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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.
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-seven per cent of women are in some type of paid
employment compared with 57% of men (
Table 5.2).
Overall, 42% of households have no adults in work, 27%
of households have one adult in work, and 31% have two or
more adults in work (
Table 5.5).
Working households
Just over two-thirds of adults of working age (69%) are
in paid employment (
Table 5.8). The vast
majority of working adults have one job (97%) (
Table 5.10).
In terms of the Standard Industrial Classification, 16%
of working adults are employed in 'Health and Social Work',
11% in 'Manufacturing', 11% in 'Real estate, renting and
business activities', and 12% in 'Wholesale and retail
trade; repair trades' (
Table 5.13).
Sixty per cent of all working adults work more than 36
hours per week, with 12% working more than 46 hours and 4%
working more than 56 hours (
Table 5.17).
Women of working age
Just under two-thirds of female adults (64%) of working
age are in paid employment (full-time, part-time or
self-employed)
(Table 5.20).
Twenty per cent of female single parents of working age
are in full-time employment compared with 26% of all
females of working age living in households with children (
Table 5.21 and Table
5.19).
Flexi-time
Twenty-four per cent of adults of working age work on a
flexi-time basis, with this figure the same for both males
and females (
Table 5.22). Those in
families no more commonly work flexi-time than single
adults or those in small adult households. Indeed, only 21%
of single parents work flexi-time, compared with 26% of
single adults (
Table 5.23).
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, 15% walk and 14% travel by bus,
while only 2% cycle and 3% travel by rail (
Table 5.24).
Overall, 52% of school pupils walk to school.
Twenty-three per cent travel by bus, while 22% get a lift
to school in a car or van. Children living in lower-income
households are more likely to walk to school while children
in higher-income households are more likely to get a lift
in a car or van (
Table 5.29) Children in
rural areas are more likely to travel to school by bus, and
less likely to walk, compared with children in urban areas
(
Table 5.30).
Participation in training
Overall, 28% 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 (53%)
(
Table 5.31).
Participation levels differ notably by qualifications
already held (
Table 5.35). People with no
qualifications have the lowest level of participation in
education and training, with only 10% in some form of
training. The highest participation levels are found for
adults with first or higher degrees (41%) or with a
professional qualification (42%).
Educational qualifications
Overall, 21% of adults have no qualifications - 20% of
all males and 22% of all females (
Table 5.36). Higher
proportions of adults in higher income households than
lower income households have educational qualifications (
Table 5.37).
Table 5.1: Economic activity of
adults aged 16 years or over
Column percentages, 2003/2004 data
Adult population
| Male | Female | All |
|---|
Self employed | 7 | 3 | 5 |
|---|
Full time employment | 47 | 27 | 36 |
|---|
Part time employment | 3 | 17 | 11 |
|---|
Looking after home/family | 1 | 12 | 7 |
|---|
Permanently retired from work | 25 | 28 | 27 |
|---|
Unemployed and seeking work | 5 | 2 | 3 |
|---|
At school | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Higher/further education | 3 | 4 | 4 |
|---|
Government work/training scheme | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|---|
Permanently sick or disabled | 6 | 4 | 5 |
|---|
Unable to work due to short term
ill-health | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Other | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|---|
All | 100 | 100 | 100 |
|---|
Base | 12,242 | 16,504 | 28,746 |
|---|
Table 5.2: Economic activity by
age and sex
Column percentages, 2003/2004 data
Adult population
Male | 16 to 24 | 25 to 34 | 35 to 44 | 45 to 59 | 60 to 74 | 75 plus | All |
|---|
Self employed | 1 | 6 | 11 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 7 |
|---|
Full time employment | 46 | 74 | 71 | 61 | 11 | 0 | 47 |
|---|
Part time employment | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
|---|
Looking after home/family | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 1 |
|---|
Permanently retired from work | - | - | - | 5 | 71 | 98 | 25 |
|---|
Unemployed and seeking work | 11 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 1 | - | 5 |
|---|
At school | 13 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
|---|
Higher/further education | 22 | 5 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 3 |
|---|
