HC Deb 24 May 2000 vol 350 c529W
Mr. Willetts

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many men aged 16 to 24 were economically inactive, according to the Labour Force Survey, in each year since 1992, broken down by(a) students and (b) others. [117557]

Miss Melanie Johnson

I have been asked to reply.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from John Pullinger to Mr. David Willetts, dated 24 May 2000: The Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has been asked to reply to your recent question about men aged 16–24 who are economically inactive. I am replying in the Director's absence. The attached table shows non-seasonally adjusted estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) which is the main source of labour market data on individuals. It gives the percentage of economically inactive men aged 16–24 by whether or not they are full-time students in the spring (March-May) quarter of each year since 1992. People aged 16 or over are classed as economically inactive by the LFS if they are not in employment and do not satisfy the criteria for International Labour Organisation (ILO) unemployment. This includes those who want a job but who have not been seeking work in the last 4 weeks, those who are seeking work but are not available to start and those who do not want a job (for example, students not working or seeking work). The LFS classifies people as full-time students if they are at school, on a sandwich course or full time at university, polytechnic or college.

Economically inactive men aged 16–24 by educational status UK, 1992–99 Spring (March-May) of each year Not seasonally adjusted
Spring each year: Aged 16–24 (Thousand) Full-time students Rate (%)1 Others Rate (%)1
1992 837 81.4 18.6
1993 860 81.1 18.9
1994 865 83.5 16.5
1995 868 85.8 14.2
1996 822 81.9 18.1
1997 833 84.3 15.7
1998 865 85.9 14.1
1999 867 85.3 14.7
1Full-time students/others as a percentage of the total

Note:

From spring 1997 LFS estimates of the totals of people in education include people who were waiting to start, or restart, a course, and hence the figures for those in (and not in) full-time education are not comparable with earlier periods.

Source:

Labour Force Survey, ONS