Unemployment Briefing Number 1: Issued September 2013

Transcription

1 Unemployment Briefing Number 1: Issued September 2013 Introduction & Background Welcome to the initial refreshed edition of Wolverhampton s Unemployment Briefing, last published in This month s briefing provides details of unemployment statistics for Wolverhampton for August National & Regional Statistics Figure 1 - Jobseeker s Allowance (JSA) claimant rates Claimants Area Aug 13-1 Year -1 Month Wolverhampton 11, % 12, % 12, % Black Country 42, % 46, % 43, % West Midlands (WM) 147, , , % England 1,125, % 4.6% 1,279, % 4.2% 1,151, % The number of Jobseeker s allowance (JSA) claimants is divided by the working-age population, those aged between 16 and 64, to calculate the unemployment rates: the 2012 Mid-Year Population Estimates for Wolverhampton estimated a working-age population of 159,549. The workingage population comprises 63.5% of the total population of 250,970. Figure 1 shows that the Wolverhampton unemployment rate is significantly higher than the rate for the wider West Midlands region. It is also higher than the local Black Country average (Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton), and more than double the national unemployment rate. As of August 2013, Wolverhampton had the 3 rd highest JSA claimant rate, at 7.4%, of all 326 English local authorities. The two authorities with higher rates are Kingston-upon-Hull and Middlesbrough. All of top 10 local authorities for JSA claimants had fewer claimants in August compared to the previous month.

2 Figure 2 Year-on-year comparison: August Aug 08 Aug 09 Aug 10 Aug 11 Aug 12 Aug 13 Wolverhampton Black Country West Midlands England Figure 2 shows that during August, the claimant rate has been fairly stable since The trend we have seen over the past few years has tended to see the level of JSA claimants levels off during August before falling towards Christmas, due to the increased recruitment for the festivities. Figure 3 Monthly comparison of JSA claimant rate % of Working age population Jan 07 Jan 08 Apr 08 Jul 08 Oct 08 Jan 09 Apr 09 Jul 09 Oct 09 Jan 10 Apr 10 Jul 10 Oct 10 Jan 11 Apr 11 Jul 11 Oct 11 Jan 12 Apr 12 Jul 12 Oct 12 Jan 13 Apr 13 Jul 13 Wolverhampton Black Country West Midlands England Figure 3 shows JSA claimant rates from January 2007 to present. This month has seen a fall in the claimant rate, and continues the steady fall during 2013.

3 Figure 4 Age and duration analysis Numbers of JSA Claimants Age breakdown Aged Aged Aged Over 12 months 6 to 12 months under 6 months Over 12 months 6 to 12 months under 6 months Over 12 months 6 to 12 months under 6 months August 2013 August 2012 August 2011 August 2010 August ,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500 4,000 Figure 4 shows the different age bands of claimants in the City, together with how long they have been claiming the benefit. Whilst youth unemployment has remained steady during the time period, it is noticeable that there has been a sharp increase in the number of claimants aged who have been out of work for 12 months or more. Figure 5 Gender and duration analysis 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 August 2009 August 2010 August 2011 August 2012 August Male Female Male Female Male Female Up to 6 months Over 6 months and up to a year Over 1 year

4 Figure 5 shows how the length of unemployment has changed. Male and female long-term unemployment (a spell of unemployment of one year or greater) has risen sharply since the start of the recession. Figure 6 JSA claims broken down by gender of claimant Wolverhampton Black Country West Midlands England Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female August ,644 2,126 20,115 7,749 78,942 29, , ,855 August ,552 3,163 34,770 12, ,682 47, , ,030 August ,692 3,211 29,723 12, ,219 45, , ,572 August ,985 3,996 30,831 15, ,446 55, , ,453 August ,934 4,417 30,502 16, ,988 56, , ,975 July ,670 4,330 27,790 15,881 96,430 53, , ,984 August ,452 4,318 26,951 15,785 93,759 53, , ,331 Figure 6 shows that, compared both to the previous month (July 2013), and the same month one year prior (August 2012), total JSA claims in the city have declined for both males and females. Unemployment has fallen faster for males than for females, paralleling regional and national trends. Figure 7 Youth Unemployment 3,800 3,600 3,400 3,200 3,000 2,800 2,600 2,400 2,200 2,000 Youth Unemployment (JSA) (aged 18 24) Total number Youth unemployment is a major issue for Wolverhampton and the England as a whole. Looking at the category to remove the distorting effect of low number of year old claimants, Figure 7 shows how youth unemployment has risen over time, with a marked downward trend since February As of August 2013, Wolverhampton had the 3 rd highest youth unemployment claimant rate, at 12.9%, of all 326 English local authorities. The two authorities with higher rates are Hartlepool and South Tyneside.

