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Almost 20% of Households Across UK are Jobless

Author: Department for Work and Pensions
Published: 8 Sep 2010

Table of Contents:
Synopsis - Overview - Related Content

Synopsis

No one works in almost one out of five households across the UK.

Overview

Almost one in five households across the UK is workless - No one works in almost one out of five households across the UK, according to new figures published by the Office for National Statistics today.

The latest work and unemployment figures reveal that there are 3.9 million UK households where no adults work, an increase of 148,000 on last year, with 1.9 million children living in workless households.

The North East has the highest percentage of workless households with 24.3 percent of homes in the region; this is closely followed by Inner London and Wales at 22.9 percent. The South East has the lowest number of homes where no one works at 14.2 percent.

Minister for Employment Chris Grayling said:

"These figures are a further indictment of how the current system is failing families and is a shocking reflection of the scale of unemployment across the UK that this Government has inherited.

"Some areas of Britain are suffering from intergenerational unemployment, which is why we must act now to ensure that children living in workless households are not left behind like their parents have been.

"This is why we are pushing ahead with our Work Program, which will give people who are out of work and need a job the right support at the right time so that they can get into employment."

The Work Program will offer personalized support to people on a range of benefits, including Jobseeker's Allowance, Income Support, Incapacity Benefits and Employment and Support Allowance.

1. The Work and unemployment among Households 2010 figures are published by the Office for National Statistics.

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