§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the unemployment ratio for (a) Catholics; and (b) Protestants in Northern Ireland; how this 185WA has changed since 1985; whether the ratio differs for (i) men and women; and (ii) different age groups; and whether they consider that it is a good indicator of the relative position between Catholics and Protestants in the labour market. [HL4949]
§ 2. Baroness AmosInformation in relation to Catholic and Protestant unemployment rates is available from the Labour Force Survey. The earliest period held for such figures by religion is 1990 and these are set out in the table below. The table shows the most recent annual data available. The unemployment differential was 1.8 in 1990 and 1.9 in 2002. In respect of males the ratio was 2.0 in 1990 and 1.9 in 2002, comparative figures for females were 1.5 and 1.9.
For both sexes aged 16 to 39 the differential was 1.6 in 1990 and 1.5 in 2002, comparative figures for those aged 40 years and over were 2.3 and 2.7.
The unemployment differential expressed as a ratio describes the relative size of one community's attribute (in this case unemployment) to the other community. By definition, it is a simple reflection of relative positions. It therefore fails to reflect the size of the absolute position. However, used in conjunction with other measures it represents one of a range of labour market indicators.
Unemployment Differential expressed as a ratio between Catholics and Protestants (all economically active 16 +) Males Females Both Sexes Both Sexes 16–39 Both Sexes 40+ 1990 2.0 1.5 1.8 1.6 2.3 1991 2.5 2.1 2.4 2.3 2.4 1992 2.4 1.3 2.0 2.1 1.6 1993 2.1 1.5 1.9 1.9 1.7 1994 2.0 1.4 1.9 1.8 1.9 1995 2.0 1.9 2.0 1.8 2.1 1996 1.6 1.8 1.6 1.6 1.7 1997 2.9 1.4 2.3 2.2 2.5 1998 2.3 1.4 1.9 1.8 2.0 1999 1.9 1.6 1.8 1.5 2.3 2000 1.6 1.9 1.7 1.5 2.1 2001 2.0 1.5 1.8 1.6 2.0 2002 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.5 2.7 Source:
Labour Force Survey
Sampling Error
Because the LFS is a sample survey, results are subject to sampling error, ie the actual proportion of the population with a particular characteristic may differ from the proportion of the LFS sample with that characteristic. Accordingly, although percentages in tables are quoted to the nearest decimal point, they should not be regarded as having this degree of accuracy.
Unemployment Differential expressed as a ratio
The unemployment differential expressed as a ratio is the percentage of the economically active population aged 16 + who are unemployed on the International Labour Organisation (ILO) measure for Catholics divided by that for Protestants.
186WA
§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether any public body in Northern Ireland has researched the unemployment ratio for Catholics and for Protestants; what views if any were reached, and by which body; and whether they will publish the results of any such research. [HL4950]
§ Baroness AmosA susbtantial body of research has been conducted on the unemployment rates for Catholics and for Protestants. The research indicates that a range of factors may underpin the difference in unemployment rates (and therefore the unemployment ratio) including characteristics such as age, marital status, number of children, family experience of unemployment, housing tenure and educational qualifications; regional factors such as area of residence, sectoral performance and demographic factors such as labour force growth and migration and the "chill" factor. The role of discrimination in contributing to the differential remains an area of continued debate.
Recently published views by academics on the ratio suggest that economic inactivity, rather than unemployment should be given greater attention. There is ongoing research in this area commissioned by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister which is due to report in early 2005.