Unemployment

Treasury written question – answered at on 9 June 2004.

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Photo of Simon Hughes Simon Hughes Liberal Democrat, North Southwark and Bermondsey

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the unemployment rates for the 55-plus age group in (a) Greater London and (b) each Greater London borough in each of the last five years.

Photo of Ruth Kelly Ruth Kelly Financial Secretary, HM Treasury

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Simon Hughes, dated 9 June 2004

The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about unemployment. I am replying in his absence. (177058)

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.

The attached table 1, gives unemployment rates for the 5 5-plus age group in Greater London covering the twelve month periods ending in February 1997, and each February from 2000 to 2003. Comparable information is currently not available for other years. The LFS sample size is too small to give reliable information about unemployment in each Greater London borough.

As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to sampling variability.

ONS also compiles statistics of those claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for local areas including Greater London Boroughs. Table 2 gives the annual average number of JSA claimants for the age group 55 plus as a proportion of the resident population aged 55 to retirement age (55 to 64 for males, 55 to 59 for females) in Greater London and each Borough in Greater London for each year from 1999 to 2003. The data are not seasonally adjusted.

Table 1: Unemployment rate(39) for the 55-plus age group in Greater London—12 months ending February in 1997 and each February from 2000 to 2003
Percentage
1997 9.3
2000 6.2
2001 5.7
2002 5.0

(39) This is the percentage of the economically active population aged 16 and over who are unemployed.

Note:

Economically active population refers to those who are either unemployed or in employment.

Source:

ONS—Labour Force Survey.

Table 2: Jobseeker's allowance claimants aged 55 and over in the London boroughs
Percentage of population(41)
Annual averages 1999 2000 2001 2002 1 2003 1
Barking and Dagenham 2.5 2.2 1.9 2.1 2.4
Barnet 2.2 1.8 1.6 1.9 2.0
Bexley 1.9 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.7
Brent 3.8 2.9 2.4 2.4 2.6
Bromley 1.7 1.4 1.3 1.5 1.6
Camden 4.6 3.7 3.2 3.6 3.6
City of London 2.5 1.8 1.7 1.5 1.7
Croydon 2.8 2.4 2.1 2.2 2.1
Ealing 2.7 2.1 1.8 2.0 2.1
Enfield 3.2 2.7 2.3 2.3 2.4
Greenwich 3.5 3.4 2.9 3.2 3.1
Hackney 5.8 4.5 3.5 3.6 4.1
Hammersmith and Fulham 4.3 3.8 3.0 3.2 3.4
Haringey 5.2 4.6 3.6 3.3 3.4
Harrow 2.5 1.9 1.5 1.6 1.7
Havering 1.7 1.6 1.2 1.4 1.5
Hillingdon 1.7 1.3 1.2 1.4 1.8
Hounslow 1.8 1.3 1.0 1.5 1.5
Islington 5.7 4.3 3.7 3.7 4.1
Kensington and Chelsea 2.7 2.3 1.7 1.8 2.1
Kingston-upon-Thames 2.0 1.6 1.1 1.3 1.5
Lambeth 5.5 5.0 4.5 4.5 4.5
Lewisham 4.4 3.9 3.4 3.3 3.5
Merton 2.7 2.0 1.7 2.1 2.5
Newham 4.2 3.5 2.9 2.6 2.6
Redbridge 2.3 2.1 1.6 1.7 1.7
Richmond-upon-Thames 2.0 1.7 1.4 1.7 1.9
Southwark 4.6 4.3 3.7 3.9 4.3
Sutton 1.7 1.4 1.1 1.6 1.7
Tower Hamlets 5.5 4.9 3.9 3.6 3.7
Waltham Forest 3.4 3.0 2.6 2.8 3.1
Wandsworth 3.8 3.4 2.9 2.9 3.0
Westminster, City of 3.4 2.9 2.5 2.5 2.6

(40) Based on the 2001 resident population.

(41) Claimant count figures as the percentage of the resident population aged 55 to retirement age

Source:

Jobcentre Plus Administrative system Claimant count proportions using mid—2002.

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