|
The
Claimant Count
The
unemployed are those registered as
able, available and willing to work at the going wage rate in any suitable
job who cannot find employment.
Unemployment
is a flow concept - i.e. there are inflows and outflows from the total.
Unemployment falls when more people leave the unemployment register (when
they find work) than sign on each month.
The annual average rate of unemployment for the UK since 1971 using
the claimant count figures are shown in the chart below.
The
Labour Force Survey
In
April 1998, the Government introduced a new monthly Labour
Force Survey using a different measure of unemployment. The new measure
is based on the International Labour Organisation (ILO) definition of
unemployment. It covers those who have looked for work in the past four weeks
and are able to start work in the next two weeks.
The
previous monthly count only included those who were unemployed and claiming
benefit. This excluded a number of people who are classed as unemployed under
the ILO definition.
The
most significant group who are now included in the monthly unemployment
statistics are women seeking work whose partners are on means tested benefit.
Seasonal
Adjustment
This
is an adjustment made to economic data that allows for changes due solely to
the period of time at which the data was collected, instead of examining the
underlying forces in which we may in fact be interested.
For
example, at Christmas, the unemployment figures may be artificially reduced
due to the number of people taking temporary employment in the retail sector.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment figures will exclude this rise in
temporary employment from their calculations.
 Further
Reading
Counting the unemployed (bbc 14.3.01)
Understanding
unemployment (bbc 14.5.98)
Unemployment
Unemployment And Inflation, a PowerPoint presentation
Unemployment And Inflation. A review
Unemployment And Inflation, key facts
Unemployment and Inflation Glossary
Causes of Unemployment and Policies to Reduce it
Unemployment and Inflation Questions
Unemployment and Inflation Multiple Questions
|