Government work/training scheme | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 0 |
|---|
Permanently sick or disabled | 1 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 6 |
|---|
Unable to work due to short term
ill-health | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 1 |
|---|
Other | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
|---|
All | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
|---|
Base | 1,015 | 1,733 | 2,374 | 3,105 | 2,729 | 1,286 | 12,242 |
|---|
Female | 16 to 24 | 25 to 34 | 35 to 44 | 45 to 59 | 60 to 74 | 75 plus | All |
|---|
Self employed | 0 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
|---|
Full time employment | 30 | 45 | 39 | 37 | 3 | 0 | 27 |
|---|
Part time employment | 9 | 21 | 29 | 25 | 6 | 0 | 17 |
|---|
Looking after home/family | 10 | 20 | 17 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 12 |
|---|
Permanently retired from work | - | - | 0 | 4 | 83 | 95 | 28 |
|---|
Unemployed and seeking work | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | - | 2 |
|---|
At school | 14 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
|---|
Higher/further education | 28 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | 4 |
|---|
Government work/training scheme | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 0 |
|---|
Permanently sick or disabled | 1 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
|---|
Unable to work due to short term
ill-health | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 1 |
|---|
Other | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|---|
All | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
|---|
Base | 1,301 | 2,475 | 3,019 | 3,670 | 3,658 | 2,381 | 16,504 |
|---|
Table 5.3: Economic activity by
urban/rural classification
Column percentages, 2003/2004 data
Adult population
| Large urban areas | Other urban areas | Accessible small towns | Remote small towns | Accessible rural | Remote rural | Scotland |
|---|
Self employed | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 5 |
|---|
Full time employment | 35 | 39 | 38 | 33 | 36 | 30 | 36 |
|---|
Part time employment | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 11 |
|---|
Looking after home/family | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
|---|
Permanently retired from work | 27 | 26 | 26 | 30 | 26 | 28 | 27 |
|---|
Unemployed and seeking work | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
|---|
At school | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Higher/further education | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
|---|
Government work/training scheme | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|---|
Permanently sick or disabled | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
|---|
Unable to work due to short term
ill-health | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
|---|
All | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
|---|
Base | 10,468 | 8,066 | 2,965 | 1,320 | 3,443 | 2,481 | 28,743 |
|---|
Table 5.4: Economic activity by
local authority
Column percentages, 2003/2004 data
Adult population
| Self employed | Full time employ-ment | Part time employ-ment | Looking after home/ family | Perman-ently retired from
work | Unemployed and seeking
work | At school | Higher/ further education | Gov'nment work/ training
scheme | Perman-ently sick or
disabled | Unable to work due to short term
ill-health | Other | All | Base |
|---|
Aberdeen City | 4 | 38 | 11 | 5 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 8 | - | 5 | 1 | 1 | 100 | 1065 |
|---|
Aberdeenshire | 7 | 38 | 14 | 9 | 22 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | 3 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 1162 |
|---|
Angus | 4 | 36 | 12 | 7 | 30 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 587 |
|---|
Argyll and Bute | 8 | 30 | 12 | 7 | 31 | 4 | 2 | 1 | - | 5 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 524 |
|---|
Clackmannanshire | 3 | 33 | 11 | 8 | 29 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 100 | 541 |
|---|
Dumfries and Galloway | 6 | 32 | 12 | 7 | 33 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 100 | 784 |
|---|
Dundee City | 2 | 33 | 9 | 8 | 33 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 779 |
|---|
East Ayrshire | 4 | 35 | 13 | 7 | 22 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 651 |
|---|
East Dunbartonshire | 6 | 36 | 11 | 7 | 28 | 1 | 2 | 4 | - | 3 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 502 |
|---|
East Lothian | 8 | 39 | 10 | 5 | 29 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 503 |
|---|
East Renfrewshire | 6 | 37 | 11 | 8 | 25 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 566 |
|---|
Edinburgh City | 5 | 39 | 11 | 5 | 25 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 2312 |
