Skip to main content

Unemployment: Young People

Volume 459: debated on Thursday 26 April 2007

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many 18 to 24-year-olds were (a) employed and (b) unemployed in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available, broken down by region; and if he will make a statement. (133459)

[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 how many 18 to 24 year olds have been (a) employed and (b) unemployed, in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available, broken down into regions. (133459)

Table 1 gives the numbers of people aged 18 to 24 in employment, broken down by region of residence.

Table 2 gives numbers of unemployed people aged 18 to 24 in the United Kingdom. Comparable estimates for each region are not available.

The tables provided are 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: People aged 18 to 24 in employment by region of residence United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted

Thousand

Three months ending December each year

United Kingdom

North East

North West

Yorkshire and Humberside

East Midlands

West Midlands

1997

3,211

131

358

268

240

279

1998

3,185

1999

3,269

132

360

286

222

292

2000

3,243

2001

3,346

139

370

284

246

302

2002

3,406

138

406

291

237

316

2003

3,467

148

414

305

259

306

2004

3,520

161

430

311

262

316

2005

3,505

162

437

312

244

308

2006

3,610

171

425

331

262

308

Thousand

East

London

South East

South West

Wales

Scotland

Northern Ireland

1997

294

405

427

255

142

301

106

1998

1999

292

441

454

264

147

277

100

2000

2001

302

443

457

269

144

292

99

2002

297

412

470

270

160

308

100

2003

321

397

456

291

169

301

103

2004

320

377

470

279

174

318

102

2005

311

390

449

273

173

330

112

2006

317

431

477

281

182

318

108

‘—’Data not available

Source:

ONS labour Force Survey (LFS)

Table 2: Unemployed people aged 18 to 24—United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted

Three months ending December each year

Thousand

1997

419

1998

421

1999

374

2000

369

2001

391

2002

373

2003

364

2004

410

2005

459

2006

488

Source:

ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS)