Press Releases > Comment on the latest labour market statistics
Comment on the labour market statistics
Wednesday, 20 January 2010
Christine George
For immediate release: Wednesday 20 January 2010
Overall impression of stability in unemployment figures is misleading, warns The Work Foundation
Commenting on today’s labour market statistics,
Ian Brinkley, associate director at The Work Foundation, said:
“The labour market is steady but remains a harsh place for the young and those looking for full-time work. Unemployment is virtually unchanged, however an expansion in part-time work disguises a fall in full-time positions.
“The ILO measure of unemployment includes all those who looked for work in the past four weeks and are able to start a job in two weeks’ time and stands at just under 2.5 million in the three months to November - virtually unchanged compared with the previous three months. The total numbers in work measured by the same survey are also virtually the same over the same periods.
“The overall stability is deceptive in terms of the hours of work on offer. The number of people in full-time work is still going down, offset by more part-time jobs. The competition for such jobs is intense. There are now one million people working part-time who really want full-time work – up nearly 40 per cent compared with the same three months a year ago.
“While employment is increasing for the over 25s, it continues to fall for those under 25. Yet unemployment for the under 25s has also fallen because fewer young people are actively looking for work.
“There was big jump in the number of people of working age who said they wanted a job but were not actively seeking one comparing the three months to November with the previous three months. This increase was driven by students who are either approaching the end of their studies and finding it impossible to get job offers from prospective employers or by those who are no longer able to find part-time work that allows them to combine work and studies.”
Ends
Notes to editors:
1. Ian Brinkley is available for briefings and researcher
Charles Levy is available for interviews.
2. The Work Foundation is the leading independent authority on work and its future. It aims to improve the quality of working life and the effectiveness of organisations by equipping leaders, policymakers and opinion-formers with evidence, advice, new thinking and networks. www.theworkfoundation.com
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