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National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SeC)

  • Mnemonic reference

    NS-SeC

  • Applicability

    Person

  • Type

    Derived variable

Definition

The National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SeC) provides an indication of socio-economic position based on occupation. It is an Office for National Statistics standard classification.

To assign a person aged 16 and over to an NS-SeC category their occupation title is combined with information about their employment status, whether they are employed or self-employed and whether or not they supervise other employees. Full-time students are recorded in the ‘full-time students' category regardless of whether they are economically active or not.

Although all people aged 16 and over are assigned to a NS-SeC category, statistical outputs for this variable are generally based on the 16 to 74 years old population due to statistical disclosure control considerations

The rebased version of NS-SeC used in census results uses occupation coded to SOC2010.

Find out more about the classification.

Since the 2011 Census did not ask a question about the number of employees at a person's workplace, the reduced method of deriving NS-SeC (which does not require this information) is used.

Classification

Total number of categories 41

Code Name
1 Employers in large organisations
2 Higher managerial and administrative occupations
3.1 Higher professional occupations: Traditional employees
3.2 Higher professional occupations: New employees
3.3 Higher professional occupations: Traditional self-employed
3.4 Higher professional occupations: New self-employed
4.1 Lower professional and higher technical occupations: Traditional employees
4.2 Lower professional and higher technical occupations: New employees
4.3 Lower professional and higher technical occupations: Traditional self-employed
4.4 Lower professional and higher technical occupations: New self-employed
5 Lower managerial and administrative occupations
6 Higher supervisory occupations
7.1 Intermediate occupations: Intermediate clerical and administrative occupations
7.2 Intermediate occupations: Intermediate sales and service occupations
7.3 Intermediate occupations: Intermediate technical and auxiliary occupations
7.4 Intermediate occupations: Intermediate engineering occupations
8.1 Employers in small establishments: Employers in small establishments in industry, commerce, services etc.
8.2 Employers in small establishments: Employers in small establishments in agriculture
9.1 Own account workers: Own account workers (non-professional)
9.2 Own account workers: Own account workers (agriculture)
10 Lower supervisory occupations
11.1 Lower technical occupations: Lower technical craft occupations
11.2 Lower technical occupations: Lower technical process operative occupations
12.1 Semi routine occupations: Semi-routine sales occupations
12.2 Semi routine occupations: Semi-routine service occupations
12.3 Semi routine occupations: Semi-routine technical occupations
12.4 Semi routine occupations: Semi-routine operative occupations
12.5 Semi routine occupations: Semi-routine agricultural occupations
12.6 Semi routine occupations: Semi-routine clerical occupations
12.7 Semi routine occupations: Semi-routine childcare occupations
13.1 Routine occupations: Routine sales and service
13.2 Routine occupations: Routine production
13.3 Routine occupations: Routine technical
13.4 Routine occupations: Routine operative
13.5 Routine occupations: Routine agricultural
14.1 Never worked
14.2 Long-term unemployed
15 Full-time students
16 Occupations not stated or inadequately described
17 Not classifiable for other reasons
XXXX No code required - comprises schoolchildren and full-time students living away from home during term time and all those under the age of 16.

Source question or variables

ACTLW (Derived variable)

AGE (Derived variable)

DOB (Primary variable)

EMPLOY (Derived variable)

EVERWORK (Primary variable)

EMPSTAT (Primary variable)

GENINFAM(HCA) (Derived variable)

HCA (Derived variable)

LASTYRWRKPS11 (Primary variable)

LOOKWORK (Primary variable)

OCC (Primary variable)

OTHACT (Primary variable)

STUDENT (Primary variable)

SUPERVISOR (Primary variable)

TERMIND (Primary variable)

WAITWORK (Primary variable)

Known comparability issues

The version of NS-SeC used in the 2011 Census results uses occupation titles coded to the SOC2010, whereas the 2001 Census used codes as defined by SOC2000. In 2011, because the census did not ask a question about the number of employees at a person’s workplace, a reduced method of deriving NS-SeC (which does not require this information) was used. In addition, in 2011, rules were used to estimate a category of NS-SeC for any person who did not have occupation details, however, in 2001, there was an extra category of ‘Not classified’, within which 19 per cent of the population fell. These factors mean direct comparisons between the 2001 and 2011 census results are not possible without further processing of the data.

  • Mnemonic reference

    NSSPUK

  • Applicability

    All people aged 16 and over, UK

Definition

The National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SeC) provides an indication of socio-economic position, based on occupation. It is an Office for National Statistics standard classification.

Classification

Total number of categories 41

People aged 75 and over are not asked the economic activity questions. They are coded to L17 (code 40).

Not applicable category (XX) comprises: All people aged 15 and under

Code Name
01 L1 Employers in large organisations
02 L2 Higher managerial
03 L3.1 'Traditional' employees
04 L3.2 'New' employees
05 L3.3 'Traditional' self employed
​06 L3.4 'New' self employed
07 L4.1 'Traditional' employees
08 L4.2 'New' employees
09 L4.3 'Traditional' self employed
10 L4.4 'New' self employed
​11 L5 Lower managerial occupations
12 L6 Higher supervisory occupations
13 L7.1 Intermediate clerical and administrative
14 L7.2 Intermediate sales and service
15 L7.3 Intermediate technical and auxiliary
16 L7.4 Intermediate engineering
​17 L8.1 Employers in small organisations (non-professional)
18 L8.2 Employers in small organisations (agriculture)
19 L9.1 Own account workers (non- professional)
20 L9.2 Own account workers (agriculture)
21 L10 Lower supervisory occupations
22 L11.1 Lower technical craft
23 L11.2 Lower technical process operative
24 L12.1 Semi-routine sales
25 L12.2 Semi-routine service
​26 L12.3 Semi-routine technical
27 L12.4 Semi-routine operative
28 ​L12.5 Semi-routine agricultural
29 L12.6 Semi-routine clerical
​30 L12.7 Semi-routine childcare
31 L13.1 Routine sales and service
32 L13.2 Routine production
33 L13.3 Routine technical
34 L13.4 Routine operative
35 L13.5 Routine agricultural
36 L14.1 Never worked
37 L14.2 Long-term unemployed
38 L15 Full-time students
​39 L16 Occupation not stated or inadequately described
40 L17 Not classifiable for other reasons
​XX Not applicable