FOI request: Classification of and inclusion in, public and private sector jobs

Request

1. What categories of public sector jobs have been re-classified as private sector jobs for statistical purposes since May 2010?

2. What were the numbers of employees involved in each category switch?
   

3. Can people on work-for-dole schemes be counted as "in employment" if they are still in receipt of JSA or ESA?

4. If so, are they also routinely included in the relevant claimant counts?

5. Does that hopeless fool Iain Duncan Smith strongly resemble a furry-eared orang-utan?

6. What categories of public sector jobs are ONS planning to count as private sector in the future?

7. Under which category are employees and former employees of Remploy counted - public or private a) now and b)in the future?

8. Are participants in the Work Programme counted as being in employment if the are not attached to an employer?

9. Are participants in the New Enterprise Allowance Scheme and in training schemes run by the Dept for Education/BIS counted as being in employment?

10. What would the change in the number of people in employment be now compared with May 2010 if the public/private classification used then was applied now?

Response

1. Individual organisations are classified to the public or private sector rather than categories of jobs.
   
   The Public Sector Classification Guide is a list of bodies that have been classified by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) as public sector bodies within the National Accounts. This includes bodies classified within the General Government sector, as either Central Government or Local Government bodies, as well as Public Non-Financial Corporations and Public Financial Corporations (divided into five sub-sectors). As there are frequent changes in the names and number of bodies within the public sector, as well as moves in and out, the guide also includes information on former public sector bodies. The guide can be found here: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/search/index.html?newquery=public+sector+classification+guide.

2. As categories of jobs are not classified to either the public or private sector it is not possible to say how many employees have been involved in reclassifications from the public sector to the private sector. The exception to this is when Further Education and Sixth Form colleges in England were reclassified to the private sector in April 2012. It is estimated that this reclassification affected around 196,000 employees.

3. The classification of people as either employed, unemployed or economically inactive is based on an internationally agreed set of guidelines. People's labour market status is based primarily on activity within a specified period and, crucially, is independent of whether or not they are in receipt of any kind of benefits. This approach means that changes to benefits rules do not have a direct effect on estimates of employment and unemployment.
   
   It should be remembered that some recipients of Jobseekers Allowance and Income Support are correctly classified as in employment in the official labour market statistics because they work within the permitted weekly hours of those benefits.

4. Yes. The claimant count measures all those receiving unemployment related benefits. This is irrespective of whether they are participating on a government scheme or not.

5. -

6. As stated above, individual organisations are classified to the public or private sector rather than categories of jobs. There are no current plans for any 'en bloc' reclassifications. Information about the way ONS reaches classification decisions can be found on the ONS website at http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/classifications/na-classifications/index.html

7. Remploy is classified to the public sector. There are no current plans to change the classification of Remploy.

8. People on the Work Programme who report their activity as being in work or in work-related experience or practical training are classified as in employment. Those undertaking some form of study or training not associated with an employer and are not in any other form of employment may be classified as unemployed or economically inactive.

9. Those on the New Enterprise Allowance Scheme who are receiving help setting up as self-employed are counted as in employment. Individuals who received this support after originally starting up a business are classified as in employment as self-employed.
   
   People on other training schemes that have identified themselves as being funded by the Department for Education or Department of Business, Innovation & Skills who report their activity as being in work or in work-related experience or practical training are classified as in employment. Those undertaking some form of study or training not associated with an employer and are not in any other form of employment may be classified as unemployed or economically inactive.

10. The number of people employed in the private sector is estimated by subtracting the number of people employed in the public sector from estimates of total employment. Therefore, the number of people in employment is not dependent on the classification of the organisations in which they are employed. The number of people in employment in the three months to November 2012 is estimated to have increased by 750,000 compared with the three months to May 2010.