Where have all the good stats gone? –standard output from the 2001 and 2011 Censuses and intersectional local labour market research

The census standard output is the most accessible data from the census particularly for non-data specialists. It is unique in that it is the only data source that provides researchers with the opportunity to explore information about residents, and in particular their labour market engagement at the (very) local (sub-district) level. The number of standard output tables released after the 2011 Census was greater than after the 2001 Census. However there was a decrease in the number of tables combining labour market information and multiple demographic characteristics related to the Equality Act 2010. This paper analyses the 2001 and 2011 Censuses standard output tables in the context of equality legislation. It shows that the ability to undertake intersectional labour market analysis at the local level and to ‘police’ the Equality Act 2010 locally has decreased substantially.