Place of work or study
Definition
The type of address for the location of a person’s main job or course of study.
Classification
Total number of categories 6
| Code | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Mainly work or study at or from home |
| 2 | Offshore Installation |
| 3 | No fixed place |
| 4 | Working or studying outside UK |
| 5 | Working inside UK |
| -5 | No code required - comprises schoolchildren and full-time students living away from home during term time and those who are not currently working or studying |
Source question or variables
Individual question 42: What address do you travel to for your main job or course of study (including school)?
- Work mainly at, or from home
- Distance learning, home schooled or equivalent
- No fixed place
- Work on an offshore installation
- The address below, please write in
The address entered above is my place of
- Work
- Study
Reason for asking
Address of place of work or study is used (along with home address) to explore the relationship between where people live and where they work or study. Used in conjunction with information from the method of travel question, the data helps to identify commuter patterns and routes and provide a reliable indicator for the demands placed on public and private transport.
It is used to inform the balance of housing and jobs in particular areas and assess the need for services such as new schools. Information on where people live and work is used by government departments to define “Travel to Work Areas” - these are approximations of self-contained labour markets and are the smallest areas for which unemployment rates are published. Collecting information on both work and study address enables a more accurate count of daytime populations to be obtained, which is particularly useful for areas accommodating universities and businesses. It also allows the differences in travel patterns between these groups to be compared.
England & Wales (2021) and Scotland (2011) comparison
This variable is not comparable to the version created by ONS for the 2021 census in England & Wales (place_of_work_ind). The variable for England & Wales does not include those who are studying as well as working.
This variable is comparable to the version created for Scotland's census 2011 (POWSPS11).
Definition
This question records the travel address for a person's main job or course of study (including school).
The work or study postcode variable (POWSPCPS) contains where appropriate, a postcode, or a country code or a code relating to the departure point for people working on an offshore installation.
Classification
Total number of categories 6
| Code | Name |
|---|---|
| 0 | Not currently working or studying |
| 1 | Work or study mainly at or from home |
| 2 | No fixed place |
| 3 | Working on an offshore installation (departure point code in POWSPCPS) |
| 4 | Working or studying outside UK (country code in POWSPCPS) |
| 5 | Working or studying inside UK (postcode in POWSPCPS) |