From 1st April 2011, the responsibility for the collection of data and production of official labour market and economic statistics transferred from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), an agency of the Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP). This transfer mirrored the position in Great Britain, where most business surveys and labour market data collection and statistical production have been transferred from the departments with policy responsibilities to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). However, it is important to note that there are no planned changes to the production of economic and labour market statistical publications and outputs as a result of the transfer.
The Northern Ireland Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE)
The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) is a UK wide survey that provides information on hourly, weekly and annual earnings by gender, work patterns, industry and occupation, including public versus private sector pay comparisons.
ASHE replaced the New Earnings Survey (NES) in 2004 and collects information supplementary to that in NES, therefore ASHE results from 2004 onwards cannot be compared directly to data from previous years. ASHE results from 2006 onwards are also discontinuous with earlier results, due to a small number of methodological changes having been introduced into the sample design, to improve the quality of the results.
Provisional results from the Northern Ireland ASHE 2011 (published 23rd November 2011) are presented in the following Bulletin.
Adobe Acrobat NI ASHE 2011 Questionnaire Covering Letter (34KB) |
The tables listed below link to Excel files containing a range of NI ASHE data. Please note that the Pension tables in section 4 are provisional 2010 results released in April 2011, which will remain on the website until revised 2010 results are released in 2012 along with provisional 2011 results.
1. ASHE Headline Statistics for Northern Ireland (1997-2011)
| Table Name | Description | File Size |
|---|---|---|
| Table 1.1 | ASHE 2011 (provisional) | 54KB |
| Table 1.2 | ASHE 2010 (revised) | 54KB |
| Table 1.3 | ASHE 2009 | 52KB |
| Table 1.4 | ASHE 2008 | 165KB |
| Table 1.5 | ASHE 2007 | 165KB |
| Table 1.6 | ASHE 2006 | 176KB |
| Table 1.7 | ASHE 2006 (previous methodology) | 168KB |
| Table 1.8 | ASHE 2005 | 52KB |
| Table 1.9 | ASHE 2004 | 52KB |
| Table 1.10 | ASHE 2004 (excluding supplementary information) | 51KB |
| Table 1.11 | ASHE 2003 | 163KB |
| Table 1.12 | ASHE 2002 | 78KB |
| Table 1.13 | ASHE 2001 | 72KB |
| Table 1.14 | ASHE 2000 | 48KB |
| Table 1.15 | ASHE 1999 | 72KB |
| Table 1.16 | ASHE 1998 | 68KB |
| Table 1.17 | ASHE 1997 | 42KB |
2. ASHE for Northern Ireland by Industry, Occupation, Age, Public/Private Sector and Skill Level (2010-2011)
| Table Name | Description | File Size |
|---|---|---|
| Table 2.1 | ASHE 2011 (provisional) by Industry (SIC 2007) | 2.13MB |
| Table 2.2 | ASHE 2011 (provisional) by Occupation (2-digit SOC 2000) | 780KB |
| Table 2.3 | ASHE 2011 (provisional) by Occupation (4-digit SOC 2000) | 7.65MB |
| Table 2.4 | ASHE 2011 (provisional) by Age | 179KB |
| Table 2.5 | ASHE 2011 (provisional) by Public/Private Sector | 95KB |
| Table 2.6 | ASHE 2011 (provisional) by Skill Level | 141KB |
| Table 2.7 | ASHE 2010 (revised) by Industry (SIC 2007) | 2.10MB |
| Table 2.8 | ASHE 2010 (revised) by Occupation (2-digit SOC 2000) | 793KB |
| Table 2.9 | ASHE 2010 (revised) by Occupation (4-digit SOC 2000) | 7.61MB |
| Table 2.10 | ASHE 2010 (revised) by Age | 181KB |
| Table 2.11 | ASHE 2010 (revised) by Public/Private Sector | 97KB |
| Table 2.12 | ASHE 2010 (revised) by Skill Level | 145KB |
3. ASHE by Northern Ireland Geographies, by work and home postcode (2010-2011)
| Table Name | Description | File Size |
|---|---|---|
| Table 3.1 | ASHE 2011 (provisional) by Local Government District (based on Work Postcode) | 671KB |
| Table 3.2 | ASHE 2011 (provisional) by Parliamentary Constituency (based on Work Postcode) | 473KB |
| Table 3.3 | ASHE 2011 (provisional) by Local Government District (based on Home Postcode) | 662KB |
| Table 3.4 | ASHE 2011 (provisional) by Parliamentary Constituency (based on Home Postcode) | 466KB |
| Table 3.5 | ASHE 2010 (revised) by Local Government District (based on Work Postcode) | 672KB |
| Table 3.6 | ASHE 2010 (revised) by Parliamentary Constituency (based on Work Postcode) | 490KB |
| Table 3.7 | ASHE 2010 (revised) by Local Government District (based on Home Postcode) | 668KB |
| Table 3.8 | ASHE 2010 (revised) by Parliamentary Constituency (based on Home Postcode) | 487KB |
4. ASHE for Northern Ireland by Pension Type, by Industry, Occupation and Age, 2010 (provisional, April 2011)
| Table Name | Description | File Size |
|---|---|---|
| Table 4.1 | ASHE 2010 (provisional) by Pension Type by Industry (SIC 2007) | 74KB |
| Table 4.2 | ASHE 2010 (provisional) by Pension Type by Occupation (2-digit SOC 2000) | 406KB |
| Table 4.3 | ASHE 2010 (provisional) by Pension Type by Age | 97KB |
ASHE Definitions
National Statistics
Following assessment by the UK Statistics Authority, the Northern Ireland ASHE statistics were designated as National Statistics, subject to NISRA implementing certain enhancements and reporting them to the Authority by January 2012. The assessment report can be accessed via the following link:
Adobe Acrobat Assessment of Annual Statistics on Hours and Earnings (pdf 148KB)
Usage of NI ASHE Data
A summary of usage of the Northern Ireland Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings can be accessed by clicking on the link below:
Adobe Acrobat Summary of ASHE Usage (pdf 20KB)
ASHE Methodology
A summary of the methods adopted throughout the lifecycle of ASHE, including explanations of why particular choices were made, can be accessed via the link below:
ASHE Quality Report
An information paper, issued by the Office for National Statistics, outlining the quality and reliability of ASHE statistics can be accessed via the link below:
Other Northern Ireland Earnings Statistics
Please find below links to the Family Resources Survey and the Survey of Personal Income. These surveys contain earnings information for employees not included in ASHE, and have been included here to give a more complete picture of earnings in the Northern Ireland labour market.
http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research/family_resources_survey.htm
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_distribution/menu-by-year.htm
Confidentiality Statement
The Economic and Labour Market Statistics Branch confidentiality statement can be accessed by clicking on the link below:
Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service
The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings results can be mapped for Northern Ireland on the Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service (NINIS) website. NINIS provides free access to statistical and locational information relating to small areas across Northern Ireland. Information is available across a range of themes including Population, Social and Welfare, Agriculture, Education and Crime. Users will be able to obtain an area profile based on a postcode or by selecting an area to view. NINIS can be accessed at:
Archive Data
Archive data for the NI Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings can be accessed by clicking on the link below:
Archive data for ASHE
