The census is a once-a-decade event, run by the Office for National Statistics, that affects everyone in England and Wales. In March 2011 a white envelope with a purple C emblazoned on it will drop through your letterbox. Inside will be a questionnaire which can be completed securely online, or on paper.
It takes about 10 minutes per adult to complete, less for children. Census statistics are used as the cornerstone for planning our communities. Housing, schools, hospitals, roads – all of these things are planned using census data.
The 2001 Census showed that there were 234,868 people in England and Wales aged 16-74 employed as chefs and cooks. The area with the most people in this industry was Birmingham with 4,120 people aged 16-74 employed in this field. The local authority which had the highest density was the Isles of Scilly, with one in every 25 people being a chef or cook.
The Office for Nationals Statistics’ Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings showed that the median annual salary for full-time employees is £25,879, while the median annual salary for chefs and cooks in 2010 was £16,884.
In contrast the median annual salary for men working full-time in this occupation was £17,806, while the median for women working full-time was £15,335.
Recent results from ONS’s Living Costs and Food Survey showed that in 2009, UK households spent on average £13.30 a week on restaurant and café meals. To put this into context, the highest weekly spend was on transport (£58.40). Food and non-alcoholic drinks equated to £52.20 (alcoholic drinks, tobaccos and narcotics came in at £11.70) and health expenditure was £5.30.
The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2010 results showed that the median annual salary of waiters in full-time employment was £13,165, while waitresses were earning £11,783. The median annual salary of male bar staff in full-time emplo0079ment was £12,831, while female bar staff were earning £11,242. And the median annual salary of male kitchen and catering assistants in full-time employment was £12,760, while females
working full-time in the same occupation were earning £12,767.
Has the boom in celebrity chefs paved the way for a new generation of people to take up employment in the culinary arts? Or will this climate of economic uncertainty mean the industry has cut back. The 2011 Census will reveal some of the answers.
To find out more about the 2011 Census, go to www.census.gov.uk
