Blog
Unit 2 Macro: Living below the Breadline
20th January 2012
This article on the appalling depth of workless households in Liverpool is a reminder of the multiple aspects of relative poverty and economic/social exclusion.
The causes of unemployment are complex - many are structural - but it is hard to draw much if any optimism from reading this article. By some estimates over one third of households in Liverpool have no one in work and second and third generation unemployment is not uncommon. This is a must article for students to read if they want a better awareness of the human cost of non-employment. Read: Below the breadline on Liverpool’s workless estates
The article builds on new research from the GMB trade union. It finds that there are 3.9 million workless households across the UK, where at least one person of working age lives - 18.9% of the total. The highest regional percentage was 24%, in the North East, followed by 22.5% in Wales, 22.4% in Northern Ireland and 21% in the North West, with the lowest at 14.55% in the South East. Liverpool had the worst figure, with 31.9% workless households, followed by Nottingham (31.5%), Glasgow (30.8%) and Middlesbrough (30.7%).
More here from an article in the Telegraph: Why has the proportion of families where no one has ever worked doubled?
Geoff Riley
Geoff Riley FRSA has been teaching Economics for over thirty years. He has over twenty years experience as Head of Economics at leading schools. He writes extensively and is a contributor and presenter on CPD conferences in the UK and overseas.