Unemployment

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the rate of youth unemployment was in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available, broken down by region; what the unemployment rate was for all age groups in each region in each year; and if he will make a statement. (133458)

[holding answer 23 April 2007]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 26 April 2007:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what has been the rate of youth unemployment in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available, broken down into regions and how these figures compare with the unemployment rate for all age groups. (133458)

For the purpose of this Parliamentary Question, we have taken ‘youth’ to mean people aged 16-24 years. Estimates of unemployment rates for people aged 16 to 24 by region are not available. Table 1, attached, gives unemployment rates for people aged 16 to 24 for the United Kingdom, as well as unemployment rates for people 16 and over, broken down by region.

This information is for the 3 months ending December each year from 1997 to 2006 (estimates for 1998 and 2000 are not available). The data are not seasonally adjusted.

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.

*Table 1: unemployment rates*¹ *by age and region of residence United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted*
thousand
	16 to 24
Three months ending December each year	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	North east	North west	Yorkshire and Humberside	East Midlands	West Midlands
1997	12.7	6.3	8.0	6.7	6.8	5.0	6.1
1998	13.1	6.0	²—	²—	²—	²—	²—
1999	11.9	5.6	7.8	5.8	5.8	5.2	6.5
2000	11.8	5.1	²—	²—	²—	²—	²—
2001	11.9	5.0	6.6	5.1	4.9	4.4	5.4
2002	11.8	5.0	6.9	4.7	4.8	4.6	5.5
2003	11.4	4.8	6.1	4.5	4.8	4.2	5.6
2004	12.1	4.6	6.3	4.5	4.5	4.0	4.6
2005	13.6	5.0	6.4	4.7	5.4	4.4	5.2
2006	13.8	5.4	6.4	5.2	6.0	5.5	6.5

*thousand*
	16 and over
Three months ending December each year	East	London	South east	South west	Wales	Scotland	Northern Ireland
1997	5.2	9.2	4.3	5.0	6.8	6.9	8.7
1998	²—	²—	²—	²—	²—	²—	²—
1999	4.1	7.0	3.9	4.0	7.1	6.7	6.6
2000	²—	²—	²—	²—	²—	²—	²—
2001	3.8	7.3	3.3	3.5	5.9	6.4	5.8
2002	3.9	6.6	3.9	3.9	5.1	5.9	5.5
2003	3.3	7.0	3.7	3.0	4.9	5.5	6.2
2004	3.6	7.2	3.4	3.3	4.3	5.4	4.6
2005	4.4	7.4	4.1	4.0	5.0	4.9	4.5
2006	4.3	7.9	4.2	3.8	5.2	4.9	4.2
¹ Total unemployed as a percentage of all economically active persons in the relevant age group. ² Data not available Source: ONS labour Force Survey (LFS)

Volume 459: debated on Thursday 26 April 2007