|---|
Eilean Siar | 9 | 30 | 9 | 5 | 35 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | - | 100 | 532 |
|---|
Falkirk | 4 | 39 | 10 | 6 | 25 | 3 | 2 | 3 | - | 6 | 1 | 1 | 100 | 772 |
|---|
Fife | 5 | 39 | 10 | 7 | 27 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 1978 |
|---|
Glasgow City | 3 | 31 | 8 | 8 | 27 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 100 | 3129 |
|---|
Highland | 9 | 32 | 15 | 9 | 24 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 1024 |
|---|
Inverclyde | 1 | 37 | 12 | 6 | 29 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | - | 100 | 526 |
|---|
Midlothian | 4 | 37 | 14 | 8 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 100 | 531 |
|---|
Moray | 4 | 41 | 17 | 8 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 584 |
|---|
North Ayrshire | 3 | 31 | 12 | 10 | 24 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 696 |
|---|
North Lanarkshire | 3 | 37 | 11 | 8 | 27 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 1633 |
|---|
Orkney | 14 | 35 | 12 | 4 | 25 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 100 | 638 |
|---|
Perth and Kinross | 4 | 33 | 16 | 5 | 34 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | - | 100 | 602 |
|---|
Renfrewshire | 4 | 36 | 10 | 7 | 27 | 4 | 2 | 4 | - | 5 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 938 |
|---|
Scottish Borders | 7 | 37 | 12 | 9 | 29 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 633 |
|---|
Shetland | 8 | 42 | 14 | 7 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 639 |
|---|
South Ayrshire | 5 | 34 | 9 | 6 | 31 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 100 | 591 |
|---|
South Lanarkshire | 3 | 40 | 8 | 7 | 26 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 100 | 1495 |
|---|
Stirling | 8 | 38 | 10 | 7 | 27 | 3 | - | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 554 |
|---|
West Dunbartonshire | 2 | 40 | 11 | 7 | 24 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 1 | - | 100 | 462 |
|---|
West Lothian | 3 | 44 | 12 | 6 | 20 | 4 | 2 | 3 | - | 4 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 813 |
|---|
Scotland | 5 | 36 | 11 | 7 | 27 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 28746 |
|---|
Table 5.5: Number of adults in
paid employment by household type
Column percentages, 2003/2004 data
Households
| Single adult | Small adult | Single parent | Small family | Large family | Large adult | Older smaller | Single pensioner | All |
|---|
None | 42 | 13 | 51 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 77 | 96 | 42 |
|---|
One | 58 | 24 | 49 | 27 | 27 | 18 | 18 | 4 | 27 |
|---|
Two or more | - | 63 | - | 66 | 63 | 72 | 5 | - | 31 |
|---|
All | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
|---|
Base | 4,976 | 5,153 | 1,777 | 4,248 | 2,036 | 2,938 | 4,655 | 5,039 | 30,822 |
|---|
Table 5.6: Number of adults in
paid employment by urban/rural classification
Column percentages, 2003/2004 data
Households
| Large urban areas | Other urban areas | Accessible small towns | Remote small towns | Accessible rural | Remote rural | Scotland |
|---|
None | 45 | 41 | 39 | 44 | 35 | 39 | 42 |
|---|
One | 27 | 27 | 26 | 29 | 28 | 26 | 27 |
|---|
Two or more | 28 | 32 | 35 | 27 | 37 | 34 | 31 |
|---|
All | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
|---|
Base | 11,265 | 8,622 | 3,196 | 1,379 | 3,744 | 2,613 | 30,819 |
|---|
Table 5.7: Number of adults in
paid employment by local authority
Row percentages, 2003/2004 data
Households
| None | One | Two or more | All | Base |
|---|
Aberdeen City | 37 | 29 | 34 | 100 | 1,232 |
|---|
Aberdeenshire | 32 | 29 | 39 | 100 | 1,237 |
|---|
Angus | 39 | 29 | 31 | 100 | 628 |
|---|
Argyll and Bute | 45 | 24 | 31 | 100 | 551 |
|---|
Clackmannanshire | 43 | 28 | 29 | 100 | 579 |
|---|
Dumfries and Galloway | 45 | 25 | 30 | 100 | 815 |
|---|
Dundee City | 52 | 24 | 24 | 100 | 866 |
|---|
East Ayrshire | 43 | 26 | 32 | 100 | 696 |
|---|
East Dunbartonshire | 37 | 25 | 38 | 100 | 553 |
|---|
East Lothian | 37 | 28 | 36 | 100 | 549 |
|---|
East Renfrewshire | 37 | 26 | 37 | 100 | 580 |
|---|
Edinburgh City | 40 | 30 | 30 | 100 | 2,509 |
|---|
Eilean Siar | 45 | 29 | 26 | 100 | 549 |
|---|
Falkirk | 40 | 26 | 35 | 100 | 824 |
|---|
Fife | 41 | 27 | 32 | 100 | 2,083 |
|---|
Glasgow City | 52 | 27 | 22 | 100 | 3,294 |
|---|
Highland | 34 | 30 | 37 | 100 | 1,167 |
|---|
Inverclyde | 48 | 22 | 30 | 100 | 554 |
|---|
Midlothian | 37 | 29 | 34 | 100 | 561 |
|---|
Moray | 32 | 28 | 40 | 100 | 613 |
|---|
North Ayrshire | 46 | 28 | 26 | 100 | 752 |
|---|
North Lanarkshire | 43 | 25 | 32 | 100 | 1,758 |
|---|
Orkney | 34 | 29 | 37 | 100 | 665 |
|---|
Perth and Kinross | 40 | 27 | 33 | 100 | 674 |
|---|
Renfrewshire | 44 | 26 | 30 | 100 | 1,000 |
|---|
Scottish Borders | 39 | 28 | 34 | 100 | 663 |
|---|
Shetland | 36 | 34 | 30 | 100 | 653 |
|---|
South Ayrshire | 45 | 26 | 29 | 100 | 624 |
|---|
South Lanarkshire | 42 | 26 | 32 | 100 | 1,587 |
|---|
Stirling | 37 | 30 | 34 | 100 | 612 |
|---|
West Dunbartonshire | 45 | 25 | 30 | 100 | 509 |
|---|
West Lothian | 33 | 26 | 42 | 100 | 885 |
|---|
Scotland | 42 | 27 | 31 | 100 | 30,822 |
|---|
Table 5.8: Economic status of
adults of working age by sex
Column percentages, 2003/2004 data
Adults of working age (Male 16-64 years, Female
16-59 years)
| Male | Female | All |
|---|
Self employed | 8 | 3 | 6 |
|---|
Full time employment | 60 | 38 | 49 |
|---|
Part time employment | 3 | 23 | 14 |
|---|
Looking after home/family | 1 | 16 | 9 |
|---|
Permanently retired from work | 5 | 2 | 3 |
|---|
Unemployed and seeking work | 7 | 3 | 5 |
|---|
At school | 2 | 2 | 2 |
|---|
Higher/further education | 4 | 6 | 5 |
|---|
Government work/training scheme | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|---|
Permanently sick or disabled | 7 | 5 | 6 |
|---|
Unable to work due to short term
ill-health | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Other | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|---|
All | 100 | 100 | 100 |
|---|
Base | 9,193 | 10,465 | 19,658 |
|---|
Table 5.9: Economic status of
adults of working age by longstanding illness, health
problem or disability
Column percentages, Q2,3,4 2003/All
quarters 2004 data
Adults of working age (Male 16-64 years, Female
16-59 years)
| Disability | Long-term illness | Both | Neither | All |
|---|
Self employed | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 6 |
|---|
Full time employment | 17 | 21 | 8 | 54 | 49 |
|---|
Part time employment | 5 | 8 | 2 | 15 | 14 |
|---|
Looking after home/family | 12 | 11 | 6 | 8 | 9 |
|---|
Permanently retired from work | 8 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 3 |
|---|
Unemployed and seeking work | 5 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 5 |
|---|
At school | 1 | 1 | - | 2 | 2 |
|---|
Higher/further education | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 |
|---|
Government work/training scheme | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 |
|---|
Permanently sick or disabled | 44 | 33 | 65 | 0 | 6 |
|---|
Unable to work due to short term
ill-health | 3 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
|---|
Other | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | 1 |
|---|
All | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
|---|
Base | 941 | 1,418 | 461 | 14,507 | 17,327 |
|---|
Table 5.10: Number of paid jobs
held by adults of working age by urban/rural classification
Column percentages, 2003/2004 data
Adults of working age (Male 16-64 years, Female
16-59 years) with one or more paid job
| Large urban areas | Other urban areas | Accessible small towns | Remote small towns | Accessible rural | Remote rural | Scotland |
|---|
One | 97 | 97 | 96 | 95 | 96 | 94 | 97 |
|---|
Two or more | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 3 |
|---|
All | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
|---|
Base | 4,669 | 3,817 | 1,425 | 619 | 1,750 | 1,210 | 13,490 |
|---|
Table 5.11: Socio-Economic
Classification (
NS-
SEC) by economic status
Column percentages, 2003/2004 data
Working adults of working age (Male 16-64 years,
Female 16-59 years)
| Self employed | Full time employment | Part time employment | All |
|---|
Higher managerial and professional
occupations | 14 | 12 | 4 | 11 |
|---|
Lower managerial and professional
occupations | 22 | 34 | 22 | 30 |
|---|
Intermediate occupations | 2 | 13 | 19 | 13 |
|---|
Small employers and own account workers | 47 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
|---|
Lower supervisory and technical
occupations | 4 | 15 | 7 | 13 |
|---|
Semi-routine occupations | 2 | 13 | 30 | 15 |
|---|
Routine occupations | 9 | 12 | 16 | 13 |
|---|
Not classified | - | 0 | - | 0 |
|---|
All (
NS-
SEC known) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
|---|
Base | 1038 | 8,224 | 2,373 | 11,635 |
|---|
Table 5.12: Socio-Economic
Classification (
NS-
SEC) by sex
Column percentages, 2003/2004 data
Working adults of working age (Male 16-64 years,
Female 16-59 years)
| Male | Female | All |
|---|
Higher managerial and professional
occupations | 14 | 8 | 11 |
|---|
Lower managerial and professional
occupations | 27 | 34 | 30 |
|---|
Intermediate occupations | 8 | 19 | 13 |
|---|
Small employers and own account workers | 6 | 4 | 5 |
|---|
Lower supervisory and technical
occupations | 18 | 7 | 13 |
|---|
Semi-routine occupations | 11 | 19 | 15 |
|---|
Routine occupations | 16 | 9 | 13 |
|---|
Not classified | 0 | - | 0 |
|---|
All (
NS-
SEC known) | 100 | 100 | 100 |
|---|
Base | 5,633 | 6,002 | 11,635 |
|---|
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