HL Deb 26 July 1999 vol 604 cc142-3WA
Lord Blease

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will publish statistics for the 12 labour market regions of the United Kingdom for the periods March to May 1996 and March to May 1999 concerning the total number of people:

  1. (a) economically active (employed and unemployed);
  2. (b) defined as "economically inactive"; and
  3. (c) included in group (b), who do not satisfy the full International Labour Organisation job search criteria. [HL3775]

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics who has been asked to reply.

Letter from the Director of the Office for National Statistics, Dr. Tint Holt, dated 26 July 1999.

As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question on the economic status of people by region for spring 1996 and spring 1999.

The information requested is shown in the attached table.

Labour market status for people of working age1, by Government Office Region, spring 1996 and spring 1999, not seasonally adjusted
Thousands
Economically active Economically inactive
Wants a job
Wants a job and seeking but not available to start2 Wants job but not seeking in last 4 weeks
Total Total In employment ILO unemployed Total Does not want a job Total Total Available to start Not available to start2
Yorkshire & Humberside 3,048 2,368 2,174 194 681 482 199 22 176 74 102
East Midlands 2,522 2,026 1,873 154 496 345 150 14 136 59 78
West Midlands 3,212 2,518 2,280 238 694 479 215 22 193 78 115
Eastern 3,215 2,606 2,443 162 609 433 176 17 160 57 102
London 4,420 3,406 3,014 391 1,014 637 377 30 347 156 191
South East 4,705 3,875 3,636 240 830 588 241 29 212 95 117
South West 2,845 2,278 2,129 149 567 398 168 19 150 66 83
Wales 1,722 1,271 1,163 108 452 306 144 11 133 49 83
Scotland 3,149 2,412 2,198 214 737 498 239 23 217 85 132
Northern Ireland 969 690 621 68 279 223 56 3— 53 19 34
Spring 1999
United Kingdom 35,932 28,159 26,437 1,722 7,773 5,428 2,345 252 2,093 659 1,434
Great Britain 34,935 27,446 25,776 1,669 7,490 5,208 2,281 242 2,039 649 1,390
England 30,057 23,761 22,365 1,395 6,297 4,385 1,911 214 1,698 534 1,164
North East 1,570 1,133 1,017 116 437 298 140 15 125 45 80
North West 4,187 3,163 2,963 200 1,024 727 297 29 268 78 190
Yorkshire & Humberside 3,073 2,383 2,225 158 689 466 223 23 200 56 143
East Midlands 2.568 2,059 1,951 108 510 364 146 16 129 40 90
West Midlands 3,231 2,555 2,378 176 678 482 194 27 167 58 110
Eastern 3,259 2,654 2,541 112 605 442 163 16 147 43 103
London 4,476 3,467 3,204 263 1,009 662 347 37 311 102 209
South East 4,787 3,961 3,816 145 826 589 237 30 207 66 141
South West 2,905 2,386 2,270 116 519 355 164 21 143 47 96
Wales 1,739 1,279 1,186 92 461 321 140 10 130 44 86
Scotland 3,139 2,406 2,225 182 732 502 230 19 211 70 141
Northern Ireland 997 714 661 53 283 220 64 3— 54 10 44
1 Men aged 16–64 and women aged 16–59.
2 Not available to start work in next two weeks including a few people who did not state whether or not they were available.
3 Sample size too small for a reliable estimate

Source:

ONS, Labour Force Survey.