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Economic activity status by ethnicity

North East population estimates by ethnic group. Comparisons of labour market participation rates. Detailed information from the 2021 census.

Labour Market Census 2021
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Working age ethnicity

In the North East in 2022/23:

  • around 94.0% of people aged 16 to 64 were classified as being in the white ethnic group from their responses to the Annual Population Survey
  • this was a much higher percentage than England excluding London (86.5%) and England (81.5%). In most cases on this page the North East is compared solely to the former
  • among people in this age group, about 1.5%, 0.7% and 0.5%  were classified as being in, respectively, the black or black British; Indian; and Pakistani/Bangladeshi ethnic groups
  • a further 0.8% and 2.4% were classified, respectively, as being of mixed ethnicity and of being in another ethnic group
  • all five percentages were lower than those for England excluding London
  • older adults were more likely to be within the white ethnic group than younger adults
  • about 8.2% of people aged 16 to 64 were not born in the UK, with more than half of these within one of the five broad minority ethnic groups listed above
  • about 5.9% in this age group were not UK nationals, with, again, more than half from a minority ethnic group

Recent trends

Among people in the North East aged 16 to 64, in the ten years from 2012/13 to 2022/23:

  • The total population decreased by about 17,000
  • among the white and Pakistani/Bangladeshi ethnic groups, the populations decreased by about 30,000 and 7,000, respectively
  • the population in the other four broad ethnic groups increased, most notably in the Black or black British ethnic group (up 10,000) and mixed ethnic group (up 6,000)
  • the UK born population decreased by over 37,000 despite an increase in the UK born minority ethnic group population
  • the increase in the non UK born population was higher among the white ethnic group than among the minority ethnic group
  • the population of those with a UK nationality decreased by 41,000 despite a small increase in the UK national minority ethnic population
  • the increase in the non UK national population was slightly higher among among the ethnic minority group.

The pattern of working age population change in the three years since the pre Covid period differed slightly from that of the full decade. Between 2019/20 and 2022/23:

  • The total population was about 6,000 lower, with a decrease of almost 22,000 among the white ethnic group partially offset by an increase of over 15,000 among minority ethnic groups
  • the UK born population decreased by 22,000, including a a fall of over 25,000 among those in the white ethnic group. Most of the increase in the non UK born population had been among the minority ethnic group
  • the population of UK nationals decreased by over 22,000, with most of the net change among the white ethnic group. The increased population of non UK nationals was entirely due to an increase among the minority ethnic group.

Employment by ethnicity

In the North East in the Apr 2022-Mar 2023 period:

  • The working age employment rate was lowest for the Pakistani/Bangladeshi ethnic group and highest for the white ethnic group
  • the rates for all broad ethnic groups were lower than the equivalents for England excluding London
  • female employment rates were higher than male rates among the Indian, mixed and other minority ethnic groups. They were lower for the three other broad ethnic groups
  • employment rates were higher among the white ethnic group non-UK born category than among the other three broad combinations of ethnicity and birthplace
  • the rates were also higher for white ethnic group non-UK nationals than for the three other broad combinations of ethnicity and nationality.

Employment trends

In the ten years from 2012/13 to 2022/23 in the North East:

  • The minority ethnic group employment rate increased by 10.6 percentage points (pp), compared to a 3.4 pp increase in the white ethnic group employment rate
  • the changes were similar to those in England excluding London (up 10.3 and 4.0 pp, respectively)
  • the female minority ethnic group employment rate increased by more than 28 pp while the male equivalent decreased by 5.6 pp
  • the female and male white ethnic group employment rates both increased, by 3.9 and 3.1 pp, respectively
  • the pp increase in the rate for the minority ethnic non-UK born group was higher than for any other combination of ethnicity and birthplace
  • the pp increase in the rate for the minority ethnic non-UK national group was higher than for any other combination of ethnicity and nationality.

Ethnicity detail (census)

The census provides definitive breakdowns of the population into ethnic groups based on the responses of individuals. Because it is not based on a survey of a small sample of the population, the output provides more detail about the populations of different ethnic groups than the more regular labour market releases. In March 2021, in the North East:

  • Outside the white British ethnic group, the largest population among 18 detailed ethnic groups was in the white other classification
  • the next highest population was in the Black African ethnic group, followed by the Indian and Bangladeshi ethnic groups
  • the white British ethnic group had a much higher percentage of working age people in older age groups than any other broad ethnic group
  • about 36% of white British working age people were aged under 35. In all other ethnic groups the percentage was above 45%
  • in total, about 127,000 working age people were in ethnic groups other than white British. About 93,000 were born outside of the UK
  • this included 42,000 born in the Middle East or Asia; 32,000 born elsewhere in Europe; 14,000 born in Africa; 4,400 born in the Americas and Caribbean; and 700 born in Oceania
  • working age people in the other minority ethnic category were most likely to be born outside of the UK, followed by those in the black or black British category. Their birthplaces were, respectively, most likely to be in the Middle East or Asia and Africa.

Economic activity detail (census)

The census provides information unavailable elsewhere about the economic activity status of different ethnic groups within the North East. In March 2021, among people of working age (16 to 64):

  • The employment rate for people in minority ethnic groups was lower than for those in the white British and white other groups
  • the rate was lowest for people in the Chinese and other minority ethnic groups
  • the percentages of people inactive due to study and looking after family or home was higher among minority ethnic groups than among white ethnic groups. The percentages due to sickness and early retirement were lower
  • the female employment rate was lowest in the Pakistani/Bangladeshi ethnic group, for whom the rate of inactivity due to looking after family or home was highest
  • the male employment rates were lowest in the same ethnic groups as for males and females combined
  • differences in employment rates were heavily influenced by differences in the proportions of students in the population
  • more than a quarter of the working age population among minority ethnic groups were students, compared to less than 10% among the white British population
  • the percentage of students was highest in the Chinese ethnic group. Combined with a high economic inactivity rate among Chinese students, this resulted in a particularly low employment rate for this ethnic group.

Industries and occupations (census)

The census provides information about which broad sectors workers from different ethnic groups are employed in and their occupation group. In March 2021: 

  • The industry group most likely to include workers from minority ethnic groups was, by some distance, accommodation and food services
  • health and social care; information and communication; and transport and storage were the three industries next most likely to include people from minority ethnic groups
  • because of differing sector sizes, employment for these ethnic groups was highest in health and social care, followed by wholesale and retail
  • professional occupations had the highest proportion of workers from minority ethnic groups
  • because of the large size of the professional occupations group, it made up over 28% of employment for minority ethnic people.