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Unemployment: Cornwall

Volume 467: debated on Tuesday 13 November 2007

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average rate of unemployment was for (a) men and (b) women in (i) the West Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, St. Ives constituency and (ii) Cornwall in each of the most recent 10 years for which figures are available. (164073)

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

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 13 November 2007:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on what the average rate of unemployment was for (a) men and (b) women in (i) the West Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, St. Ives constituency and (ii) Cornwall in each of the most recent 10 years for which figures are available. (164073)

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment for local areas from the annual Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.

Tables 1 and 2 provide estimates on the numbers unemployed and the unemployment rates for men and women in the St. Ives constituency and Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly county respectively. Estimates are provided from the local area LFS for the 12 month period ending in February, for 1998 to 2004 and from the APS for the 12 month period ending in March for 2005 to 2007.

Estimates for a subset of the population in a small geographical area are based on very small sample sizes, and are therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty.

ONS also compiles statistics for local areas of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA). Tables 3 and 4 provide annual average numbers of JSA claimants and these numbers as a percentage of the resident working-age population in St. Ives constituency and Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly county respectively, for 1997 to 2006.

Table 1: Unemployment by sex; St. Ives parliamentary constituency1

Thousand

Men

Women

Total

12 months ending

Level

2 Rate (%)

Level

2 Rate (%)

Level

2 Rate (%)

February 1998

1

6

1

6

3

6

February 1999

3

15

*

*

4

10

February 2000

2

7

2

9

3

8

February 2001

1

4

1

8

2

6

February 2002

1

5

1

6

2

6

February 2003

2

9

1

5

3

7

February 2004

2

8

1

6

3

7

March 2005

2

7

1

4

3

6

March 2006

1

4

*

*

2

3

March 2007

1

6

1

4

2

5

1 The Isles of Scilly are not included in the Annual Population Survey.

2. Unemployed as a percentage of the economically active population.

* Sample size too small to provide estimate.

Note:

Estimates are subject to sampling variability.

Changes in the estimates over time should be treated with particular caution.

Source:

Annual local area Labour Force Survey; Annual Population Survey.

Table 2: Unemployment by sex; Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly county 1

Thousand

Men

Women

Total

12 months ending

Level

2 Rate (%)

Level

2 Rate (%)

Level

2 Rate (%)

February 1998

6

5

8

8

13

6

February 1999

8

6

5

5

13

6

February 2000

8

7

6

6

14

6

February 2001

6

5

4

4

10

4

February 2002

7

6

7

6

14

6

February 2003

6

5

3

3

9

4

February 2004

6

4

5

5

11

5

March 2005

8

6

4

3

12

5

March 2006

6

4

2

2

8

3

March 2007

5

4

5

4

10

4

1 The Isles of Scilly are not included in the Annual Population Survey.

2 Unemployed as a percentage of the economically active population.

Note:

Estimates are subject to sampling variability.

Changes in the estimates over time should be treated with particular caution.

Source:

Annual local area Labour Force Survey; Annual Population Survey.

Table 3: Jobseeker’s allowance claimants by sex; St. Ives parliamentary constituency

Men

Women

Total

Year

Number

1 Proportion (%)

Level

1 Proportion (%)

Level

1 Proportion (%)

1997

2,439

8

951

4

3,390

6

1998

2,144

7

900

3

3,043

6

1999

1,863

6

785

3

2,648

5

2000

1,571

5

647

2

2,218

4

2001

1,274

4

547

2

1,821

3

2002

1,112

4

481

2

1,593

3

2003

979

3

416

2

1,395

3

2004

810

3

330

1

1,140

2

2005

741

3

315

1

1,055

2

2006

841

3

349

1

1,189

2

1 Number of claimants expressed as a percentage of the resident working-age population.

Source:

Jobcentre Plus administrative data

Table 4: Jobseeker’s allowance claimants by sex; Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly county

Men

Women

Total

Year

Level

1 Proportion (%)

Level

1 Proportion (%)

Level

1Proportion (%)

1997

10,873

7

3,849

3

14,723

5

1998

9,202

6

3,533

3

12,735

5

1999

8,433

6

3,339

2

11,772

4

2000

7,000

5

2,749

2

9,748

3

2001

5,660

4

2,210

2

7,870

3

2002

4,965

3

1,968

1

6,933

2

2003

4,517

3

1,808

1

6,324

2

2004

3,976

3

1,616

1

5,593

2

2005

3,845

2

1,549

1

5,394

2

2006

4,135

3

1,739

1

5,874

2

1 Number of claimants expressed as a percentage of the resident working-age population.

Source:

Jobcentre Plus administrative data