Only five EU countries had greater rates
Michelle Stevens
Publication date: 15 March 2010
Source: PM Online
The UK has one of the highest rates of ‘hidden joblessness’ in Europe, according to new research revealed today.
CIPD analysis of official Eurostat data found that the UK accounts for one in seven of the continent’s entire hidden jobless population. This is defined as people of working age who are not active in the jobs market but willing to work.
According to Eurostat only five EU countries – Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Austria and Poland – registered higher rates of this type of economic inactivity than the UK, which reported a rate of 5.9 per cent in the third quarter of 2009.
The UK’s overall unemployment rate of 8 per cent ranked precisely mid-table among the 27 EU member states, and below the EU average of 8.9 per cent. Latvia and Spain recorded the highest levels of unemployment last year, with rates of 18.4 per cent and 17.9 per cent respectively. The Netherlands had the lowest unemployment level in the third quarter of last year, at 3.5 per cent.
But while only eight countries had lower female unemployment rates than the UK (at 6.7 per cent), Britain’s performance was particularly poor in relation to male unemployment. Only eight member states exceeded the UK’s male jobless rate of 9.1 per cent.
The UK’s record of tackling employment was one of the most favourable, however and the country’s rate of 2 per cent was the ninth lowest in Europe.
Commenting on the findings, John Philpott, the CIPD’s chief economic adviser, said: “The UK may draw comfort from having lower measured unemployment than the EU average but in truth we are no better than a mid-table performer in the EU jobless league.
“Taking ‘hidden joblessness’ into account makes the UK’s relative performance look less impressive still, and once again highlights the scale of the macroeconomic and employment policy challenge that awaits us in the next few years.”
