Work-rich and workless households

The employment status of individuals can impact on the other members of their household, as finances are often managed at a household level. Households that include at least one working-age person but with no one in employment are described as being 'workless'. The number of workless households in an area can indicate concentrations of poverty.

Conversely, some households have all working-age people in employment, and these are described as 'work-rich'. Together workless and work-rich households account for nearly three-quarters of all working-age households.

The distribution of work-rich and workless households varies considerably by household type and region. For example, in autumn 2002 couple households were the least likely to be workless and lone parent households the most likely. The proportion of work-rich households was highest in the South West and lowest in Northern Ireland.

Data for households come from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), and are available for autumn and spring quarters. They are released in January and July respectively.