LFS estimates were updated on 22nd Feb 2024 to incorporate updated population estimates for the period 2016 Q3 to 2023 Q3, based on the results of Census 2022. LFS results are updated in this way following each Census of Population. For further information see Background Notes.
The data in this publication does not reflect these updates. Please refer to the relevant tables on LFS Px-stat for updated LFS estimates.
Hours worked per week is up 12.1 million hours in the year to Q1 2022 and up 4.5 million hours from Q1 2020
Using standard International Labour Organisation (ILO) criteria, an estimated 2,505,800 persons were in employment in Q1 2022, up 12.3% (+275,200) from 2,230,600 in Q1 2021.
The increase of 275,200 (+12.3%) in employment is composed of increases of 130,400 (+10.9%) for males and 144,700 (+14.1%) for females in the year to Q1 2022. See Tables 9.1 and 9.7.
The number of people who were in employment but were absent from work during the reference week (i.e. temporarily absent from work for reasons such as holidays, sick leave or family leave) was 168,100 (6.7% of those employed), compared to 309,500 (13.9%) of those employed in Q1 2021.
Overall employment was up compared to Q1 2021 while the number of absences from work during the reference week decreased. This resulted in the number of employed persons who were at work during the reference week increasing by 21.7% (+416,600) over the year.
This resulted in an increase of 17.6% or 12.1 million hours worked per week from 68.7 million hours in Q1 2021 to 80.8 million hours in Q1 2022.
Comparing figures from now to two years ago, there was an increase of 6.8% or +158,600 in the number of persons in employment since Q1 2020 when there were 2,347,200 persons in employment. At that time there were 208,400 employed persons (8.9%) who were absent from work during the reference week so the number of employed persons who were working in the reference week stood at 2,138,800. The increase in employment together with the decrease in the number of absences from work in the reference week since Q1 2020 has led to an increase in the total number of hours worked per week from 76.3 million hours in Q1 2020 to 80.8 million hours in Q1 2022 (+5.9%). See Table 7.3.
The employment rate for those aged 15-64 was 72.8% in Q1 2022 compared to 65.6% in Q1 2021 and 69.6% in Q1 2020. In Q1 2022, the employment rate for males aged 15-64 years was 77.2% compared to 68.6% for females. Looking at the rates by age group, the employment rate was lowest among those aged 15-19 years (27.1%) and highest among those aged 35-44 years (83.4%). The employment rate for males was higher than the corresponding rate for females for all age groups, other than the 15-19 years age group, with differences of over 2 percentage points in the employment rates for all age groups aged 20-64 years. The employment rates for males and females in the 15-19 year age group were 26.6% and 27.5% respectively. See Tables 9.1 and 9.8.
Employment increased in 12 of the 14 economic sectors in the year to Q1 2022 with the level of employment in a number of sectors exceeding the levels from the same quarter in Q1 2020. These include the:
Some sectors have not yet recovered fully from the effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the most notable of these are the
The number of employees increased by 236,000 (+12.3%) in the year to Q1 2022 to 2,158,000, while the number of self-employed increased by 44,400 (+15.8%) to 325,400. See Table 9.5.
Employment increased by 275,200 in the year to Q1 2022, with 176,200 (+9.8%) more persons in full-time employment and 99,000 (+22.8%) more persons in part-time employment. See Table 9.1.
Employment increased over the year in all eight NUTS 3 regions with the South-West region enjoying the largest percentage increase at 17.0% compared to the Midland region with the lowest at 8.9%. See Table 9.9.
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