Migration and the labour market, England and Wales: Census 2021

• Of all people aged 16 years and over, 55.9% of those born in the UK were in employment, compared with 70.8% of those born in the EU and 58.0% among those born in non-EU countries; restricting to those aged 16 to 64 years, 71.2% of those born in the UK were in employment, compared with 78.2% of those born in the EU and 64.9% of those born in non-EU countries.

• Around 1 in 15 (6.5%) of those born in a British Overseas Territory were unemployed, compared with 3.4% of the population generally.

• Professional occupations (such as doctors, nurses and teachers) was the most common broad occupational group for most migrant groups, with around a third (35.7%) of those born in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and other Pacific Island nations (known as "Antarctica, Oceania and other") employed in this occupation group.

• Nearly half (47.5%) of specialist medical practitioners, such as oncologists and cardiologists, were born outside the UK.

• The occupation with the highest UK-born workforce was farmers (97.5%).

• Nearly a quarter (24.3%) of those working in the wholesale trade industry were born outside the UK.

• Two in five of those working in the manufacture of food products industry were born outside the UK (40.4%).

On Census Day, 21 March 2021, there were 48.6 million usual residents aged 16 years and over in England and Wales, of whom 39.3 million were UK-born (80.9%) and 9.3 million were born outside of the UK (19.1%). On a passports-held basis, 38.1 million adults held a British passport, 5.1 million held a non-British passport and a further 5.4 million did not hold a passport. More information on the characteristics of migrants can be found in our The changing picture of long-term international migration, England and Wales: Census 2021 article and more detailed estimates of what makes up each group is found in our International migration, England and Wales: Census 2021 bulletin.

Census 2021 was conducted during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a period of unparalleled and rapid change, and it is possible that this affected the way some people responded to the labour market questions on the census. Estimates from the census will also differ to those collected on the Labour Force Survey because of a range of conceptual differences between the two sources. Please see Section 9: Data sources and quality for further information about interpreting census labour market data.

Overall, 27.8 million adults (57.2%) aged 16 years and over were in employment, and the percentage of adults in employment varied by country of birth and by passport held.

Those who were born within member states of the EU had the highest percentage of adults in employment at 70.8%, compared with 58.0% of those born outside the EU, and 55.9% of those born in the UK. Within the EU-born population, EU2 countries (Romania and Bulgaria) had the highest percentage in employment (80.4%), with those born in "other EU countries" (Malta, Croatia, and Cyprus) having the lowest (48.1%). Of those born outside the EU, adults born in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and other Pacific Island nations (known as "Antarctica, Oceania and other") had the highest employment percentage (75.2%), while those in British Overseas Territories had the lowest (45.8%).

This variation can be partially explained by the age profile of the different population groups; migrant groups tend to be younger than the UK-born or British passport holder groups. Younger people are more likely to be in employment than older people. This is shown when looking at the population aged 16 to 64 years (working age) where 71.2% of the UK-born were in employment, compared with 78.2% of the EU-born in this age group.

Figure 1: EU2 born adults have the highest percentage of people in employment

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 years and over in employment by country of birth, Census 2021

Download the data

.xlsx

A similar pattern was seen when looking at the passports held, with 73.1% of those holding an EU passport being employed, with British passport holders at 59.9%, non-EU passport holders at 57.9%, and those who do not hold a passport having the lowest percentage in employment at 28.2%.

People aged 16 years and over born in the British Overseas Territories had the highest percentage of people unemployed (6.5%), followed by those born in Africa (6.0%). Those born in other EU countries (Malta, Croatia, and Cyprus) had the smallest percentage of people unemployed (2.7%), and those born in Antarctica, Oceania and other had 2.8%. The percentage of people unemployed for UK-born adults was 3.2%.

Approximately 1 in 8 (12.9%) of those with a British Overseas Territory passport were unemployed, as were over 1 in 12 (8.7%) with a passport from a country in Africa. Those with a passport from a country in Antarctica, Oceania and other had the lowest unemployment percent at around 1 in 40 (2.7%), with nearly 1 in 30 (3.1%) of those holding a British passport being unemployed. Of those who did not hold a passport, 1 in 25 (4.2%) were unemployed.

