The best replacement for occupation is profession.

The best alternatives to occupation are rated as following:
★★★★★  profession
★★★  job
★★★  job title
★★  industry
★★  title
★★  vocation
★★  position
★  career
★  profession nursing
  occupancy
  any occupation
  own occupation
  activity
  role
  colonization
  calling
  avocation
  position title
  designation
  apartheid

Your alternative for occupation is not listed? Suggest!
Speaking about occupation, one probably shouldn't forget about highest divorce rate.

Other search terms related to occupation and their ratings are:
★★★★★ highest divorce rate
You have in mind a companion for occupation and it is not yet here? Propose!



Google Trends

Scale is based on the average worldwide traffic of occupation in all years. Click on graph for more.
occupation
profession
job