The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word REHOUSING
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Providing people with different occupations" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case providing people with different occupations = rehousing.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does REHOUSING mean?
REHOUSING verb- To give a new house to; to relocate someone to a new house.
- To store in a new location.
- The movement of a person or thing to a new residence or place of storage.