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Unemployment: Ethnic Groups

Volume 458: debated on Tuesday 13 March 2007

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what change there was in unemployment rates for (a) white, (b) mixed Indian, (c) Pakistani, (d) Bangladeshi, (e) other Asian, (f) Black Caribbean, (g) Black African and (h) other ethnic groups in each year for which figures are available. (126133)

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 13 March 2007:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the unemployment rates for (a) white, (b) mixed Indian, (c) Pakistani, (d) Bangladeshi (e) other Asian, (f) Black Caribbean, (g) Black African and (h) other ethnic groups for which figures are available. (126133)

The table overleaf gives the unemployment rates by ethnicity. These rates are not seasonally adjusted. They are published each quarter in Table 10 of the Labour Market Statistics Historical Quarterly Supplement available on the ONS website:

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/LFSHQS/Tablel0.xls

Comparable estimates are not available for 1998 and 2000, and Q1 (January-March) and Q3 (July-September) for the years 1997-2004.

Estimates are taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. This is particularly true for the unemployment rates of some ethnic groups.

Unemployment rates1 by ethnicity2, 3, from 1997 to 2006, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted

Percentage

All origins

White

Indian4

Pakistani

Bangladeshi

Other Asian

1997

Q1

7

Q2

7

7

8

23

19

5

Q3

7

Q4

6

6

9

17

24

14

1999

Q1

6

Q2

6

6

9

15

21

13

Q3

6

Q4

6

5

7

15

22

12

2001

Q1

5

Q2

5

4

8

18

20

11

Q3

5

Q4

5

5

8

14

26

8

2002

Q1

5

Q2

5

5

6

11

21

9

Q3

6

Q4

5

5

7

15

5

11

2003

Q1

5

Q2

5

4

7

14

23

10

Q3

5

Q4

5

4

8

13

18

11

2004

Q1

5

Q2

5

4

6

14

15

10

Q3

5

Q4

5

4

6

12

17

8

2005

Q1

5

4

5

13

17

7

Q2

5

4

6

12

17

7

Q3

5

4

9

14

16

9

Q4

5

5

6

14

19

10

2006

Q1

5

5

7

14

18

12

Q2

5

5

7

14

20

10

Q3

6

5

9

15

14

7

Q4

5

5

7

15

16

9

Percentage

Black Caribbean

Black African

Other Black

Chinese

Mixed

Other

1997

Q1

Q2

16

23

5

5

12

5

Q3

Q4

15

24

5

5

14

5

1999

Q1

Q2

13

16

5

5

13

13

Q3

Q4

14

17

5

5

12

12

2001

Q1

Q2

13

14

5

5

9

10

Q3

Q4

12

14

5

5

15

10

2002

Q1

Q2

11

15

5

5

14

11

Q3

Q4

14

13

5

5

19

12

2003

Q1

Q2

13

14

5

5

11

14

Q3

Q4

12

12

5

5

13

13

2004

Q1

Q2

11

13

5

5

13

10

Q3

Q4

10

13

5

9

11

11

2005

Q1

12

13

5

9

10

10

Q2

11

14

5

8

12

9

Q3

12

13

5

5

12

10

Q4

12

13

5

9

13

11

2006

Q1

12

12

5

5

14

14

Q2

12

13

5

5

12

13

Q3

15

15

5

5

13

12

Q4

14

14

5

11

14

11

1 Total unemployed as a percentage of all economically active persons. 2 This table uses the National Statistics standard classification of ethnic groups. 3 This table does not include people who did not state their ethnic group. 4 Includes mixed Indian. 5 Samples sizes are too small to provide reliable estimates. Note: Comparable estimates are not currently available for 1998 and 2000 and for quarters one and quarter three until 2005. Source: ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS).