Mnemonic: economic_category
Applicability: Person
Type: Derived variable
Definition
Whether a person aged 16 years and over was working (full-time or part-time) the week before Census Day, 21 March 2021.
It combines people who were working whether or not a full-time student, those who were unemployed whether or not a full-time student and those who were economically inactive by if there are retired or by another reason.
Classification
Total number of categories: 9
| Code | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | In full-time employment: Not a full-time student |
| 2 | In full-time employment: Full-time student |
| 3 | In part-time employment: Not a full-time student |
| 4 | In part-time employment: Full-time student |
| 5 | Unemployed: Not a full-time student |
| 6 | Unemployed: Full-time student |
| 7 | Economically inactive: Retired |
| 8 | Economically inactive: Other |
| -8 | Does not apply* |
*Students and schoolchildren living away during term-time, and children aged 15 years and under.
Background
Read about how we developed and tested the questions for Census 2021.
Comparability with the 2011 Census
Broadly comparable
We changed some of the wording on the Census 2021 questionnaire and removed some of the options that people could choose from.
What does broadly comparable mean?
A variable that is broadly comparable means that it can be generally compared with the same variable used in the 2011 Census. However, changes may have been made to the question or options that people could choose from or how write-in answers are classified.
England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland comparisons
Find out more about variables produced for Census 2021 in Northern Ireland and Census 2022 in Scotland.