In order to protect against disclosure of personal information from the 2011 Census, there has been swapping of records in the Census database between different geographic areas, and so some counts will be affected. In the main, the greatest effects will be at the lowest geographies, since the record swapping is targeted towards those households with unusual characteristics in small areas.
More details on the ONS Census disclosure control strategy may be found at http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/census/2011/census-data/2011-census-prospectus/new-developments-for-2011-census-results/statistical-disclosure-control/index.html
This dataset provides 2011 Census estimates that classify usual residents aged 16 to 74 in England and Wales by economic activity. The estimates are as at census day, 27 March 2011.
The census concept of economic activity is compatible with the standard for economic status defined by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). It is one of a number of definitions used internationally to produce accurate and comparable statistics on employment, unemployment and economic status. The data will be used by local and regional authorities, central government departments, other public sector bodies, academics and research institutions to understand, and develop policies for local labour markets, employment and unemployment.
Similar estimates from the 2001 Census were provided in table UV28.
The main population base for statistics from the 2011 Census is the usual resident population as at census day, 27 March 2011. Although the population base for enumeration included non-UK born short-term residents, this population is analysed separately and is not included in the main outputs from the 2011 Census. All statistics, unless specified, are produced using only usual residents of the UK.
For 2011 Census purposes, a usual resident of the UK is anyone who, on census day, 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.
For information about the main population base for statistics, how other population sub-groups are counted, and all variable definitions, see information about variables and classifications:
In results from the 2001 Census the closest equivalent to the wards/electoral divisions in the 2011 administrative hierarchy were the CAS wards. CAS wards were subject to the same minimum thresholds that apply to 2011 wards - each must have at least 40 resident households and 100 resident people. Wards that were smaller than an output area, and therefore fell below these thresholds, were treated differently in 2001. One or more wards below the threshold were amalgamated with one or more neighbouring wards until the total population was great enough to allow for the production of census estimates.
To ensure the confidentiality of data published for small areas they must meet minimum thresholds for the number of people and households in the area. These thresholds are 40 resident households and 100 resident people. Some wards do not meet these minimum requirements. This means that a ward smaller than an OA would not ordinarily have any OA estimates attached to it and the ward would appear to have no population or households.
An adjustment process has been applied to assign OA estimates to some of these sub threshold wards. This means that in instances where more than one sub-threshold ward are smaller than the same OA, one of the wards is assigned the OA population, and the others are not. There are 16 of these sub-threshold wards in this hierarchy that do not feature in census results with population estimates assigned to them because those estimates are already assigned to another ward. These wards are listed below with the closest corresponding OA.
| Ward code | Ward name | OA code |
| E05000011 | Cheap | E00000007 |
| E05000008 | Broad Street | E00166755 |
| E05000009 | Candlewick | E00166755 |
| E05000014 | Cornhill | E00166755 |
| E05000020 | Lime Street | E00166755 |
| E05000003 | Bassishaw | E00000021 |
| E05000012 | Coleman Street | E00000019 |
| E05000006 | Bread Street | E00000024 |
| E05000010 | Castle Baynard | E00000024 |
| E05000013 | Cordwainer | E00166757 |
| E05000016 | Dowgate | E00166757 |
| E05000024 | Vintry | E00166757 |
| E05000025 | Walbrook | E00166757 |
| E05008322 | Bryher | E00096400 |
| E05000002 | Aldgate | E00000035 |
| E05000004 | Billingsgate | E00000035 |
| E05000007 | Bridge | E00000035 |
| E05000019 | Langbourn | E00000035 |
The 2011 administrative hierarchy is made up of areas that relate to national and local government. The hierarchy has several layers, and the areas in many of the layers are subject to periodic or occasional change. The lowest level of the hierarchy, and the building block of administrative geography, are the electoral divisions/wards as at December 2011. These are the geographic units used to elect local government councillors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan districts, unitary authorities and the London boroughs in England, and unitary authorities in Wales. All of the higher administrative areas included in the hierarchy are made up of whole wards/electoral divisions.
The wards/electoral divisions are themselves a best fit of output areas (OAs), the standard building blocks used to form the higher geographical areas for which statistics from the census are produced, in accordance with the Geography Policy for National Statistics.
Though they no longer serve administrative functions, metropolitan counties and regions are included in the hierarchy for statistical purposes. Unitary authorities appear in the hierarchy at the same level as counties.
All areas use the nine character codes introduced 01 January 2011 when the GSS Coding and Naming Policy was implemented.
Further information about the geographic methods and principles used to produce statistics are available from ONS Geography. Boundary data and output area to higher area look-up files, which specify the 'best-fit' that has been used for a range of geographical hierarchies, are available from the Open Geography portal.
Economic activity relates to whether or not a person who was aged 16 and over was working or looking for work in the week before census. Rather than a simple indicator of whether or not someone was currently in employment, it provides a measure of whether or not a person was an active participant in the labour market.
A person's economic activity is derived from their 'Activity last week'. This is an indicator of their status or availability for employment - whether employed, actively looking for work, waiting to start a new job, available to start a new job, or their status if not employed or not seeking employment. Additional information included in the economic activity classification is also derived from information about the number of hours a person works and their type of employment - whether employed or self-employed.
The census concept of economic activity is compatible with the standard for economic status defined by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). It is one of a number of definitions used internationally to produce accurate and comparable statistics on employment, unemployment and economic status.
A person aged 16 and over is described as economically active if, in the week before the census, they were:
Full-time students who fulfil any of these criteria are classified as economically active and are counted separately in the 'Full-time student' category of economically active - they are not included in any of the other categories such as employees or unemployed.
An employee is a person aged 16 and over in employment doing paid work for an individual or organisation.
This relates to a person?s main job or, if not working at the time of the census, their last main job.
Part-time working is defined as working 30 hours or less per week. This applies to the number of hours a person aged 16 and over in employment in the week before the census worked in their main job, and includes paid and unpaid overtime.
A person aged 16 and over is described as economically inactive if, in the week before the census, they were not in employment but did not meet the criteria to be classified as ?Unemployed'. This includes a person looking for work but not available to start work within two weeks, as well as anyone not looking for work, or unable to work - for example retired, looking after home/family, permanently sick or disabled.
Students who fulfil any of these criteria are also classified as economically inactive. This does not necessarily mean they were in full-time education and excludes students who were working or in some other way economically active.
Economically inactive 'Other' includes people aged 16 and over who were not in employment and did not meet the criteria to be classified as unemployed for reasons other than being retired, a student, looking after home or family or being permanently sick or disabled.
Self-employed people aged 16 and over own and operate their own business, professional practice or similar enterprise, including those operated with a partner. This relates to a person?s main job or, if not working at the time of the census, their last main job.
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.
Full-time working is defined as working 31 hours or more per week. This applies to the number of hours a person aged 16 and over in employment in the week before the census worked in their main job, and includes paid and unpaid overtime.
A full-time student is a person of any age who has indicated that they are a schoolchild or student in full-time education.
Schoolchildren and students in full-time education studying away from their family home are treated as usually resident at their term-time address.
A long-term health problem or disability that limits a person's day-to-day activities, and has lasted, or is expected to last, at least 12 months. This includes problems that are related to old age. People were asked to assess whether their daily activities were limited a lot or a little by such a health problem, or whether their daily activities were not limited at all.
A person aged 16 and over is classified as unemployed if they are not in employment, are available to start work in the next two weeks, and either looked for work in the last four weeks or are waiting to start a new job.