Commuting patterns in Wales by measure and year

Variable filters

You will be able to change the filter selections once you've chosen how to view the data.
Data description

This indicates what a data value represents

5 of 5 selected
No values match your search
Year
24 of 24 selected
No values match your search
Area
28 of 28 selected
No values match your search

Choose how to view the data

You'll be asked to choose 2 variables to show on a table
The data will be shown with columns for each of the variables in the dataset, with a data value for all combinations of variables

Next update expected:April 2026

Updates

16th January 2026
Dataset first published.

Main information

Designation
Official statistics
Data provider
Office for National Statistics (ONS)
Data source
Annual Population Survey (APS)
Time period covered
January 2001 to December 2024

Overview

Summary of dataset and variables

This dataset provides information on commuting patterns by local authority in Wales and flows between Wales and the rest of the UK.

Data collection or calculation

These data are taken from the annual datasets from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The availability of local authority data is dependent upon on an enhanced sample for the annual LFS, which commenced in 2001.

For years labelled 2001 to 2003 in this dataset, the actual periods covered are the 12 months running from March in the year given to February in the following year (e.g. 2001 = 1 March 2001 to 28 February 2002).

Since 2004, the annual data have been produced on a rolling annual basis and updated every three months, and the dataset is now referred to as the Annual Population Survey (APS). The rolling annual averages presented here are on a calendar year basis starting from 2004.

Statistical quality

Annual Population Survey (APS) responses are weighted to official population projections. The projections for 2020 were 2018-based, and, therefore, were based on demographic trends that pre-dated the COVID-19 pandemic. To allow for different trends during the pandemic the responses for the APS have been reweighted on the 9 September 2021 to new populations derived using growth rates from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Real Time Information (RTI). The reweighting has been applied from year ending March 2020 data onwards and gives improved estimates of both rates and levels.

The changes ONS have made to the weighting should reduce the bias of estimates at high levels of aggregation. Some smaller breakdowns may be impacted negatively and more extreme changes could be seen given the reduced size of the underlying sample since the start of the pandemic.

As the data come from a survey, the results are sample-based estimates and therefore subject to differing degrees of sampling variability, i.e. the true value for any measure lies in a differing range about the estimated value. This range or sampling variability increases as the detail in the data increases, for example individual local authority data are subject to higher variability than Wales data.

Rounding applied

Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred and so there may be some apparent slight discrepancies between the sum of constituent items and the totals as shown.

Related reports

Published by

Organisation
Welsh Government
Contact email
labourmarket.stats@gov.wales