We are pleased to announce the release of 2001-based travel to work areas (TTWAs) on Nomis from 12 December 2007. The new TTWAs are available with the following data series:

  • Claimant Count
  • Jobcentre Plus Vacancies
  • Annual Business Inquiry

Travel to work areas (TTWAs) are approximations to self-contained labour markets based on commuting to work patterns. The 243 new TTWAs were defined in 2007 using 2001 Census information and are based on lower layer super output areas in England and Wales, data zones in Scotland, and super output areas in Northern Ireland. The basic criteria used in the exercise were:

  • at least 67% of those who live in the area also work there;

  • at least 67% of those who work in the area also live there; and

  • the working population as measured by the Census should be at least 25,000.

In areas of low population density these criteria were amended so that the minimum working population of the TTWA was 3,500 and the self-containment criteria increased to at least 75 per cent.

National boundary constraints have not been imposed so 2001-based TTWAs now cross the England-Wales and England-Scotland borders.

Further information including a detailed description of the methodology is available on the ONS Geography website.