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To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how often and when the definition of unemployment used for measuring unemployment has been changed since 1979. - Inc text of letter from Tim Holt of Office for National Statistics and ref to November 1995 edition of Labour Market Trends, in Library.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how often and when the definition of unemployment used for measuring unemployment has been changed since 1979. - Inc text of letter from Tim Holt of Office for National Statistics and ref to November 1995 edition of Labour Market Trends, in Library.
Asked by
Austin Mitchell
(Labour)
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt
(Labour)
Answering body
Treasury
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
20 July 1999
For answer on
26 July 1999
Answered on
26 July 1999
Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how often and when the definition of unemployment used for measuring
unemployment has been changed since 1979. [92556]
Ms Hewitt: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have
asked him to reply.
Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. Austin Mitchell, dated 26 July 1999:
As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question on the
definition of unemployment.
The ONS measure of unemployment, derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), is defined on a consistent and internationally
recognised basis set out by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and counts as unemployed people who are: a) without a paid
job; b) available to start work within the next two weeks and c) have either looked for work in the last four weeks or are waiting
to start a job already obtained. The LFS has used the ILO definition since 1984. Prior to this a slightly different definition was
used. This included people who were without a paid job who were looking for work in the reference week, or prevented from seeking
work by temporary sickness or holiday, or were waiting to start a job they had already obtained or were waiting for the results of a
job application. Full-time students who were seeking work but who were not available to start work in the next two weeks because
they had to complete their education were excluded. The definition was used from spring 1979 to spring 1983.
The Labour Force Survey measure of unemployment has been compiled and published on the same definition since 1984 (annually
1984-1991; quarterly 1992 to March 1998) and a monthly moving average of each three month period from April 1998.
The ONS also published the monthly numbers of people who are claiming unemployment related benefits, also known as the Claimant
Count. There have been nine changes affecting the coverage of the monthly claimant count since 1979 which have been significant
enough to warrant a recasting of the consistent seasonally adjusted series. Further details of these discontinuities are given in
the November 1995 edition of Labour Market Trends, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library.
Subjects
Statistics; Unemployment
Date
26 July 1999
Reference
92556; 336 c123-4W
House
House of Commons