European Socio-Economic Classification: A Validation Exercise

1
European Socio-Economic Classification A
Validation Exercise

• Figen Deviren
• Office for National Statistics

2
Introduction

• The UK context
• Creating E-SeC
• Validation
• Using the Labour Force Survey
• Results
• Conclusions

3
The UK context
 
8 classes 5 classes 3 classes
1   Higher managerial and professional occupations    
1.1   Large employers and higher managerial occupations 1   Managerial and professional occupations  
    1   Managerial and professional occupations
1.2   Higher professional occupations    
2   Lower managerial and professional occupations    
3   Intermediate occupations 2   Intermediate occupations 2   Intermediate occupations
     
4   Small employers and own account workers 3   Small employers and own account workers  
5   Lower supervisory and technical occupations 4   Lower supervisory and technical occupations 3   Routine and
    manual occupations
6   Semi-routine occupations 5   Semi-routine and routine occupations
   
7   Routine occupations  
8   Never worked and long-term unemployed    Never worked and long-term unemployed    Never worked and long-term unemployed
4
Deriving NS-SeC
Deriving NS-SeC
Questions asked about occupation
Questions asked about occupation
SOC 2000
SOC 2000
Questions about Employment status
Questions about Employment status
Questions on Size of organisation
Questions on Size of organisation
Supervisor
Self-employed
NS-SeC
NS-SeC
5
Deriving E-SeC
Deriving E-SeC
SOC 2000
SOC 2000
ISCO-88
ISCO-88
Employment status
Employment status
Supervisory responsibilities
Supervisory responsibilities
Working alone
Working alone
Size of organisation
E-SeC
E-SeC
6
Validation

• For our purposes validation meant
• Will E-SeC provide a representative picture of
  the UK that is comparable to the one provided
  using the NS-SeC?
• Does E-SeC have a similar predictive power to
  that of NS-SeC?

7
Choice of survey

• The Labour Force Survey
• Sample size, 72,500 of working age
• (men aged 16 - 64, women aged 16 - 59)
• Recent quarterly data Autumn 2005
• Available at both individual and household levels
• Relevant questions

8
Comparison of E-SeC and UK NS-SeC (reduced
categories)
Source Labour Force Survey, Autumn 2005
9
Case comparability
Case comparability
No agreement
Agree at 7 categories
Agree at 3 categories
Source Labour Force Survey, Autumn 2005
10
A Comparison of E-SEC and NS-SEC for males
Lower sales, service and technical
Source Labour Force Survey, Autumn 2005
11
A Comparison of E-SEC and NS-SEC for females
Source Labour Force Survey, Autumn 2005
12
European Socio-Economic Classification by sex
Source Labour Force Survey Autumn 2005
13
Lower managers, professionals, higher supervisory
and technicians E-SeC and NS-SeC by age and sex.
Source Labour Force Survey, Autumn 2005
14
Routine occupationsE-SeC and NS-SeC by age and
sex
Source Labour Force Survey, Autumn 2005
15
Comparison of E-SeC and NS-SeC at household level
Source Labour Force Survey, Autumn 2005
16
European Socio-Economic Classification by sex of
household reference person
Source Labour Force Survey, Autumn 2005
17
Predictive power

• NS-SeC is accepted as a predictor of ill-health
• Linear regression binary outcome yes/no
• Choice of variables
• Significance of classifications

18
Chronic morbidity for males (individual level)
Source Labour Force Survey, Autumn 2005
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Chronic morbidity for females(individual level)
Source Labour Force Survey, Autumn 2005
20
Predictive power Individual level
Results of the regression analysis containing
age, ethnicity and educational attainment
-using NS-SeC as an independent variable -using NS-SeC as an independent variable -using NS-SeC as an independent variable  
B S.E. Exp(B)
sex -0.01 0.001 0.992
Age25_34 0.18 0.002 1.196
Age35_44 0.49 0.002 1.63
Age45_54 0.93 0.002 2.541
Age55_64 1.51 0.002 4.513
ethn2 0.13 0.002 1.142
quals -0.21 0.001 0.813
degree -0.39 0.002 0.68
nsec_h2 0.13 0.002 1.139
nsec_h3 0.22 0.002 1.242
nsec_h4 0.13 0.002 1.14
nsec_h5 0.34 0.002 1.403
nsec_h6 0.39 0.002 1.481
nsec_h7 0.48 0.002 1.612
Constant -1.92 0.003 0.147
Chronic morbidity - using E-SeC as an independent variable Chronic morbidity - using E-SeC as an independent variable Chronic morbidity - using E-SeC as an independent variable Chronic morbidity - using E-SeC as an independent variable
B S.E. Exp(B)
sex -0.01 0.001 0.995
Age25_34 0.26 0.002 1.291
Age35_44 0.56 0.002 1.75
Age45_54 1.00 0.002 2.726
Age55_64 1.58 0.002 4.846
ethn2 0.16 0.002 1.175
quals -0.22 0.001 0.802
degree -0.40 0.002 0.67
esec_h2 0.16 0.002 1.177
esec_h3 0.22 0.002 1.251
esec_h4 0.15 0.002 1.162
esec_h5 0.36 0.002 1.438
esec_h6 0.35 0.002 1.421
esec_h7 0.47 0.002 1.596
Constant -2.02 0.003 0.133
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Predictive power Household level
Chronic morbidity - using E-SeC as an independent variable Chronic morbidity - using E-SeC as an independent variable Chronic morbidity - using E-SeC as an independent variable Chronic morbidity - using E-SeC as an independent variable
B S.E. Exp(B)
sex -0.17 0.001 0.848
Age25_34 0.22 0.002 1.245
Age35_44 0.54 0.002 1.717
Age45_54 0.97 0.002 2.638
Age55_64 1.58 0.002 4.835
ethn2 0.12 0.002 1.124
quals -0.42 0.001 0.655
degree -0.22 0.002 0.804
esec_h2 0.11 0.002 1.113
esec_h3 0.26 0.002 1.296
esec_h4 0.16 0.002 1.175
esec_h5 0.33 0.002 1.391
esec_h6 0.45 0.002 1.566
esec_h7 0.48 0.002 1.615
Constant -1.79 0.004 0.168
-using NS-SeC as an independent variable -using NS-SeC as an independent variable -using NS-SeC as an independent variable  
B S.E. Exp(B)
sex -0.17 0.001 0.842
Age25_34 0.27 0.002 1.306
Age35_44 0.59 0.002 1.801
Age45_54 1.02 0.002 2.764
Age55_64 1.62 0.002 5.072
ethn2 0.13 0.002 1.143
quals -0.45 0.001 0.637
degree -0.24 0.002 0.786
nsec_h2 0.15 0.002 1.160
nsec_h3 0.26 0.002 1.297
nsec_h4 0.17 0.002 1.187
nsec_h5 0.34 0.002 1.409
nsec_h6 0.38 0.002 1.468
nsec_h7 0.48 0.002 1.614
Constant -1.83 0.004 0.160
22
Conclusions

• The picture of the UK using E-SeC is broadly
  similar to that obtained when using NS-SeC
• Differences observed between the two
  classifications for lower managers/professionals
  and routine occupations by age and sex
• E-SeC is comparable to NS-SeC when used as a
  predictor of chronic morbidity.
• More validation needed?