Title

Annual Population Survey / Local Labour Force Survey: Summary of economic activity

Last update

30 June 2016 30 June 2016

Next update

September 2016

Publishing organisation

Welsh Government

Source 1

Annual Population Survey, Office for National Statistics

Contact email

economic.stats@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Designation

National Statistics

Lowest level of geographical disaggregation

Local authorities

Geographical coverage

Wales

Languages covered

English only

General description

These data are taken from the ANNUAL datasets from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), providing labour market data back to 1996 for the NUTS2 areas in Wales, and back to 2001 for the local authorities in Wales. The availability of local authority data is dependent upon on an enhanced sample (around 350 per cent larger) for the annual LFS, which commenced in 2001.

For years labelled 1996 to 2004 in this dataset, the actual periods covered are the 12 months running from March in the year given to February in the following year (e.g. 2001 = 1 March 2001 to 28 February 2002).

Since 2004, the annual data have been produced on a rolling annual basis, updated every three months, and the dataset is now referred to as the Annual Population Survey (APS). The rolling annual averages are on a calendar basis with the first rolling annual average presented here covering the period 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2004, followed by data covering the period 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005, with rolling quarterly updates applied thereafter.

Note therefore that the consecutive rolling annual averages overlap by nine months, and there is also a two-month overlap between the last period presented on the former March to February basis, and the first period on the new basis.

The population of working age or aged 16 and over can each be broken down into economically active and economically inactive populations. The economically active population is made up of persons in employment, and persons unemployed according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) definition. This dataset allows the user to access these data.

Although each measure is available for the two population bases, as well as for several other age groups, there is an official standard population base used for each of the measures, as follows.

Population aged 16 and over
. Economic activity level
. Employment level
. ILO unemployment level

Population of working age
. Economic inactivity level (including or excluding students)

Working age population is used as the base for economic inactivity. By excluding persons of pensionable age who are generally retired and therefore economically inactive, this gives a more appropriate measure of workforce inactivity.

Rates for each of the above measures are also calculated in a standard manner and are available in the dataset. With the exception of the ILO unemployment rate, each rate is defined in terms of the shares of population that fall into each category. The ILO unemployment rate is defined as ILO unemployed persons as a percentage of the economically active population.

Although each rate is available for the two population bases, as well as for several other age groups, there is an official standard population base used for each of the rates, as follows.

Percentage of population of working age
. Economic activity
. Employment
. Economic inactivity (including or excluding students)

Percentage of economically active population aged 16 and over
. ILO unemployment

Data collection and calculation

The local authority and Wales figures for 2001, 2002 and 2003 in these tables may not be the same as published elsewhere, as the numbers here are estimated using Welsh specific weights. These weights better reflect the population estimates for Welsh local authorities in these years.

LFS data is collected throughout the year, and is available from the ONS in a variety of ways. This dataset contains the latest annual results, as referred to in the second bullet below.

. Key data on the labour market is updated every month showing the position for the latest three months, for the UK and each of the UK countries and English regions. Note these data are seasonally adjusted and also that no sub-regional (i.e. local authority) data are published by the ONS to a monthly timetable.

. Annual results covering the periods described earlier are also available from the ONS, providing more detailed data from the LFS, including data for sub-Wales geographies. These annual datasets use results from the samples for the quarterly surveys used for the key series, together with results from additional persons sampled to provide a more robust (boosted) dataset, with estimates subject to much lower sampling variability.

. Quarterly results are also available, again providing more detailed data from the LFS than the key series, including data for sub-Wales geographies. However, although these data are available earlier than the data taken from the annual datasets, data for sub-Wales geographies taken from the quarterly datasets are no longer included on StatsWales as the results are far less robust than those which come from the annual datasets.

Note that as data are taken from the ANNUAL Labour Force Survey datasets they do NOT exactly match annual averages derived from the 4 QUARTERLY datasets in the relevant 12 month period covered due to differences in the sampling structure.

Further note that the data presented here for Wales and the UK are consistent with the sub-Wales level data, and so have not been seasonally adjusted. Further they do not take account of population estimates released since February 2003 in weighting the results (weighting since then is based on projections). They therefore do not tally with the key labour market data for Wales and the UK, which can be found on StatsWales in reports 002044, 001255 and 000430.

Note finally that the ILO unemployment measure differs from another commonly used measure of unemployment, namely the claimant count. The latter is a count of all those claiming unemployment benefit, and as such it is not subject to sampling variability. However, it excludes those who are unemployed who are not eligible to claim (for example those out of work but whose partner works), and those who do not wish to claim. The ILO measure, which is a count of those who are out of work and want a job, have actively sought work in the last 4 weeks and are available to start work in the next two weeks; plus those who are out of work, have found a job and are waiting to start in the next 2 weeks, is a more encompassing measure of unemployment, which is used around the world.

Frequency of publication

Quarterly

Data reference periods

1996 to 2016

Rounding applied

Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred and so there may be some apparent slight discrepancies between the sum of constituent items and the totals as shown.

Revisions information

Note - 30 June 2016 - ONS have reweighted the APS to take account the latest population data. Therefore, all estimates from quarter 4 of 2012 to quarter 4 2015 have been revised.

Statistical quality

As the data come from a survey, the results are sample-based estimates and therefore subject to differing degrees of sampling variability, i.e. the true value for any measure lies in a differing range about the estimated value. This range or sampling variability increases as the detail in the data increases, for example individual local authority data are subject to higher variability than Wales data.

Keywords

Labour market

Name

Econ0006