contribution by Anjum Klair

New TUC analysis published ahead of the latest unemployment statistics shows that the UK has a ‘jobs gap’ – the number of people employed today minus employment levels on the eve of the recession in December 2007 – of 158,000.

Employment levels across the UK in April 2011 (the latest available figures) are down 0.5 per cent on December 2007 although there is considerable variation across the country. Employment is up 122,000 (+3.3 per cent) in London but down 70,000 (-2.8 per cent) in the West Midlands.

The number of people in work is higher than pre-recession levels in London, the East of England and the East Midlands, while the North East, West Midlands and the South West have the widest jobs gaps.

The analysis shows that there were 41,000 more women working in April 2011 than December 2007, and there are 199,000 fewer men in employment.

But in some regions women are still facing a jobs gap – the gap for women is worst in the North East where employment is down 5.1 per cent (28,000 jobs) on pre-recession levels – while female employment in London is up 4.3 per cent (70,000 jobs).

The largest jobs gap for men is in Yorkshire and Humber at 4.3 per cent (57,000 jobs) while London has again improved the most with 52,000 more jobs across the capital.

While the national jobs gap has closed by 50,000 since the start of the year, the number of women in work has not increased at all. Female employment has risen in just three regions in England in 2011 – East Midlands, East of England and London. This suggests that improvements in the female ‘jobs gap’ may not be sustained in the year ahead.

The UK ‘jobs gap’ would be almost twice as large were it not for the employment growth in London.

The surge in employment across the capital is not evenly spread however, with the number of dole claimants outnumbering job vacancies by over 20 to 1 in Haringey, Lewisham, Waltham Forest and Hackney.

And as the size of the working age population has increased since the start of the recession the jobs gap only tells part of the story – in all areas of the UK employment rates remain below their pre-recession levels.

More details on this TUC post

Reader comments

1. Liberal Conspiracy

   Research: UK has a 'jobs gap' of over 150k http://t.co/Sg1m8xA

2. Noxi

   RT @libcon: Research: UK has a 'jobs gap' of over 150k http://t.co/kZkzLt0

3. cllrdarrenfower

   Research: UK has a ‘jobs gap’ of over 150k – See: http://t.co/Q55HD3E