Figure 2: Adults holding a British Overseas Territories passport had the highest percentage of people unemployed

Percentage of unemployed usual residents aged 16 years and over by passport held, Census 2021

Download the data

.xlsx

Nearly one in two (49.2%) adults born in "other EU countries" (Malta, Cyprus, and Croatia) were economically inactive, the next highest being those from British Overseas Territories (47.6%), followed by the Middle East and Asia (41.9%). Adults born in the EU2 (Romania and Bulgaria) had the smallest percentage of people inactive (15.2%). Among UK-born adults, 40.9% were economically inactive. See Section 8: Glossary for definitions of each country group.

Economically inactive people were able to select a reason why they were inactive. For most groups, the most common reason for inactivity was retirement. For those born in other EU countries this was 31.7% of all adults, while for UK-born this was 24.2% of adults. The group with the smallest percentage of people retired was EU2, which had 1.6% of all adults retired. The different age structures between groups might account for some of these differences.

For EU2-born adults, the most common reason for inactivity was looking after family or home, at 5.0%. The migrant group which selected this reason the most was those born in the Middle East and Asia (13.4%), followed by those born in non-EU European countries (9.9%), then those born in an African country (6.9%). This is the least common reason for EU14 countries (3.4%). For UK-born adults this was 4.0%.

The groups with the largest percentage of inactive students were British Overseas Territories (8.2%) and the Middle East and Asia (8.1%). Of UK-born adults, 5.4% selected this reason.

The group with the largest percentage of adults being inactive because of long-term sickness or a disability were those born in British Overseas Territories (5.2% of all adults). The smallest percentage was 0.6% for those born in the EU2. Among UK-born adults, 4.5% selected this reason.

Non-EU countries had higher percentages of selecting "other" for their reason being inactive, with 5.8% of those born in non-EU European countries, 5.7% of those born in the Middle East and Asia, and 5.1% of African-born adults. This was 2.8% for UK-born adults. The questionnaire on the census does not allow for more detailed reasons in this other group.

Data by passport held are available in the accompanying datasets.

Figure 3: Nearly one in three adults born in all other EU countries were retired

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 years and over by reason for being economically inactive by country of birth, Census 2021

Download the data

.xlsx

There are two ways we can look at employment in occupations and industries by country of birth. The first way involves looking at those in employment in each country of birth group to see which occupations or industries occur most frequently. The second way involves looking at those in employment in each occupation or industry to see which country of birth groups occur most frequently. Both approaches are used in Sections 5 and 6, and each will provide slightly different findings.

Antarctica, Oceania and other had the highest percentage of people employed in the professional occupations (35.7%); however, these countries make up 0.8% of those working in these occupations. The professional occupation group includes jobs such as doctors, nurses, solicitors, and teachers. Those born in EU2 countries (Romania and Bulgaria) had the lowest percentage employed in these occupations (9.1%), and also make up 0.8% of those working in these occupations. Among UK-born adults, 19.7% were employed in the professional occupations, 77.1% of all those working in the professional occupations.

For the EU2 and the EU8, elementary occupations (jobs such as cleaners, shelf fillers and bar staff) was the most common occupation group at 28.3% and 25.2% respectively. Antarctica, Oceania and other had the smallest percentage of adults working in these occupations at 3.6%. Of employed UK-born adults, 9.1% were employed in elementary occupations.

Looking at more detailed occupation data, there was more variation of the occupations that had the highest employment within each migration group.

Care workers and home carers employed the highest percentages of adults born in:

• Africa (9.2%)
• British Overseas Territories (5.3%)

Sales and retail assistants employed the highest percentages of adults born in:

• Middle East and Asia (5.1%)
• UK (4.2%)
• All other EU countries (3.3%)
• EU14 (2.8%)

Cleaners and domestics employed the highest percentages of adults born in:

• EU2 (7.2%)
• The Americas and the Caribbean (6.8%)
• European countries not in the EU (3.5%)

Furthermore, 7.4% of EU8-born adults were employed as warehouse operatives, and the occupation that employed the most adults born in Antarctica, Oceania and other was financial managers and directors at 3.2%.

The broad occupational group with the largest non-UK-born workforce was elementary occupations (31.2%)

Those born in the EU8 were the largest part of this occupation group at 7.8% of all elementary occupations' workers, this was closely followed by those born in the Middle East and Asia at 7.3%.

