Labour Market figures - December 2002

IMPORTANT NOTE

* Withdrawal from National Statistics of local area workplace-based claimant count rates

The workplace-based claimant count rates for sub-regional areas have been withdrawn from National Statistics and will cease to appear in ONS publications. Users wishing to calculate the rates themselves will be able to continue to do so, using information readily accessible via the Nomisâ website(http://www.nomisweb.co.uk).

From this month, ONS is publishing local area claimant count figures as a proportion of the resident working age population for local authorities and NUTS 3 areas, using the mid-2001 population estimates published by ONS on 10 October 2002. Comparable figures for countries and regions of the United Kingdom are also available.

When the necessary ward-level working age population data are available from the 2001 Census, ONS will use these to calculate and publish residence-based claimant count proportions for Travel-to-Work areas and Parliamentary Constituencies. The exact date of release of the necessary ward-level census data has not yet been announced, but is expected towards the end of the first half of 2003. Publication of the residence-based claimant count proportions will follow two months after the availability of the census data.

**Labelling of unemployment statistics

The re-labelling, from this month, of the LFS estimates of unemployment in this release as 'unemployment' rather than 'ILO unemployment' is intended to emphasise that this is the official UK measure of unemployment, compiled following the internationally standard definitional guidelines of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). This change of labelling will make for greater consistency with the existing labelling of other LFS estimates in this release - of 'employment' and of 'economic activity and inactivity' in particular - which are also compiled following ILOguidelines.

The claimant count statistics in the release represent counts of people claiming the Jobseeker’s Allowance working age benefit. These statistics provide valuable and timely additional information about the labour market, but it should be recognised that the claimant count is not a statistical measure of unemployment.

*** Unavailable Figures

Percentages of resident working age population claiming Jobseeker's Allowance for these areas will be published once the 2001 Census ward level data are available

 

East Midlands
November 2002 December 2002
 

Employment

 2,079,000 2,066,000
  77.1% 76.6%
   

Unemployment** (see above)

 108,000 106,000
  4.9% 4.9%
   

Economically active

 2,187,000 2,173,000
  81.1% 80.6%
   

Economically inactive

 494,000 507,000
  18.9% 19.4%

Claimant count (seasonally adjusted)

 57,700 57,400
  2.9% 2.9%
   

Claimant count (unadjusted)

 54,544 56,065
  2.7% 2.2%*
 

United Kingdom

November 2002

December 2002
     

Employment

 27,759,000 2,777,800
74.5% 74.6%
   

Unemployment** (see above)

 1,532,000 1,515,000
5.2% 5.2%
   

Economically active

 29,290,000 29,294,000
78.7% 78.7%
   

Economically inactive

 7,676,000 7,682,000
21.3% 21.3%
   

Claimant count (seasonally adjusted)

 934,200 928,300
3.1% 3.1%
     

Claimant count (unadjusted)

 905,569 919,089
3.0% 2.5%*

Selected Travel To Work Areas (TTWAs) - Claimant Count (unadjusted)
Derby 3.1% Not available***
Leicester 3.3% Not available***
Nottingham 3.3% Not available***

High and Low TTWAs (Top & Bottom 3) - Claimant Count (unadjusted)
Gainsborough Not available*** Stamford Not available***
Chesterfield Not available*** Matlock Not available***
Skegness & Mablethorpe Not available*** Melton Mowbray & Oakham Not available***

Data supplied by the Office for National Statistics

The whole of January's ONS Labour Market Press Release for the East Midlands can be viewed by clicking here.

Queries to: Regional Intelligence Team, Government Office for the East Midlands, 0115 971 2495, intelligence.goem@go-regions.gsi.gov.uk

Next Release Date
12 February 2003