Area Profile for the City of Leicester: Employment
Work Status
| Leicester | Percent | England & Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economically active: Employees: Part-time | 20796 | 10.45% | 11.78% |
| Economically active: Employees: Full-time | 74357 | 37.38% | 40.55% |
| Economically active: Self - employed | 10253 | 5.15% | 8.28% |
| Economically active: Unemployed | 9704 | 4.88% | 3.35% |
| Economically active: Full-time student | 7765 | 3.90% | 2.57% |
| Economically inactive: Retired | 21565 | 10.84% | 13.61% |
| Economically inactive: Student | 17450 | 8.77% | 4.70% |
| Economically inactive: Looking after home/family | 14916 | 7.50% | 6.51% |
| Economically inactive: Permanently sick/disabled | 12829 | 6.45% | 5.52% |
| Economically inactive: Other | 9287 | 4.67% | 3.12% |
In the Census the work force is defined as those who are 'economically active'. This is taken as the sum of the employed and the unemployed. Those outside this category are described as 'inactive'.
Age also enters the equation. Traditionally this ranged from 16 to the statutory retirement age (60 for women and 65 for men). In the 2001 Census, the upper limit was set at 74 to make it compatible with the International Labour Organisation.
The data shows that Leicester has smaller than average proportions of its workforce working full-time, part-time or in a self-employed capacity. In addition, it has a higher percentage who are unemployed.
Among the inactive group, there are higher than average proportions of students, which is to be expected given the two large universities in the city. There is a smaller than average number of retired people.
Occupational Status
| Leicester | Percent | England & Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Managers and senior officials | 10816 | 9.69% | 15.11% |
| Professional occupations | 11054 | 9.91% | 11.17% |
| Associate professional and technical occupations | 12036 | 10.79% | 13.78% |
| Administrative and secretarial occupations | 13099 | 11.74% | 13.33% |
| Skilled trades occupations | 11838 | 10.61% | 11.64% |
| Personal service occupations | 7552 | 6.77% | 6.91% |
| Sales and customer service occupations | 9763 | 8.75% | 7.67% |
| Process, plant and machine operatives | 17344 | 15.54% | 8.51% |
| Elementary occupations | 18078 | 16.20% | 11.87% |
The occupational structure of those living in the city is heavily biased towards manual labour. There are only two categories where the city has a higher proportion than England & Wales, and this is for plant and machine operatives and elementary occupations.
The biggest deficit in comparison to the national average is in managers and senior officials. Surprisingly, perhaps, the difference for professional occupations is only just over 1%.
Employment Sector
| Leicester | Percent | England & Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, hunting, forestry | 386 | 0.35% | 1.50% |
| Fishing | 0 | 0.00% | 0.02% |
| Mining & quarrying | 109 | 0.10% | 0.25% |
| Manufacturing | 26107 | 23.40% | 14.96% |
| Electricity, gas and water supply | 1292 | 1.16% | 0.73% |
| Construction | 5481 | 4.91% | 6.77% |
| Wholesale & retail trade, repair of motor vehicles | 20894 | 18.73% | 16.83% |
| Hotels and catering | 5208 | 4.67% | 4.76% |
| Transport storage and communication | 6833 | 6.12% | 7.01% |
| Financial intermediation | 3519 | 3.15% | 4.73% |
| Real estate, renting and business activities | 10132 | 9.08% | 12.97% |
| Public administration and defence | 4543 | 4.07% | 5.72% |
| Education | 9305 | 8.34% | 7.76% |
| Health and social work | 12999 | 11.65% | 10.81% |
| Other | 4771 | 4.28% | 5.18% |
Manufacturing has retained its position as the largest source of employment in the city, absorbing 23.4% of the workforce compared with 14.96% for England and Wales.
The most notable deficit in comparision to the national average is within the financial services sector dealing with business activities and real estate.
| Source: 2001 Census, Key Statistics © Crown Copyright Leicester City Council Area Profile Version 1.1 |