National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SeC)
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.
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 |