Within this broad occupational group, packers, bottlers, canners and fillers had the largest non-UK-born workforce (60.7%). This was the highest across all occupation groups. EU8-born workers were the largest group with 22.5% of the workforce, followed by Middle East and Asia at 15.9%.

Figure 4: Packers, bottlers, canners and fillers had the largest non-UK-born workforce at 60.7%

Percentage of non-UK-born employed usual residents aged 16 years and over by occupation in the elementary occupations, Census 2021

Notes:

1. Occupations where the non-UK workforce was less than 15% have been removed from the chart but are available in the accompanying dataset.

Download the data

.xlsx

Almost all farmers were born in the UK

Out of all farmers in England and Wales, 97.5% were born in the UK, 1.6% were born in the EU, and 0.8% were born outside the EU. Other agriculture occupations have a higher proportion of non-UK-born workforce, with farm workers at 11.7% (9.8% EU-born, 1.9% non-EU-born) and managers and proprietors in agriculture and horticulture at 6.4% (3.6% EU-born, 2.8% non-EU-born).

Medical practitioners had a high non-UK-born workforce

Nearly half (47.5%) of specialist medical practitioners (doctors with a specialism, for example an oncologist or cardiologist) in England and Wales were born outside the UK. The largest group of non-UK-born specialist practitioners were those born in the Middle East and Asia at 26.3% of this occupation, followed by Africa (8.5%).

Two in five (40.6%) of generalist medical practitioners were born outside the UK, 21.8% were born in the Middle East and Asia and 9.0% from Africa. Of employed adults born in the Middle East and Asia, 1 in 50 (2.1%) are generalist practitioners.

Looking at nursing professionals, 1 in 4 (26.9%) mental health nurses were born outside the UK. Those born in Africa made up the largest part of this group at 20.2% of all mental health nurses. A further 1 in 5 (20.5%) specialist nurses were born outside the UK, with 7.9% coming from the Middle East and Asia. Midwifery nurses had one of the smallest non-UK workforce at over 1 in 8 (13.7%), with 4.5% being born in Africa and 4.1% from the EU14.

Of paramedics, 1 in 11 (9.1%) were born outside the UK, with those born in Antarctica, Oceania and other making the largest group of this.

Figure 5: Nearly half (47.5%) of specialist practitioners in England and Wales were born outside the UK

Percentage of employed non-UK-born usual residents aged 16 years and over by occupation in health care related occupations, Census 2021

Notes:

1. Occupations where the non-UK workforce was less than 15% have been removed from the chart but are available in the accompanying dataset.

Download the data

.xlsx

One in four (25.3%) care workers and home carers were not born in the UK

In the non-UK-born workforce for care workers and home carers, African countries were the most common country of birth at 1 in 10 (10.1%) and 1 in 20 (6.0%) were born in the Middle East and Asia. A similar pattern was observed for social workers, where one in five were born outside the UK, 1 in 10 (10.1%) were born in African countries, and 1 in 40 (2.5%) were born in the Middle East and Asia, and from the EU14 (2.4%).

Figure 6: One in four care workers and home carers were born outside the UK

Percentage of employed non-UK-born usual residents aged 16 years and over by occupation related to adult social care, Census 2021

Download the data

.xlsx

Sales and retail assistants were one of the most common occupations for several migrant groups

Retail-related occupations come under the broad occupation group of sales and customer service occupations. Within this occupation group the percentage of non-UK-born workforce varies from 29.4% in market and street traders and assistants to 9.6% in telephone salespersons.

Of those who worked as sales and retail assistants, 17.8% were not born in the UK. The highest percentage of the migrant groups employed in this occupation were those born in the Middle East and Asia (7.6%), followed by those born in EU8 (2.5%) and in EU14 (2.3%).

Figure 7: Nearly one in three market and street traders and assistants were non-UK-born

Percentage of employed non-UK-born usual residents aged 16 years and over by retail occupation, Census 2021

Download the data

.xlsx

Data for other occupations by country of birth, and all data on a passports-held basis are available in the accompanying datasets.

When breaking down the economy into 21 industrial sectors we see that country of birth groups have different distributions among the industries.

