Unemployment is still a more important issue than most of us realise, even in a prosperous town in the prosperous South East, like Slough. We hope soon to show a chart of unemployment rates: Slough and the UK average. That is the numbers claiming unemployment benefits expressed as a percentage of the labour force. Currently the rates look low. Slough unemployment rose sharply above average in the early nineties before easing back in the years up to 2001. Although it has been on the rise again in the last three years, the Slough rate is only 4% (compared with the national 2.4%).
These figures, however, are total counts of just those claiming benefit. There are many more who would like a job but are not eligible for benefit for reasons including recent redundancy payment, inability to start work almost immediately (child-care issues etc) and giving up looking.
The government's monthly Labour Force Survey shows the total of those out of work who would like a job. Over the country as a whole it is four or five times the claimant total. The survey is based on a sample, which is too small to give a reliable estimate other than the total "economically active", town by town. But we have evidence to suggest that the national proportion fits Slough. Thus the 2,318 claimants in Slough in December 2004 indicate that there may well be some 10,000 Slough women and men who are not employed but would like a job.
Are the local authority aware of these figures? Are they doing anything about it?
Posted by: Chris at February 18, 2005 07:22 PM