Gypsy/Travellers in Scotland - A Comprehensive Analysis of the 2011 Census

5. Labour Market

In 2011 Gypsy/Travellers in Scotland, compared to the population as a whole, were:
- less likely to be economically active;
- more likely to have never worked;
- more likely to work in elementary occupations;
- more likely to be in the lowest social grade.

The following chapter describes how Gypsy/Travellers fared across key labour market indicators. It shows that they were less likely to be economically active and more likely to have never worked.

Chart 21: Gypsy/Travellers by Economic Activity – all people aged 16 and over, Scotland, 2011

Economic activity^[12] relates to whether or not a person aged 16 and over was working or looking for work in the week before the census. Rather than a simple indicator of whether or not someone was currently in employment, it provides a measure of whether or not a person was an active participant in the labour market.

Chart 21 shows that Gypsy/Travellers were less likely to be economically active than the population as a whole. Just under half (49 per cent) of Gypsy/Travellers aged 16 and over were economically active compared to almost two thirds (63 per cent) of the population as a whole. Gypsy/Travellers were also much more likely to be long-term sick (15 per cent) or looking after the home (11 per cent).

Only a tenth (10 per cent) of Gypsy/Travellers were retired. This compared to almost a quarter (22 per cent) of the population as a whole. It should be noted that Gypsy/Travellers have a younger age profile.

Chart 22: Gypsy/Travellers by Occupational Group – all people aged 16-74 in employment, Scotland, 2011

A person’s occupation relates to their main job and is derived from either their job title or details of the activities involved in their job.^[13]

Chart 22 shows that Gypsy/Travellers were much less likely to be in ‘Professional’ occupations and much more likely to be in ‘Elementary occupations’ than the population as a whole.

They were also less likely to be employed in ‘Administrative and Secretarial’ work and more likely to be in ‘Skilled Trades Occupations’.

Chart 23: Gypsy/Travellers by Industry – all people aged 16-74 in employment, Scotland, 2011^[14]

Chart 23 shows that Gypsy/Travellers were most likely to be employed in the ‘Distribution, Hotels and Restaurants’ industry (31 per cent). This was higher than the proportion for the population as a whole (21 per cent).

Gypsy/Travellers were much less likely to be working in ‘Public Administration, Education and Health’ (22 per cent) than the general population (30 per cent).

In the other industry groups their representation was fairly similar to the population as a whole.

Chart 24: Gypsy/Travellers by NS-SeC – all people aged 16-74, Scotland, 2011

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 (ONS) standard classification.^[15]

Chart 24 shows that Gypsy/Travellers were much more likely to have never worked than the population as a whole. Almost a quarter (23 per cent) of Gypsy/Travellers aged 16-74 had never worked compared to only 3 per cent of the population. The younger age profile of the group should be noted when considering these figures.

Gypsy/Travellers were much less likely than the population as a whole to be in Managerial and Professional occupations.

Chart 25: Gypsy/Travellers by hours worked – all people aged 16-74 in employment, Scotland, 2011

Chart 25 shows that a slightly higher proportion of Gypsy/Travellers worked part-time (29 per cent) compared to the population as a whole (25 per cent).

However, those who worked full-time were more likely to work longer hours; 17 per cent worked 49 hours or more per week compared to only 12 per cent of the population as a whole.

Chart 26: Gypsy/Travellers by Social Grade – all people in households aged 16-64, Scotland, 2011

Chart 26 shows that just over a half (51 per cent) of Gypsy/Travellers aged 16-64 were in the lowest social grade^[16]: ‘DE: Semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers; on state benefit, unemployed, lowest grade workers’. This was almost double the proportion for the population as a whole (26 per cent).

A much lower proportion of Gypsy/Travellers (7 per cent) were in the highest social grade ‘AB: Higher and Intermediate Managerial/Administrative/Professional’, compared to a fifth (19 per cent) of the population as a whole.