Figure 8: Human health and social work activities was the most common industrial sector for most groups

Percentage of employed usual residents by industrial sector by country of birth, Census 2021

Notes:

1. All other production is made up of the mining and quarying sector, the electricity, gas, steam and air condition supply sector, and the water supply, sewerage and waste management sector.
2. All of service industries is made up of the activities of households as employers, activities of extraterritorial organisations and other service sectors.

Download the data

.xlsx

Nearly a quarter of those working in human health and social work activities industries were born outside the UK

Looking across all those employed in human health and social work activities, 22.9% are non-UK-born, with the Middle East and Asia (7.5%) and Africa (6.4%) making the largest contributions to this.

Human health and social work activities was the most common industrial sector for those born in the following country groupings:

• Africa (27.9%)
• British Overseas Territories (19.1%)
• Middle East and Asia (18.4%)
• The Americas and the Caribbean (15.0%)
• All other EU countries (14.4%)
• EU14 countries (13.6%)

Human health and social work was the second most common industry for those born in the UK (14.3%) and in Antarctica, Oceania and other (12.7%), and it is in the top 10 for the remaining groups.

This sector is made up of three industries. In human health activities, 24.9% were non-UK-born, with the Middle East and Asia having the most employed at 9.2%, and 6.6% from Africa. For residential care activities, 26.8% were non-UK-born with 8.1% coming from the Middle East and Asia, and 7.9% from Africa. For social work activities without accommodation, 17.5% were non-UK-born with 5.5% coming from Africa.

Figure 9: Nearly one in four employed people in the human health and social work activities were non-UK-born

Percentage of employed non-UK-born usual residents aged 16 years and over by human health and social work industries, Census 2021

Download the data

.xlsx

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles was the most common industry sector for those born in the UK and in the EU8

This sector was the second most common industry for most other migrant groups. One in five (20.8%) people working in this sector were non-UK-born with Middle East and Asia at 6.8%, followed by EU8 countries at 4.1%.

Within this sector the wholesale trade, except for motor vehicles and motorcycles, has the highest percentage of non-UK-born workers, at 24.3%, with 6.8% from the Middle East and Asia, and 6.3% from the EU8.

Figure 10: Nearly one in four employed people in the wholesale trade were non-UK-born

Percentage of employed non-UK-born usual residents aged 16 years and over by industries in wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, Census 2021

Download the data

.xlsx

The education sector appeared in the top 10 industries for most migrant groups and the UK-born

Around 1 in 10 of the following groups worked in education:

• Antarctica, Oceania and other (11.4%)
• EU14 (11.2%)
• The Americas and the Caribbean (11.1%)
• All other EU countries (10.6%)
• UK (10.5%)

Most adults who worked in the education sector were UK-born (84.1%), with the largest non-UK groups being Middle East and Asia (4.2%) and EU14 (3.6%).

Professional, scientific, and technical activities was the most common industry for people born in Antarctica, Oceania and other

Of all employed adults born in Antarctica, Oceania and other, 14.2% worked in the professional, scientific and technical activities; however only 0.9% of people working in this sector came from these countries. The highest non-UK-born group was the Middle East and Asia (5.6%).

The breakdowns of Antarctica, Oceania and other within the sector were:

• legal and accounting services, 4.2%
• activities of head offices; management consultancy activities, 2.4%
• architectural and engineering activities; technical testing and analysis, 2.4%
• scientific research and development 1.0%
• advertising and market research, 2.6%
• other professional, scientific, and technical activities, 1.2%
• veterinary activities, 0.4%

Figure 11: Nearly one in three (30.6%) employed people in scientific research and development industries were non-UK-born

Percentage of employed non-UK-born usual residents aged 16 years and over by professional, scientific, and technical activities industries, Census 2021

Notes:

1. Occupations where the non-UK workforce was less than 15% have been removed from the chart but are available in the accompanying dataset.

Download the data

.xlsx

Construction was the most common industry for those born in the EU2 countries and non-EU European countries

Of adults born in EU2 (Romania and Bulgaria), 17.6% were employed in construction and of those born in non-EU European countries, 14.8% worked in this sector. EU2 countries made up 3.7% of all those employed in construction, with EU8 countries making a larger part of the non-UK-born workforce (3.8%). The way that industry data were collected by Census 2021 means that the construction sector cannot be broken into the three industries it consists of: construction of buildings, civil engineering, and specialised construction activities.

