The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 7 January 2007:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the level of unemployment was in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 1997. I am replying in her absence. (118227)
For unitary and local authorities, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) produces estimates of total unemployment from a statistical model. For all other estimates of unemployment for local areas, ONS compiles statistics from the annual local area Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.
Table 1, attached, shows the numbers of unemployed, aged 16 and over, resident in the Jarrow constituency, the North East region and the United Kingdom, for the 12 months ending in February from 1997 to 2004, from the annual local area LFS and for the 12 months ending in March 2005 and 2006, from the APS and the corresponding unemployment rates which are defined as the number of unemployed expressed as a percentage of the economically active population. Corresponding model-based estimates are provided for South Tyneside except for the 12 months ending March 2005 for which estimates are currently unavailable.
These estimates, as with any from sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty. In particular, estimates for Jarrow are for a subset of the population in a small geographical area and thus are based on very small sample sizes. In this case, the sample sizes are not sufficient to give an accurate estimate of even the direction of the change over the period. The model-based estimates are subject to random variability.
ONS also compiles statistics for local areas of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA). Table 2, attached, shows the annual average number of people, resident in the Jarrow constituency, South Tyneside metropolitan borough, the North East region and the United Kingdom, claiming JSA from 1997 to 2006. The table also includes these figures expressed as a proportion of the resident working-age population.
Thousand Jarrow South Tyneside1 North East United Kingdom 12 months ending Level Rate2 (%) Level Rate2 (%) Level Rate2(%) Level Rate2 (%) February 1997 5 13.7 8 11.8 118 10.1 2,207 7.8 February 1998 5 14.1 8 11.6 106 9.2 1,911 6.8 February 1999 3 6.9 7 10.2 93 8.2 1,730 6.1 February 2000 4 10.5 8 12.7 107 9.3 1,689 5.9 February 2001 4 10.1 7 10.5 90 7.8 1,518 5.3 February 2002 4 9.1 7 10.1 84 7.3 1,450 5.0 February 2003 3 7.4 6 9.2 76 6.6 1,494 5.1 February 2004 3 7.1 6 8.6 77 6.7 1,444 4.9 March 2005 3 7.9 n/a n/a 69 5.9 1,378 4.7 March 2006 3 7.4 6 8.9 73 6.2 1,483 5.0 Source: Annual local area Labour Force Survey, Annual Population Survey. 1 Model-based estimates of unemployment. Estimates are subject to random variability. 2 Number of persons, aged 16 and over, expressed a percentage of the resident economically active population aged 16 and over. Estimates are subject to sampling variability. Changes In the estimates over time should be treated with particular caution.
Jarrow South Tyneside North East United Kingdom Level Proportion1 (%) Level Proportion1 (%) Level Proportion1 (%) Level Proportion1 (%) 1997 3,119 6.4 7,004 7.7 94,459 6.1 1,602,442 4.5 1998 2,766 5.7 6,283 6.9 84,399 5.4 1,362,340 3.8 1999 2,820 5.8 6,477 12 81,042 5.2 1,263,001 3.5 2000 2,625 5.4 6,058 6.7 73,363 4.7 1,102,257 3.0 2001 2,377 4.9 5,540 6.1 63,852 4.1 982,998 2.7 2002 2,273 4.7 5,207 5.7 59,026 3.8 958,759 2.6 2003 1,986 4.1 4,588 5.0 53,806 3.4 945,894 2.6 2004 1,742 3.6 4,078 4.5 47,093 3.0 866,144 2.3 2005 1,824 3.7 4,096 4.5 46,594 2.9 874,417 2.3 2006 1.870 3.8 4,251 4.6 56.792 3.2 956.732 2.6 1 Number of claimants expressed as a percentage of the resident working-age population. 2 Proportions for parliamentary constituencies are based on 2001 Census data adjusted to be consistent with 2001 mid-year population estimates for local authorities. Source: Jobcentre Plus administrative data