5. What we do
Introduction
This chapter focuses on economic activity and the characteristics of individuals and households in different economic activity categories. Activities associated with economic activity, such as participation in education and training and methods of travel to work/education are also examined. The SHS is not the official source of employment, qualifications and training data in the UK (see Appendix One).
Please refer to Chapter 2 for more information about interpreting the information in the tables in this section.
Economic activity
Fifty-two per cent of all adults are in some type of paid employment - either employed full- or part-time or self- employed. Twenty-seven per cent are retired, 3% are unemployed, 7% are looking after the home or family, 5% are in full-time education, and 6% are unable to work on the grounds of health or disability ( Table 5.1).
Forty-eight per cent of women are in some type of paid employment compared with 58% of men ( Table 5.2).
Overall, 41% of households have no adults in work, 27% of households have one adult in work, and 32% have two or more adults in work ( Table 5.6). Just over half (55%) of households in the most deprived SIMD quintile have no adults in paid employment, compared with 32% of households in the least deprived SIMD quintile ( Table 5.8).
Working households
Seventy per cent of adults of working age are in paid employment ( Table 5.10). The vast majority of working adults have one job (96%) ( Table 5.12).
In terms of the Standard Industrial Classification, 15% of working adults are employed in 'Health and Social Work', 10% in 'Manufacturing', 14% in 'Real estate, renting and business activities', and 12% in 'Wholesale and retail trade; repair trades' ( Table 5.16).
Women of working age
Two-thirds of female adults (66%) of working age are in paid employment (full-time, part-time or self-employed) ( Table 5.21).
Twenty per cent of female single parents of working age are in full-time employment compared with 27% of all females of working age living in households with children ( Table 5.23 and Table 5.21).
Travel to work or education
A high proportion of adults (63%) travel to work/education in a car or van, either as a driver or passenger. In addition, 16% walk and 12% travel by bus, while only 2% cycle and 4% travel by rail ( Table 5.25).
Overall, 52% of school pupils walk to school. Twenty-four per cent travel by bus, while 21% travel to school in a car or van. Children living in higher-income households are more likely to travel to school in a car or van ( Table 5.31). Children in accessible and remote rural areas are more likely to travel to school by bus, and less likely to walk, compared with children in urban areas ( Table 5.32).
Participation in training
Overall, 26% of adults of working age are undertaking some kind of training or education. Younger adults are more likely to be involved in training or education, with those aged 16 to 24 having the highest participation rates (52%) ( Table 5.34).
Participation levels differ depending on the level of qualifications already held ( Table 5.39). Adults with none of the qualifications listed in the SHS have the lowest level of participation in education and training, with only 8% in some form of training.
Highest level of qualification
A quarter (25%) of working aged adults responded that they had none of the qualifications listed in the SHS ( Table 5.40). Higher proportions of adults in higher income households than lower income households have educational qualifications: only 4% of adults in households with a net annual income of over £40,000 had none of the qualifications, compared with 39% of adults in households with an income of less than £6,000 ( Table 5.41).
Satisfaction with schooling
Almost all households with school age children (93%) are very (61%) or fairly (32%) satisfied with the schooling their child is receiving ( Table 5.44).