One in five (21.3%) manufacturing workers were born outside the UK

The largest two migrant groups in manufacturing were those born in EU8 countries (6.8%) and those born in the Middle East and Asia (5.0%).

This varied within the manufacturing industries. Two in five who worked in manufacture of food products (40.4%) and in manufacture of wearing apparel (40.1%) were born outside the UK. Those born in EU8 countries made up the largest part of the non-UK-born workforce, at 16.2% of all employed in the manufacture of food products, followed by the Middle East and Asia (9.2%). For those who worked in manufacture of wearing apparel, the largest group was the Middle East and Asia (17.8%), followed by the EU8.

One in four who worked in the manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations were born outside the UK, with 7.2% coming from the Middle East and Asia and 5.8% coming from the EU14.

The industry with smallest proportion of non-UK-born workers was the repair and installation of machinery and equipment industry, which had 1 in 10 born outside the UK. Around 1 in 50 came from each of the following country groups:

• Middle East and Asia (2.1%)
• EU8 (2.0%)
• EU14 (1.9%)
• Africa (1.9%)

Figure 12: Over one in five employed in manufacturing were born outside the UK

Percentage of employed non-UK-born usual residents aged 16 years and over by manufacturing industry, Census 2021

Notes:

1. Industries where the non-UK workforce was less than 15% have been removed from the chart but are available in the data download.

Download the data

.xlsx

Data for other industries by country of birth, and all data on a passports-held basis are available in the accompanying datasets.

Employment

The number of people aged 16 years and over who did paid work as an employee or self-employed. It also includes those who had a job that they were temporarily away from.

Type of employment

People in employment are split into employment types.

Employees are those doing paid work for an individual or organisation.

Self-employed people are those who own and operate their own business. This can include people who work freelance, which means someone who is self-employed and works, or worked, for different companies on particular pieces of work.

Self-employed people who are not freelance can have employees who work for them.

Unemployment

People without a job, but who were actively looking for work between 22 February and 21 March 2021 and could start within two weeks. They are also people who had found a job and were waiting to start it in the two weeks after Census Day, 21 March 2021.

Economically active

People aged 16 years and over who are an active participant in the labour market between 15 and 21 March 2021, as they were:

• in employment as an employee or self-employed
• unemployed, but looking for work and could start within two weeks
• unemployed, but waiting to start a job that had been offered and accepted

Economically inactive

People aged 16 years and over who did not have a job between 15 and 21 March 2021 and had not looked for work between 22 February and 21 March 2021 or could not start work within two weeks.

Reasons for inactivity

Economically inactive people could state that, between 15 and 21 March 2021, they were:

• retired
• studying
• looking after home or family
• long-term sick or disabled
• other

For definitions of labour market variables more generally, see our Guide to labour market statistics.

Usual resident

A usual resident is anyone who on Census Day, 21 March 2021, was in the UK and had stayed or intended to stay in the UK for a period of 12 months or more, or had a permanent UK address and was outside the UK and intended to be outside the UK for less than 12 months.

Long-term international migration

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) Centre for International Migration uses the UN-recommended definition of a long-term international migrant: "A person who moves to a country other than that of his or her usual residence for a period of at least a year (12 months), so that the country of destination effectively becomes his or her new country of usual residence."

Passport held

The "All passports" census variable classifies a person according to the passport or passports they held at the time of the census. This included expired passports or travel documents people were entitled to renew. Where a person recorded having more than one passport, they were counted only once, categorised in the following priority order: 1. UK passport, 2. Irish passport, 3. Other passport. Only the first country written in "Other passport" was taken.

No passport held

The reasons for this will vary by country, with many UK-born non-passport holders having no need for a passport, such as children or the elderly. For non-UK-born this may include:

• asylum seekers without travel documentation awaiting a decision
• those born in the Republic of Ireland who did not require a passport to enter the UK
• those from other EU countries who may have arrived here using a national identity card
• those who may have acquired UK nationality but do not currently hold a passport
• those who moved here whose passport has subsequently expired or not been renewed
• those who settled in the UK under the Windrush scheme and did not require a passport
• those who arrived as children on a parent's passport

EU

EU is the sum of the EU14, EU8 and EU2, plus Malta, Cyprus and Croatia (from 1 July 2013).

