Employment
Changing labour market structure
Employment statistics provide key information to understanding labour market activity. Whilst there is still a relatively high percentage of employment in the county, current trends in Hertfordshire indicate this is beginning to fall.
The ONS1 publishes the UK's official unemployment estimates, based on the International Labour Organisation's definition and are derived from the Annual Population Survey (APS). Statistics are also published on the monthly count of those claiming unemployment related benefits i.e. Jobseeker's Allowance with some analysis of the count available at a local level. There is a large degree of overlap between the Claimant Count and unemployment, although the latter is generally higher. The Claimant Count measure is discussed here as it allows detailed analysis at a Local Authority level.
In August 2007 the Claimant Count proportion for Hertfordshire was 1.4% (8,956), comprising 6,157 (69%) males and 2,799 (31%) females. Again this is lower than the working age population unemployment rate, calculated by the APS, which was 4.9% (26,000), for the year ending December 2006. This compares with 3.5% for the previous year.
Job Seekers Allowance Claimant Counts (JSA)
In the 15 years since this report was first published, the county's JSA Claimant Count figure has fallen from 40,451 to 8,956, a decrease of 78%. In 2001 figures fell below 7,000 but have remained stable at around 9,000 since then.
Claimant Count - Chart 1 - Total JSA Claimants in Hertfordshire 1992 - 2007 (by gender)
Source: NOMIS - Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) Claimant Count October 2007 ONS Crown Copyright Reserved
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During the year to August 2007 the number of JSA claimants in the county fell by 1,761, a 16% decrease on the previous year. The overall county rate of 1.4% continues to remain below the regional and England rate of 1.8% and 2.3% respectively.
District Claimant Count proportions rose overall during 2005-2006 but have since returned to the more stable levels seen during the first half of the decade. Although all districts experienced significant falls during the last year, Stevenage (2.1%) and Watford (1.8%) continue to have the highest Claimant Count proportions in the county. At the other end of the scale, East Herts and St Albans saw significant falls to their already low levels of Claimant Counts, continuing to maintain rates below 1%.
Claimant Count - Chart 2 - Proportion of working age population claiming JSA (by District)
Source: NOMIS - Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) Claimant Count October 2007 ONS Crown Copyright Reserved
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Indicator UN1 - Long term JSA Claimants (more than one year) by age and gender
The total number of JSA claimants who have been claiming for more than one year currently stands at 1,270, or 14.1% of all claimants. Trends show a fall in the proportion of 25-44 year olds but slight increases in the other age bands during the last two years, most noticeably in the 45-55 age group.
In August 2007 there were 945 males who were long term claimants compared to 230 females. This ratio, of around 3:1, has remained fairly constant during the last the last two years, despite a temporary rise of female claimants during 2006.
Chart 1 - Long term JSA Claimant Count (1 year +) in Hertfordshire 2005 - 2007 (by age)
NOMIS - Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) Claimant Count October 2007 ONS Crown Copyright Reserved
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Chart 2 - Long term JSA Claimant Count (1 year +) in Hertfordshire 2005 - 2007 (by gender)
Source: NOMIS - Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) Claimant Count October 2007 ONS Crown Copyright Reserved
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Indicator UN2 - Long term JSA Claimants (more than one year) by district
Most districts saw a rise in JSA numbers during 2006. This fell slightly during the 2007 and has yet to reach 2005 levels. St. Albans, Broxbourne and most noticeably North Hertfordshire, have seen a marked increase on the previous year's figures.
Long term JSA Claimant Count (1 year +) in Hertfordshire 2005 - 2007 (by district)
Source: NOMIS - Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) Claimant Count October 2007 ONS Crown Copyright Reserved
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Indicator UN3 - The proportion of people of working age in employment
The local authority level APS resident-based labour market survey is used to estimate the number of employed and self-employed by place of residence.
Proportion of people of working age in employment in Hertfordshire by district 2004 - 2006
Source: NOMIS Annual Population Survey October 2007 ONS Crown Copyright Reserved
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In the period between Jan '04-Dec '04 and Jan '06- Dec '06 there was a decline in half the districts, most noticeably in East Herts, which fell by over 9% and in Stevenage, falling by 7.3%. By contrast, Watford saw an increase of 8% during the period.
Indicator UN4 - Proportion of JSA Claimants who have been out of work for more than a year
In July 2007, 14.1% (1,260) of JSA claimants had been in receipt of benefits for more than 12 months. During the last year, this figure rose by nearly 2%.
Proportion of JSA Claimants who have been out of work for more than a year
| Total Long Term JSA Claimants | % of Claimants out of work over a year | |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 05 | 945 | 10.1 |
| Oct 05 | 1,005 | 10.9 |
| Jan 06 | 1,065 | 10.9 |
| Apr 06 | 1,165 | 11.1 |
| Jul 06 | 1,330 | 12.4 |
| Oct 06 | 1,440 | 13.9 |
| Jan 07 | 1,430 | 14.2 |
| Apr 07 | 1,360 | 14.5 |
| Jul 07 | 1,260 | 14.1 |
Source: NOMIS - Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) Claimant Count
October 2007. Crown Reserved. Website: www.nomisweb.co.uk
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Indicator UN5 - The percentage increase or decrease in local employment
The APS data shows that the Hertfordshire employed working age population for the year Jan '06- Dec '06 was 505,200. This is a fall of over 10,000, (2%) during 2004 and 2006. Working age employment was 78% for the 12 months ending December 2006. This remains higher than the national rate (74.3%) but the gap appears to be narrowing.
1 The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the UK government agency
responsible for collecting and publishing official statistics about the
UK's society and economy . Website: www.statistics.gov.uk
2 "How exactly is unemployment measured?" (September 2007)
www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/unemployment.pdf