Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Latest NewsJob creation and lossesLabour marketSkills shortages

Unemployment may be three times higher than statistics suggest

by Rob Moss 17 Oct 2019
by Rob Moss 17 Oct 2019 The OECD research suggested that "hidden" unemployment in Liverpool could be as high as 19%. Photo: Silvan Bachmann / Shutterstock
The OECD research suggested that "hidden" unemployment in Liverpool could be as high as 19%. Photo: Silvan Bachmann / Shutterstock

The amount of “hidden” unemployment in the UK means that the number of people out of work could be nearly three times higher than official statistics indicate.

Research by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) looked at economic inactivity in British cities and found that in many northern cities, around 20% people could actually be unemployed.

The report, Trends in economic inactivity across the OECD, found that while the UK has one of the lowest levels of economic inactivity, this varies significantly from place to place.

Labour force surveys across the globe generally categorise the economically inactive into six types: students, retirees, people who take care of relatives, people with health issues, people who believe there are no jobs available, and those not looking for work for “other” reasons.

The research, carried out in conjunction with the Centre for Cities think tank, showed that, if you remove students, retirees, or people looking after family from the UK’s figures, there is a clear north-south divide, which is closely linked to the local economic performance.

Cities with weaker economies in the north tend to have much higher rates of inactivity than those in the south.

If this “hidden unemployment” is included, estimates jump from 4.6% to 13.2%, and in many northern cities, such as Liverpool, Sunderland and Dundee, approximately one in five people could actually be unemployed.

The authors said: “The policy challenge is that the economically inactive often fall through the cracks. Active labour market programmes are primarily targeted to recently unemployed people receiving unemployment benefits. At the regional and local level, a multi-pronged policy approach is often needed, which combines labour market, skills training, and other supports, such as assistance for child care, housing and public transport.”

An Office for National Statistics spokesperson said its headline unemployment figures follow internationally agreed definitions, which includes those both looking for and available to start work, adding: “If the definition were widened, for example by including people not looking for work because of health problems, it would stop being a measure of spare employment capacity.”

HR business partner opportunities on Personnel Today

Browse more HR business partner jobs

Rob Moss
Rob Moss

Rob Moss is a business journalist with more than 25 years' experience. He has been editor of Personnel Today since 2010. He joined the publication in 2006 as online editor of the award-winning website. He specialises in labour market economics, gender diversity and family-friendly working. He has hosted hundreds of webinar and podcasts, most recently on the challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic. Before writing about HR and employment he ran news and feature desks on publications serving the global optical and eyewear market, the UK electrical industry, and electrical markets in Asia and the Middle East.

previous post
Capita unfairly dismissed employee whose role was made full-time
next post
Banish courses and rethink L&D – World of Learning 2019

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

You may also like

Steep rise in visas for non-EU migrant workers

19 May 2022

Number of working people with disability up 1.3...

17 May 2022

Wages fall 1.2% behind inflation as cost of...

17 May 2022

How firms need to comply with sponsor licence...

16 May 2022

Fears over skills as visa application times double...

12 May 2022

Green energy jobs given lift by new Delivery...

12 May 2022

EasyJet tackles staff shortages with seat tactic

9 May 2022

KPMG offers pay rises of £2k or £4k...

6 May 2022

Latest job advert figures point to growing economic...

5 May 2022

Passport Office: private firm told to hire more...

28 Apr 2022
  • Apprenticeships are the solution to your recruitment problems PROMOTED | Apprenticeships have the pulling power...Read more
  • What it really means to be mentally fit PROMOTED | What is mental fitness...Read more
  • How music can help to ease anxiety at work PROMOTED | A lot has happened since March 2020, hasn’t it?...Read more
  • Why now is the time to plug the unhealthy gap PROMOTED | We’ve all heard the term ‘health is wealth’...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+