EU14

EU14 is Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden.

EU8

EU8 is Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

EU2

EU2 is Romania and Bulgaria.

Other EU

Other EU is Malta, Cyprus and Croatia (from 2013).

Non-EU

Non-EU is the sum of the rest of the world including the rest of Europe. British nationals are excluded from these numbers.

Other non-EU

The category "Other non-EU" refers to the following list of countries:

Albania, Andorra, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Cyprus (non-EU), Faroe Islands, Georgia, Guernsey, Iceland, Isle of Man, Jersey, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and Vatican City.

Other country groups are based on the National Statistics country classification.

Industry

Classifies people aged 16 years and over who were in employment between 15 and 21 March 2021 by the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2007 code that represents their current industry or business.

The SIC code is assigned based on the information provided about a firm or organisation's main activity.

Occupation

Classifies what people aged 16 years and over do as their main job. Their job title or details of activities they do in their job and any supervisory or management responsibilities form this classification. This information is used to code responses to an occupation using the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) 2020.

It classifies people who were in employment between 15 and 21 March 2021, by the SOC code that represents their current occupation. The lowest level of detail available is the four-digit SOC code which includes all codes in three-, two- and one-digit SOC levels.

The census provides the most detailed picture of the entire population, with the same core questions asked to everybody across England and Wales. Census results can be more reliable than survey results based on a sample of the population, because the whole population is included. The UK Statistics Authority has assigned National Statistics status to Census 2021 outputs, providing assurance that these statistics are of the highest quality and value to users.  

Census 2021 achieved a very high response rate of 97%. We ensure the census results reflect the whole population by using statistical methods to estimate the number and characteristics of people who were not recorded on a census response. This means that the census statistics are estimates rather than simple counts of responses, so they have some statistical uncertainty associated with them. We take numerous steps to minimise possible sources of error. 

Census 2021 was conducted during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a period of unparalleled and rapid change, and it is possible that this affected the way some people responded to the labour market questions on the census. Specifically, analysis suggests that there was a tendency for some people who were furloughed to report that they were out of work rather than in employment when completing the census.

Compared with estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), the census shows fewer people in employment and more people in unemployment or economic inactivity. Some of the discrepancy will be explained by the issue of recording the labour market status of some furloughed individuals in the census. There are also a range of conceptual differences, between Census 2021 and the LFS, which make comparisons between the two sources difficult.

Users should be aware of these issues when analysing Census 2021 labour market figures. However, overall, most census respondents responded to the labour market questions in the way we expected. Therefore, the census continues to be a valuable tool for understanding the labour market conditions in small geographical areas and for population sub-groups. Please see our Comparing Census 2021 and Labour Force Survey estimates of the labour market, England and Wales: 13 March 2021 article for further information about interpreting census labour market data.

The labour market figures reported in this article will likely be affected by the age composition of different population groups (see Section 2: Nearly three in four EU-born migrants were in employment). Migrant groups tend to be younger than the UK-born or British passport holder groups, and younger people are more likely to be in employment than older people. It is not customary to adjust figures on the labour market to account for differences in the age structure of populations, so we have not age-standardised the figures in this article to keep them comparable with other published estimates.

We apply statistical disclosure control to protect the confidentiality of census respondents. Differences in the methods used for statistical disclosure control may result in minor differences in data totals between census products. As we round all figures individually, table totals may not sum exactly. 

Quality considerations along with the strengths and limitations of Census 2021 are more generally provided in our Quality and Methodology Information (QMI) for Census 2021. Read more about the specific quality considerations in our Labour market quality information for Census 2021 methodology and Demography and migration quality information for Census 2021 methodology. Further information on our quality assurance processes is provided in our Maximising the quality of Census 2021 population estimates methodology.

Industry employment

People in employment were asked to provide their job title and the main activity of their organisation, business, or freelance work. This information was then used to derive the industry in which they worked. This measure of industry employment differs from the measure used in other business surveys, which may lead to different counts of the population in employment.