Employment status
The 2021 census recorded the employment status for all Jersey residents.
Almost half of adults were working for an employer full time in March 2021.
Employment status for adults aged 16 or over in 2021
| Employment status | Men % | Women % | Total % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working for an employer full-time | 55 | 42 | 48 |
| Working for an employer part-time | 4 | 14 | 9 |
| Self-employed, employing others | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| Self-employed, not employing others | 7 | 3 | 5 |
| Unemployed, looking for or waiting to take up a job | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Retired | 18 | 22 | 20 |
| Looking after the home | 1 | 7 | 4 |
| In full-time education | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Unable to work through sickness or disability | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Unemployed, and not looking for a job | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 100 |
Economic activity rate for working age adults (16-64 years)
In March 2021:
- 84% of working adults aged 16-64 in Jersey were economically active (in work or looking for work).
- Jersey-born residents had the lowest economic activity rate (79%)
- those born in Poland had the highest economic activity rate (93% )
- the economic activity rate for working-age Jersey-born residents was lower than that of residents from other regions, largely due to the number of Jersey-born individuals in full-time education.
Economic activity and unemployment rates for working age adults by place of birth in 2021
| Jersey | British Isles | Ireland | Poland | Portugal and Madeira | Other European country | Elsewhere in the world | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economic activity rate (%) | 79 | 84 | 89 | 93 | 92 | 90 | 87 | 84 |
| Unemployment rate (%) | 4.4 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
Among adults over working age (aged over 64), 13% were economically active.
Unemployment
In March 2021, 2,019 adults aged 16-64 were unemployed and looking for work. Of those unemployed and looking for work:
- there were slightly more men (1,093) than women (926)
- most (91%) had Entitled or Entitled for Work status
- 9% had Registered status.
- over half (52%) were born in Jersey,
- a quarter (24%)were born in the British Isles.
Unemployed (and looking for work) by place of birth, adults aged 16-64
| Persons | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| Jersey | 1,041 | 52 |
| British Isles | 485 | 24 |
| Portugal / Madeira | 150 | 7 |
| Poland | 73 | 4 |
| Ireland (Republic) | 31 | 2 |
| Other European country | 98 | 5 |
| Elsewhere in the world | 141 | 7 |
| Total | 2,019 | 100 |
The ILO unemployment rate is the number of all unemployed (and looking for work) adults aged 16 and over, as a proportion of all economically active adults. It is an internationally
comparable measure since the definition of working age can vary by jurisdiction
Jersey’s ILO unemployment rate was 3.5% in March 2021, corresponding to 2,058 persons.
The corresponding figure for the UK was 4.7% and the average for OECD countries was 6.7% in March 2021. Jersey’s ILO unemployment rate in March 2021 was lower than the OECD average.
ILO unemployment rates for selected OECD countries (March 2021, percent)
Young people not in employment, education or training (NEET)
In March 2021, for young people in Jersey aged 16-24:
- 8.2% were NEET, equivalent to 798 individuals
- the rate was slightly lower for females (7.2%) than males (9.1%)
- the proportion of NEET was lower in Jersey (8.2%) than in the UK (9.8% for January-March 2021)
Occupation
Occupations were categorised into nine major groups using the internationally comparable Standard Occupational Classification system. A full breakdown of detailed occupations can be found in the census report.
Professional occupations engaged the largest number of workers.
Major occupation group of working adults (aged 16 and over)
Industry
The census also recorded information on industry. The 2021 census report incudes demographic breakdowns of industry by:
- sex
- age
- occupation
- place of birth
More recent estimates of Jersey’s labour force by industry are available on a 6-monthly basis on our labour market statistics page.
Hours worked
Workers in Jersey worked an average of 36.4 hours a week overall.
Average (mean) hours worked per week for employees and the self-employed, by sex
| Working for an employer | Self-employed | All workers | ||
| Full-time (over 25 hours a week) | Male | 40.6 | 44.2 | 41.1 |
| Female | 37.6 | 41.2 | 37.8 | |
| All | 39.2 | 43.5 | 39.7 | |
| Part-time (25 hours or less a week) | Male | 15.4 | 16.1 | 15.7 |
| Female | 17.5 | 14.8 | 17 | |
| All | 16.9 | 15.5 | 16.6 | |
| Full- and Part- time | Male | 38.9 | 39.2 | 39 |
| Female | 33.7 | 30.5 | 33.4 | |
| All | 36.3 | 36.5 | 36.4 | |
Workers in agriculture and fishing worked the longest hours, averaging 49.5 hours per week.
Mean hours worked by industry for full-time workers (including the self-employed)
| Industry | Average hours worked per week |
|---|---|
| Agriculture and fishing | 49.5 |
| Hotels, restaurants, and bars | 42.6 |
| Construction and quarrying | 41.9 |
| Manufacturing | 41.2 |
| Transport and storage | 40.1 |
| Wholesale and retail | 40.0 |
| Miscellaneous business activities | 40.0 |
| Utilities and waste | 39.3 |
| Information and communication | 38.8 |
| Education, health, and other services | 38.6 |
| Financial and legal services | 37.9 |
| All full-time workers | 39.7 |
Find data and past reports
You can find census data tables on the open data website.
Find past reports on our release calendar.
Find census reports from 1821 to 2001 on the Jersey Archive website.