London statistics on worklessness

Road_Hog

drc wrote: »

I always find it incredible that London has such a high rate of unemployment amongst the working age population. For such an expensive city, how is this possible?

Because most immigrants head to London and most immigrants come from much poorer parts of the EU (and the third world). It pays to be on benefits, especially as if the wife stays at home, you can claim child benefit at UK rate and send it directly home where it is worth a lot more.

Pre-mass immigration from NuLabour, there went many people unemployed in London. As employers had to pay the going rate (i.e. a living wage where people could afford to pay their own rent/mortgage etc.) but now that has changed. A lot of black market work, plus as been mentioned, many, many people having to claim housing benefit to survive. Wages are stagnating or worse, wage deflation but rents are going up.

drc

ruggedtoast wrote: »

There are areas of London like Harlesden and Tower Hamlets where the unemployment rate is 70% or higher. More "Londoners" arrive every month into these areas and add to the deficit.

In East London a lot of the unemployed are women who are trapped due to illiteracy and inability to speak English. Many of them want to study and work but can't as their families won't let them. This problem is only going to get worse as the council becomes less democractic.

A lot of Londoners are trapped in the benefits trap as well, where they would be worse off working. London is just failing as a city at the moment, it doesn't really accommodate anyone satisfactorily. The people who want to live in a ghetto resent the amount they are forced to integrate, those who want to integrate can't escape the ghettos. The poor can't afford to work, the middle classes all want to leave.

What a mess.

That's what's putting us off buying a place in London. Apart from the fact that all we would be able to afford would be a small ex-council flat and paying over quarter of a million for the privilege to live in one of the more salubrious parts of north London, I think that in the long-term or even the next 5-10 years, London is going to get progressively more unpleasant to live in (even in the expensive parts) and the cost to live here will outweigh the benefits. I love London so much and have a lot of reasons to stay here, but it is not what it used to be and is getting progressively more and more difficult to live here. I think, as you say, the future of London will be for the very rich (billionaires and multi-millionaires) and those on benefits, both packed into ghettos of rich or "poor", but few middle income earners. Well, at least my hubby has Brazilian nationality, seeing as it is on the up and up, might try our chances there . What a shame.