Unemployment Doesn't Look So Bad On a Graph

PasturesNew

Just found this and looking back comparing now to my working life, it doesn't look that bad really now does it

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7789784.stm

mr.broderick

PasturesNew wrote: »

Just found this and looking back comparing now to my working life, it doesn't look that bad really now does it

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7789784.stm

Do you think you will ever work again?

fc123

Doesn't look like you'll be moving to Birmingham then. Why's it so high there?

Perhaps the graph is just the beginning and may look like the other one in a year or 2.

PasturesNew

mr.broderick wrote: »

Do you think you will ever work again?

Of course I will. Probably very soon.
But the rates here for "any job" are silly low, so if it gets to that point I'll move 50 miles to the right where the rates are currently 30% more.

StevieJ

Interesting to see a graph of invalidity benefit claiments for the same period.

StevieJ

Like to see the purple bit taken back 10 - 20 years.

themanbearpig

Not sure I believe NuLabour statistics. They seem to fiddle with everything to make things appear like everything is always getting better.

Generali

StevieJ wrote: »

Interesting to see a graph of invalidity benefit claiments for the same period.

It is hard to follow the change in numbers as the data series used keep changing. I believe that the number of claimants has doubled since 1997 however to 2,800,000 (Edit: clearly the 1997 bit is wrong from the graph shown, The Economist wrote about this a while back, I'll try to find the piece)

AHAR

PasturesNew wrote: »

Just found this and looking back comparing now to my working life, it doesn't look that bad really now does it

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7789784.stm

Not yet it doesn't.

PasturesNew

I don't show on the statistics, but I am looking for work.

I have a few bob coming in from here and there (thank goodness it has gone up again this month, Dec was dire!), but I am still a jobseeker.... off the stats. Not signing on, no benefits... I'm classed as self-employed.

I do bits/bobs between jobs, so I always have a self-employed streak running, with an annual tax return. There are a lot of people like me I bet.

angelavdavis

Oh don't you just love the graphics?!

I do get a bit fed up with the averaged out South East England label and statistics that my town, Hastings is included in, you will probably notice a dark blue edge down on the south coast - that's where I live.

Since moving down here seven years ago, more and more employers have moved out - either offshore or to Wales. Recession? Perhaps it hit us first or perhaps this area didn't came out of the last one!!!! Certainly nothing was helped when central Government cut the local funding as we had been grouped with the more affluent areas of Sussex.

You can travel to London in the rush hour on the pretty unreliable train service which costs £50.80 for a travelcard. Of course, that is provided you have managed to obtain any qualifications from one of our local state schools - which are three of the worst performing in the UK.

The only large employers here are retail or public sector. A good and rare salary in Hastings is £14k, most people (who are working) are on minimum wage. The whole system is hoiked up by tax credits. Many kids are approaching 20 yet have never worked since leaving school. The staff in the local Job Centre barely look at your job searching activities - they know there is b****r all work down here!

These figures are nothing new to us.

It just makes me laugh when suddenly this is news!

Sorry for the rant, but had to get this off my chest! Rant over!