Summary

The economically inactive are defined as people who are not unemployed and are not in employment. (Unemployed refers to people without a job who were available to start work in the two weeks following their interview and who had either looked for work in the four weeks prior to interview or were waiting to start a job they had already obtained.).

These individuals are not currently a part of the labour supply but are important as they may enter the labour supply in the future.

Estimates of economic inactivity are taken from the Annual Population Survey (APS) data produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) which is available down to the local authority level, (data is available for Parliamentary Constituencies).

To view the dashboard below in full screen, click on the double arrow in the bottom right corner of the dashboard.  Key messages in this dashboard are also below the dashboard.

Key Messages:

Current Figure: 23.8% (77,700 people aged 16 to 64) (January 2023 to December 2023) (NE: 24.2%; Eng: 21%)
  • The latest data (January 2023 to December 2023) shows that around one in four people aged 16 to 64 in the county were economically inactive in this period (23.8%/77,700 people).  (North East – 24.2%, England 21%),
  • People with an Equality Act (EA) core or work limiting disability were more than three times more likely to be economically inactive compared to those without a disability (48.6% and 14% respectively),
  • Historically economic inactivity rates in females have been higher than in males, although they have fallen over the 16 year data period available.  In County Durham 29.3% of females were economically inactive compared to 18.3% of the male population.  This is a fall from 36.2% in the period January 2004-December 2005 while rates in the male population have, until recently, remained relatively stable, (22.4% in January 2004-December 2005),
  • Of the main working age groups, young people are more likely to be economically inactive, 27.8% (aged 16 to 24), (North East: 35.6%; England: 40.1%),
  • Economic inactivity in the 25 to 49 age group is the lowest across the main age groups and is currently 14%, below the regional rate of 15% and above the national rate of 11.8%,
  • Over one third of the 50 to 64 age group were economically inactive, (35.2%), in County Durham, higher than the region (31.9%) and higher than nationally (26.3%),
  • In County Durham four out of five people economically inactive, (80.9%), did not want a job.  This is lower than the 84.9% high in April 2004-March 2005, and is similar to the share across the region (80.3%) and is lower than England (82.3%),
  • The current APS unemployment rate for County Durham was estimated at 2.2% (5,500 people aged 16 to 64) and is lower than the previous period, (3.5%), it is lower than the North East (3.9%), and England (3.8%) rate,
  • However, as this change is within the confidence intervals for the data, the change is not seem as significant,
  • The current estimate of workless (unemployed plus those economically inactive who want a job), using the APS measures detailed above gives a rate for County Durham of 8.1% (20,300 people aged 16 to 64), higher than the North East (10.2%) rate, both of which were higher than the England (8.5%) rate.

Links to Data:

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