Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings linked to 2011 Census - England and Wales
This dataset links the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) to the 2011 Census for England and Wales.
The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of information on the structure and distribution of earnings in the UK. ASHE provides information about the levels, distribution and make-up of earnings and paid hours worked for employees in all industries and occupations. The census is undertaken by the Office for National Statistics every 10 years and gives us a picture of all the people and households in England and Wales.
Linking these datasets allows for insight into the dynamics of wage and employment issues, and how characteristics such as gender, disability, and ethnicity influence these. This linked dataset was developed as part of the Wage and Employment Dynamics project to aid better understanding of wage inequalities in Britain.
The Wage and Employment Dynamics team has also created some Stata code to enrich the core ASHE dataset and to add new variables such as minimum wage rates and survey dates. There are also new weights which account for attrition and selection effects, available from 2004. Access to the code will enable research into the dynamics of wage and employment issues, from labour market entry, through job mobility and career progression to retirement. It will be available within the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Secure Research Service on a shared accessible drive. Please note that this code is not part of the ONS ASHE official Statistics output.
Component datasets and linkage
This dataset is composed of the ASHE 2011 dataset which includes de-identified personal information such as age and gender, employment information such as wage and working hours and employer information such as the work postcode. ASHE has been linked to the 2011 Census which provides additional personal information such as education, qualifications, country of birth as well as family information.
| Timeframe | 1997 - 2021 |
|---|---|
| Update Frequency | Annual |
| Population | ASHE population spine (approx. 0.66% of the entire workforce) |
| Coverage | England and Wales |
| Size | ~175,000 records per year |
Examples of research questions
- How do people’s earnings change throughout their career? And how does this differ depending on characteristics such as gender, disability, or ethnicity?
- What are the patterns or characteristics of those who do and do not progress out of low paid employment?
- What is the relationship between migration and the labour market?
- What role do employers play in wage inequality?
This list is illustrative only and intended to demonstrate the research potential of the dataset. For research priorities, see the areas of research interest or the ADR UK funding opportunity.
Core documentation
User guide
Both the user guide for ASHE-2011 Census and Code for Enriched ASHE quick start guide documents can be found on the Wage and Employment Dynamics website.
Other supporting resources
| Resource | Description |
| Training to use the data | See the upcoming training opportunities on the data, as well as recorded webinars from previous training sessions. |
| Data Explained: ASHE-2011 Census | A Data Explained document outlining experiences and learnings from working with the dataset. |
| Wage and Employment Dynamics Knowledge Hub | The Knowledge Hub is a community and knowledge base for researchers who are interested in or are currently accessing the ASHE dataset – or the WED versions of this data - via the ONS SRS. The Knowledge Hub allows this growing community of researchers to access relevant information and engage with other ASHE data users. It is intended as a platform for researchers to ask questions of each other regarding ASHE datasets or analysis. It allows researchers to connect, collaborate and share knowledge, insight and good practice. |
| Synthetic dataset | A synthetic ASHE-2011 Census dataset was created without access to the original secure dataset. It used only publicly available statistics and information to generate the data. Created using an Evolutionary Algorithm, the synthetic dataset contains a subset of the variables available in the original data, as well as 120,416 records which closely match the statistics and regression coefficients in the user guide made available for the real data. The synthetic data is freely available through the UK Data Service (subject to end user licence agreement). |
Published research using the data
- The Wage and Employment Dynamics team publish research and reports on their website.
- Data Insight: How common is low pay in Britain and is it declining?
Accessing the data
Accredited researchers with an approved project can access the ASHE linked to Census 2011 dataset via the ONS Secure Research Service.
1. Apply to become an accredited researcher under the Digital Economy Act 2017
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Complete the application form through the ONS Research Accreditation Service.
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Contact srs.customer.support@ons.gov.uk with any questions.
2. Apply for an accredited research project
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View the ASHE -2011 Census dataset on the ADR UK Data Catalogue
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Submit an application to the Research Accreditation Service: Apply for an accredited research project – ONS.
3. Access the data securely
The options available to access this dataset are:
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Safe Rooms – based in ONS offices in Titchfield and Newport, open Monday-Friday, 9.00-16.00
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SafePod Network– a small, self-contained secure room with a single workstation
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Assured Organisational Connectivity – the ability to access the ONS Secure Research Service from your office or home. Check what arrangements your institution already has or can put in place.
ADR UK Research Fellowships
ADR UK is funding policy-relevant research using ADR England flagship datasets. Research fellows will address priority research questions, generate insights and demonstrate the value of ADR England data. These datasets are held securely within the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Secure Research Service or other trusted research environments.
“This project addresses weaknesses in our evidence base – improving the quality of longitudinal earnings data and extending coverage to a broader range of characteristics –that should enable researchers to give new and innovative insights into the wage and employment dynamics of the lowest paid.”
Related Projects
Publications
- Using ASHE to examine trends in low pay: initial exploration of the data (WED policy paper, November 2020)
- Wage & Employment Dynamics Public Engagement Strategy Group Terms of Reference
- The WED linked dataset: Key messages from stakeholders (December 2021)
- Feasibility study exploring the potential to link administrative education data to the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings
Find out more
Keep up to date on the ASHE - 2011 Census datatset on the ADR UK website or sign up for updates. Or get in touch with the Wage & Emplyment Dynamics team directly via their website.