unemployment measures

• Unemployed


  Those of a working age who are willing and able to work, actively seeking work, but don't have a job
• Criteria to be considered unemployed

  • Of working age (16-64 in UK)
  • Willing and able to work
  • Actively seeking work
  • Without a job
• LFS (Labour Force Survey) measure of unemployment


  A large survey conducted by the ONS (Office for National Statistics) to determine the number of employed, unemployed, and economically inactive people
• Claimant count measure of unemployment

  The total number of people claiming unemployment benefits, not the headline measure
• The claimant count measure is always lower than the LFS measure as not everyone who is unemployed will claim benefits
• The LFS measure has a margin of error of +/- 3%, due to the small sample size compared to the total working age population
• Discouraged workers


  Workers who have given up looking for work due to repeated rejections, not counted in unemployment statistics
• Discouraged workers, carers, early retirees, and those relying on spouse's income are "hidden unemployed" not counted in official statistics
• Underemployed


  People working part-time who want full-time work, or on zero-hour contracts, counted as fully employed in unemployment data
• The headline unemployment rate does not show disparities in unemployment by age, gender, race, or region