Economic Status of the Adult (ILO definition)

Field: Economic Status of the Adult (ILO definition)

Description

Economic Status of the Adult (ILO definition) in the individual's family, as reported by FRS respondents, where:

an adult is defined as an individual aged over 16 and not a dependant child (see Type of Individual by Age Category for more information).
a family is defined as a single adult or a married or cohabiting couple and any dependent children (see Family Type for more information).
all categories conform to those of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Several respondents have more than one job. The FRS identifies which of these is their 'main job'. This is the job which the respondent says is the dominant activity. Where they cannot decide, the number of hours worked will determine which is the main job. This process of categorisation also applies to respondents who are employees in one job but self-employed in another; whilst the survey will capture information on both of these jobs, only one can be their main job.

Classification

Applicable to: All Individuals

Employee: Adult has an arrangement with an employer, whereby work is done in exchange for a wage or salary. This would include those doing unpaid work in a business that a relative owns

Full-time Employee
Part-time Employee

Self-employed: Adult reports regular working activities, which over time are responsible only to themselves (and not an employer). Various groups are classified as self-employed, including farmers, doctors in private practice and some builders, as well as anyone whose job is habitually done on a freelance basis (for example, journalists or musicians). The self-employed include anyone doing work for their own business, but which is currently unpaid

Full-time Self-Employed
Part-time Self-Employed

Unemployed: Adults who are under State Pension age and not working, but are available and have been actively seeking work in the last four weeks; includes those who were waiting to take up a job already obtained and were to start in the next two weeks

Economically inactive: Adults who are both out of work, and not seeking or not available to work.

Retired: Adults who are over State Pension age, or say they are now retired
Student: Adults who are over State Pension age, or say they are now retired
Looking after family/home: Working-age adults who are looking after their family or their home
Permanently sick/disabled: Working-age adults who have been sick, injured or disabled for longer than 28 weeks
Temporarily sick/injured: Working-age adults who have been sick, injured or disabled for less than 28 weeks. Note that the sick or disabled definitions are different to that used for Disability, as they are based on different questions that are only asked of working-age adults who are not working
Other inactive: all adults not already classified above

Not applicable (individual is not an adult)

Not available (before 1996/97)

Number of categories: 13

Quality Statement

The economic status of the family classification is in line with the International Labour Organisation economic status classification. This means that no economic status data is available for 1994/95 and 1995/96 as the relevant information was not collected in the Family Resources Survey for those years.

Further information can be found in the HBAI Quality and Methodology Report here.