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Claimant count - June 2012
Claimant count - June 2012
Latest news:
Latest news:
The number of people out of work rose by 70,000 to 2.56 million in the three months to February, href="http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_305051.pdf" >according to the Office for National Statistics.
This led the unemployment rate of the economically active population to increase slightly to 7.9%.
The unemployment rate of the economically active population is now at 7.8%.
The number of people in work fell by 2,000, to 29.70 million.
The number of people in work fell by 43,000 to 29.7 million.
The claimant count - the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance - fell 7,000 to 1.53 million in February, the lowest level since June 2011.
The claimant count - the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance - fell by 7,300 to 1.52 million in April.
Understanding unemployment:
A person is classed as unemployed if they are not only out of work, but also actively looking for work and available to start work within a fortnight
Unemployment figures are based on a survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics. They show the average number of people unemployed over a three-month period
A new survey is done every month, but comparisons are made between separate three-month periods, not overlapping ones. e.g. April-June v Jan-March, not April-June v March-May
The ONS also publishes the claimant count which shows the number of people receiving Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) in a particular month. That figure comes from information supplied by the Department for Work and Pensions
The unemployment figure is higher than the claimant count as many jobseekers do not or cannot claim JSA
The two main measures can sometimes move in different directions. A change in benefits rules moving people onto JSA from another benefit, for example, would increase the claimant count without a corresponding increase in unemployment.
Background:
Understanding unemployment:
A person is classed as unemployed if they are not only out of work, but also actively looking for work and available to start work within a fortnight
Unemployment figures are based on a survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics. They show the average number of people unemployed over a three-month period
A new survey is done every month, but comparisons are made between separate three-month periods, not overlapping ones. e.g. April-June v Jan-March, not April-June v March-May
The ONS also publishes the claimant count which shows the number of people receiving Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) in a particular month. That figure comes from information supplied by the Department for Work and Pensions
The unemployment figure is higher than the claimant count as many jobseekers do not or cannot claim JSA
The two main measures can sometimes move in different directions. A change in benefits rules moving people onto JSA from another benefit, for example, would increase the claimant count without a corresponding increase in unemployment.
Background:
Unemployment is referred to as a lagging indicator because businesses will often delay laying people off as long as they can in difficult times.
Unemployment is referred to as a lagging indicator because businesses will often delay laying people off as long as they can in difficult times.
A few months after the start of the recession in 2008, unemployment started to rise sharply. When the global financial crisis hit, the unemployment rate was a little over 5% or 1.6 million.
A few months after the start of the recession in 2008, unemployment started to rise sharply. When the global financial crisis hit, the unemployment rate was a little over 5% or 1.6 million.
Towards the end of 2009, with the UK coming out of its severest recession since the 1950s, it was almost a million higher at 2.5 million, or 8%.
Towards the end of 2009, with the UK coming out of its severest recession since the 1950s, it was almost a million higher at 2.5 million, or 8%.
Since then firms have continued to lay off staff as the recovery has faltered. Unemployment peaked at almost 2.7 million at the end of 2011, its highest level for 17 years.
Unemployment peaked at almost 2.7 million at the end of 2011, its highest level for 17 years.
There were 979,000 unemployed 16-24 year olds, up 20,000 from September to November 2012. The unemployment rate for 16-24 year olds was 21.1%, up 0.6% on the previous September-November quarter.
Unemployment began to level off towards the end of 2011, and the beginning of 2012 saw the first fall in almost a year. The overall number of people in employment has been going up, as has the number working in the private sector.
For some this is a positive sign of economic recovery. For others it is tied to the higher numbers of people working part-time, with record numbers only doing so because they cannot find a full-time job.
