Principal Economic Status (PES) refers to a person’s own perception of their current main activity, such as whether they are employed or unemployed, in full-time education, or providing care in the home. Principal Economic Status, under EuroStat’s IESS regulation is commonly referred to as Main Activity Status (Self-defined).
Where more than one activity status is applicable to an individual, only the main status applies. The main status refers to the most important status to the respondent at present.
Principal economic status refers to socially relevant categories including labour market participation, but also considers several categories of social status where employment is not the main activity.
This harmonised standard presents guidance on how principal economic status can be defined, measured, and presented in a more consistent manner.
Data on principal economic status shows how people perceive their usual situation, which is important in economic planning.
Many data collections require information on the principal economic status of individuals. When collecting data on this topic, either of the following questions are recommended:
The standard questions on this topic are designed to collect information, for use in the majority of surveys or data collections. However, it is not intended to replace questions already in use for specialist surveys where more detailed analysis is required.
Some statistical production may require more detailed information on principal economic status. In such circumstances, any additional response categories should be based on the standard reference classification. Using the standard reference classification will enable more comparison between surveys, as the definitions and conceptual basis will be consistent.
The following list of response options represents the basic level of detail that the CSO recommends should be gathered in data collection:
| Standard Response Options and Codes for Principal Economic Status (Self-defined) | |
| 10 | Employed |
| 20 | Unemployed |
| 30 | Retired |
| 40 | Unable to work due to long standing health problems |
| 50 | Student/Pupil |
| 60 | Looking after home/family |
| 70 | Other |
The category ‘other’ can be used to count individuals who cannot choose one of the presented economic status categories.
The standard response options and standard reference classification provided are based on recommended categories of EuroStat’s Integrated European Social Statistics (IESS) framework, which aims to ensure that social statistics are produced in a more harmonised and coordinated manner across Europe. Where data collection requires more granular breakdowns, please refer to the standard reference classification, with associated coding structure.
| Description of Standard Response Options of Principal Economic Status (Self-defined) | |
| Employed | An individual who perceives themselves as being employed or self-employed, irrespective of their official labour market status, working time or income from employment. An individual who holds an employment contract, but who is currently on extended leave (e.g. maternity, sick, study leave, etc.) or who is on a shorter working year or absent due to an ongoing dispute may also be considered as in employment. Apprentices and those partaking in paid work-based placements, e.g. interns/trainees, may consider themselves as being in employment. |
| Unemployed | An individual who is not employed but is available for work. That is an individual who is available for paid employment or self-employment. An individual who is actively seeking employment or who has sourced a job but does not have a start date may be considered as unemployed. |
| Retired | An individual who has withdrawn/ left behind their active working position. An individual who is in receipt of a pension may be regarded as retired. There is no single retirement age in Ireland. |
| Unable to work due to long standing health problems | An individual who has not reached retirement age but is unable to work due to health reasons or disabilities for an extended undetermined or permanent time. An individual's self-assessment of being unable to work due to long standing health problems, irrespective of receiving health benefits. |
| Student/Pupil | An individual enrolled in education. An individual completing unpaid work-based placements may assign themselves to the category student/pupil. |
| Fulfilling domestic tasks | Respondents who mainly perceive themselves as carrying out all activities required to run a private household, i.e., looking after home/family. An individual caring for elderly or dependent family members. |
| Other | Individuals who cannot choose one of the presented activity status categories. |
There is no single, clear, unified legal definition for the terms ‘employed’ and ‘self-employed’ in Irish or EU law.
In developing this data standard, the CSO explored user requirements for additional breakdowns which were used to develop the following Standard Reference Classification for Principal Economic Status:
| Standard Reference Classification for Principal Economic Status (Self-defined) | |||
| Level 1 | Level 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Employed | 100 | Employed |
| 20 | Unemployed | ||
| 201 | Short term unemployment (<12 months) | ||
| 202 | Long term unemployment (12 months or more) | ||
| 30 | Retired | 300 | Retired |
| 40 | Unable to work due to long standing health problems | 400 | Unable to work due to long standing health problems |
| 50 | Student/Pupil | 500 | Student/Pupil |
| 60 | Fulfilling domestic tasks * | 600 | Fulfilling domestic tasks |
| 70 | Other | 700 | Other |
| 99 | Not applicable | 999 | Not applicable |
The category ‘not applicable’ is to be used to count statistical units which are part of the population of the data source but for which it systematically does not report any information on the variable (e.g., persons below a certain age).
* The standard response option category Looking after home/family corresponds to the output classification Fulfilling domestic tasks.
For all EuroStat submissions a remapping will be necessary in order to align with required category codes and formats. EuroStat’s category 7 represents Compulsory military or civilian service, with category 8 representing Other and category 9 Not applicable.
Taking an existing classification with customised codes and descriptors, we can migrate to the harmonised standard with common codes and descriptors through a mapping exercise based on the standard reference classification.
| Concept name | Principal Economic Status (Self Defined) |
| Variable name | PES_CSO |
| Format type | Character code |
| Guideline Version | 1.0 |
| Guideline Release date | 03 September 2024 |
| Valid to | 03 September 2027 |
| Owner | Central Statistics Office (CSO) Classification Standardisation Team |
| Audience | Policy makers, system developers and producers or users of statistics |
| Contact | classifications@cso.ie |
This data standard will be regularly reviewed and updated to ensure it remains current and aligned with any changes in regulations or best practices. The validation period for this standard is three years.
We are always interested in hearing from users so that we can develop our work.