5 Wolverhampton Ward Statistics Figure 8 Claimant rates by ward August 2013 July 2013 August 2012 No. % No. % % change No. % % change Wolverhampton 11, , , Bilston East Bilston North Blakenhall Bushbury North Bushbury South and Low Hill -0.4 East Park Ettingshall Fallings Park Graiseley Heath Town Merry Hill Oxley Park Penn St Peter's 1, , , Spring Vale Tettenhall Regis Tettenhall Wightwick -0.3 Wednesfield North Wednesfield South The highest JSA claimant rates are in St Peter s (12.1%), Ettingshall (10.4%), and Bushbury South & Low Hill (10.1%). The lowest JSA claimant rates are in Tettenhall Wightwick (2.9%), Penn (3.1%), and Tettenhall Regis (3.5%). Comparing August 2013 to the previous month, the biggest decrease was in Graiseley (0.5 percentage point decrease), and the biggest increase was in Penn (0.2 percentage point increase). PLEASE NOTE: Percentages in this report are calculated upon 2012 Mid- Year Population Estimates (City, Black Country + England), and upon 2011 Mid-Year Population Estimates (Ward). The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has not yet released 2012 Mid-Year Population Estimates beneath Local Authority level. Hence, percentage figures may differ from those reported here in the future: we will highlight this when changes are made.

6 Maps of unemployment in Wolverhampton To see the maps of Wolverhampton and the wider Black Country s historical and current JSA claimant count, please go to the following links: Working-Age JSA (Numbers) Working-Age JSA (%) Youth Unemployment (Number and %) Differences between the claimant count and other definitions of unemployment As well as the JSA claimant count reported in this briefing, there is a wider definition of unemployment in use, known as the International Labour Organisation (ILO) definition of unemployment. The ILO definition of unemployment is used for international comparisons of unemployment levels, and under that definition, anyone who has been out of work for the last 28 days and is still actively seeking work is classed as unemployed. The JSA claimant count measures the number of people who receive Jobseeker s Allowance payment; by contrast, the ILO definition is not determined by an individual s eligibility to claim a form of unemployment benefit. The ILO measure considers whether someone is actively seeking work to be crucial, rather than receipt of benefit, so the unemployment numbers and rates via the ILO tend to be higher than for the claimant count. There is a key methodological difference between the two sources: unlike the claimant count, taken from computerised administrative records, the ILO definition is estimated from the national Labour Force Survey. These ILO estimates are updated frequently for England and the UK, and provide the basis for the headline unemployment rates sometimes quoted in the media as representing unemployment. The ILO measure of unemployment is not covered in this report it is only reported quarterly via the Labour Force Survey, several months in arrears. Estimates of ILO unemployment fluctuate at local authority level due to small sample size, and the ILO unemployment definition is not available for wards or Lower Super Output Area (LSOA), but analysis of ILO unemployment can be undertaken upon request.

7 Future special features Future releases will include features on other relevant data released that month. A list of key future datasets for analysis in this briefing is shown below. Dataset Source Coverage Release Out-of-work benefits DWP Benefits May 2013 November 2013 Earnings Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2013 December 2013 Business stock Business Demography 2013 December 2013 Skills of residents (National Vocational Qualifications) Employment rate and workforce jobs Annual Population Survey Jan Dec 2013 April 2014 Annual Population Survey Jan Dec 2013 April 2014 Contact us For further information of queries regarding this briefing, please contact: Paul Tabor Data Officer (Intelligence and Projects) Economic Partnerships and Investments Education and Enterprise Second Floor, Civic Centre St Peter s Square Wolverhampton WV1 1RL Tel: (01902) paul.tabor@wolverhampton,gov,uk Adrian Barlow Policy Officer Policy Team Office of the Chief Executive Second Floor, Civic Centre St Peter s Square Wolverhampton WV1 1SH Tel: (01902) adrian.barlow@wolverhampton,gov,uk