type. See element or attribute declaration for definition. |
|
/ |
- [Union]: MaritalStatusList, |
Globally scoped data type. See element or attribute declaration for definition. |
|
/ |
xsd:restriction base: xsd:string [Enumerations]: Black, Hazel, Gray, Brown, Violet, Green, Blue, Maroon, Pink, Dichromatic, Unknown |
Globally scoped data type. See element or attribute declaration for definition. |
|
/ |
xsd:restriction base: xsd:string [Enumerations]: Bald, Brown, White, Blonde, Gray, Red, Auburn, Black, Silver, Unknown |
Globally scoped data type. See element or attribute declaration for definition. |
4 Implementation Considerations
4.1 Terminology
The following terms may be used differently based on organization or country. In many cases, they are used interchangeably. This specification delineates the terms as defined below:
Race: [French, from Old French, from Old Italian razza, race, lineage.]
A local geographic or global human population distinguished as a more or less distinct group by genetically transmitted physical characteristics.
Usage Note: The notion of race is nearly as problematic from a scientific point of view as it is from a social one. European physical anthropologists of the 17th and 18th centuries proposed various systems of racial classifications based on such observable characteristics as skin color, hair type, body proportions, and skull measurements, essentially codifying the perceived differences among broad geographic populations of humans. The traditional terms for these populations Caucasoid (or Caucasian), Mongoloid, Negroid, and in some systems Australoid are now controversial in both technical and nontechnical usage, and in some cases they may well be considered offensive. (Caucasian does retain a certain currency in American English, but it is used almost exclusively to mean “white” or “European” rather than “belonging to the Caucasian race,” a group that includes a variety of peoples generally categorized as nonwhite.) The biological aspect of race is described today not in observable physical features but rather in such genetic characteristics as blood groups and metabolic processes, and the groupings indicated by these factors seldom coincide very neatly with those put forward by earlier physical anthropologists. Citing this and other points such as the fact that a person who is considered black in one society might be nonblack in another many cultural anthropologists now consider race to be more a social or mental construct than an objective biological fact.
Usage Note: Naturalists and ehnographers divide mankind into several distinct varieties, or races. Cuvier refers them all to three, Pritchard enumerates seven, Agassiz eight, Pickering describes eleven. One of the common classifications is that of Blumenbach, who makes five races: the Caucasian, or white race, to which belong the greater part of the European nations and those of Western Asia; the Mongolian, or yellow race, occupying Tartary, China, Japan, etc.; the Ethiopian, or negro race, occupying most of Africa (except the north), Australia, Papua, and other Pacific Islands; the American, or red race, comprising the Indians of North and South America; and the Malayan, or brown race, which occupies the islands of the Indian Archipelago, etc. Many recent writers classify the Malay and American races as branches of the Mongolian.
Ethnic(ity): from Greek ethnikos, from ethnos, people, nation
Of or relating to a sizable group of people sharing a common and distinctive racial, national, religious, linguistic, or cultural heritage.
Nationality:
- The status of belonging to a particular nation by origin, birth, or naturalization.
- A community of persons bound by a common heritage.
Nation:
- A relatively large group of people organized under a single, usually independent government; a country.
- A people who share common customs, origins, history, and frequently language; a nationality.
Citizenship:
The status of a citizen with its attendant duties, rights, and privileges.
Citizen:
A person owing loyalty to, and entitled by birth or naturalization to, the protection of a state or nation.
Sources: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, WordNet ® 1.6, © 1997 Princeton University
4.2 Data Privacy
Human resources data, by its very nature, is personal data. The laws of many jurisdictions as well as codes of fair information practice require organizations to handle personal data in a way that protects individuals from loss of privacy.
The data exchange specifications developed by the HR-XML Consortium are designed to be useful across many jurisdictions and within a variety of business contexts. It is not feasible for the HR-XML Consortium to develop specific privacy guidance for every jurisdiction or business context in which the Consortium's specifications might be implemented. When implementing data exchanges using the HR-XML Consortium's data definitions (or, for that matter, using any other type of data exchange mechanism), organizations are advised to examine the privacy protections that may be required under applicable law and codes of fair information practice.
For information on protecting personal data, general references include: European Union Data Protection Directive (95/46/EC); the Association Computing Machinery Code of Ethics (1992); Canadian Standards Association Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information (1995 – PIPEDA); and U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Principles and FAQs (2000).
5 Appendix A - Document Version History
|
Date |
Description |
|
2003-08-15 |
Initial draft |
|
2003-08-29 |
Added choice for birth date, removed Other Id. |
|
2003-09-18 |
Renamed schema and elements to Descriptors since they are more descriptors and not identifiers. Left LegalIds as is. Added SupportingMaterials. Changed Language to LanguageCode, Race to multiple occurrence. Approved by TSC/CPO with changes. |
|
2003-09-25 |
Use EntityIdType for Person Legal Id with extensions. Renamed LanguageCode to PrimaryLanguage. |
|
2003-10-27 |
Changes from membership feedback. Removed ‘single’ enumeration and registered from domestic partner. Added repeatable item to list. Changed number of children to nonNegativeInteger. Changed DisabilityInfo and PersonLegalId to global types. |
|
2006-Feb-28 |
Approved by Consortium |
|
2007-Apr-15 |
Approved by Consortium |
6 Appendix B – Related Documents
|
Reference |
Link |
|
Person Descriptors schema |
http://ns.hr-xml.org/2_5/HR-XML-2_5/CPO/PersonDescriptors.xsd |
7 Appendix C – Example
This sample schema might be used in the candidate profile for an individual seeking volunteer employment.
<PersonDescriptors>
<LegalIdentifiers>
<PersonLegalId validFrom="1928-01-01" countryCode="CA">
<IdValue name="SIN">123456789</IdValue>
</PersonLegalId>
<PersonLegalId validFrom="2000-01-01" validTo="2005-01-01" idOwner="Ministry of Transportation" countryCode="CA" issuingRegion="Greater Toronto Area">
<IdValue name="Driver's License">CA711546</IdValue>
</PersonLegalId>
<MilitaryStatus>Retired</MilitaryStatus>
<MilitaryStatus type="Veteran">WWII</MilitaryStatus>
<VisaStatus countryCode="FR" validFrom="2000-01-01" validTo="2005-01-01">Active</VisaStatus>
<Citizenship>CA</Citizenship>
<Residency>FR</Residency>
<UserArea/>
</LegalIdentifiers>
<DemographicDescriptors>
<Race>Asian</Race>
<Ethnicity>Malaysian</Ethnicity>
<Nationality>CA</Nationality>
<PrimaryLanguage>EN</PrimaryLanguage>
<PrimaryLanguage>FR</PrimaryLanguage>
<BirthPlace>Toronto, Canada</BirthPlace>
<Religion>Druid</Religion>
<MaritalStatus>Widowed</MaritalStatus>
<ChildrenInfo>
<NumberOfChildren>2</NumberOfChildren>
<Comments>Both children are adult non-dependents.</Comments>
</ChildrenInfo>
<UserArea/>
</DemographicDescriptors>
<BiologicalDescriptors>
<DateOfBirth>1928-01-01</DateOfBirth>
<Age>75</Age>
<GenderCode>1</GenderCode>
<EyeColor>Brown</EyeColor>
<HairColor>Gray</HairColor>
<Height unitOfMeasure="inches">61</Height>
<Weight unitOfMeasure="pounds">130</Weight>
<IdentifyingMarks>Tattoo of a sailing ship on right arm</IdentifyingMarks>
<DisabilityInfo>
<LevelOfDisability>Mild</LevelOfDisability>
<Percentage>35</Percentage>
<Type>Vision Impairment</Type>
<AccommodationsNeeded>false</AccommodationsNeeded>
</DisabilityInfo>
<UserArea/>
</BiologicalDescriptors>
<SupportingMaterials>
<AttachmentReference mimeType="application/msword">VeteranReport.doc</AttachmentReference>
<Description>Report of Veteran Status in Microsoft Word</Description>
</SupportingMaterials>
<OtherDescriptors>
<Name>Home Owner</Name>
<Applicable>true</Applicable>
</OtherDescriptors>
<OtherDescriptors>
<Name>Credit Rating</Name>
<Value>Excellent</Value>
</OtherDescriptors>
<OtherDescriptors>
<Name>Tabacco User</Name>
<List>
<Item>Cigarettes</Item>
<Item>Pipe</Item>
</List>
</OtherDescriptors>
<UserArea/>
</PersonDescriptors>