To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the number of (a) men and (b) women, living in England and Wales who are at present unemployed and are aged (i) 50 to 55 years, (ii) 55 to 60 years and (iii) 60 to 65 years. [80643]
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 15 April 1999:
As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question on unemployment in England and Wales.
The table below shows the latest estimates from the Autumn 1998 (September-November) Labour Force Survey (LFS), the ONS measure of unemployment. This is defined on a consistent and internationally recognised basis set out by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and counts as unemployed people who are: a) without a paid job; b) available to start work within the next two weeks and c) have either looked for work in the last four weeks or are waiting to start a job already obtained. Estimates are not seasonally adjusted.
ILO unemployment totals1 and rates by age group and sex, England and Wales, Autumn 1998
| |||
Thousand
| |||
Age
| All persons
| Men
| Women
|
| 50 to 54 | 99 | 64 | 35 |
| 55 to 59 | 80 | 50 | 30 |
| 60 to 64 | 40 | 35 | 2— |
1Total ILO unemployed as a percentage of all economically active persons in the relevant age group | |||
2 Sample size too small for reliable estimate | |||
Source:
Labour Force Survey, ONS