Unemployment statistics...

[wannabedamned]

I heard on the radio last night that the trade union body had produced a new survey into the amount of people unemployed. And that it doubles to over 6million when you factor in the people who are Employed Part-time.


....My question is why would you include people who are employed part time in an un-employment statistic?

 

[Ascendancy]

Some part time workers still receive benefits.

 

[RomanNose]

They may work 2 hours a week, such as a cleaner?

 

[shoes]

Some part time workers still receive benefits.

Surely that would only be useful in calculating the figures of those who claim benefits (of a certain kind, too) as opposed to calculating unemployed.

Sounds like either an anti-government, anti-capitalist, anti-tory, or just ******* anarchist report skewed to high heaven to try and enforce their BS point of view if you ask me.

 

[Jokester]

It's no different to succesive governments massaging the figures down the way.

 

[Brookert]

I imagine they did it to skew the data to make the gov look worse.

 

[arknor]

I heard on the radio last night that the trade union body had produced a new survey into the amount of people unemployed. And that it doubles to over 6million when you factor in the people who are Employed Part-time.


....My question is why would you include people who are employed part time in an un-employment statistic?

you can claim job seekers allowance while working partime (the full job seekers allowance amount)
while working for less than 16 hours a week, on average, and earn up to £97.50


i dont see how its skewing the statistics to include them

 

[Jonny69]

It's no different to succesive governments massaging the figures down the way.

This. It's just to be sensationalist.

 

[Hades]

Shock as left wing body tries to make right wing government look bad.

 

[Cosimo]

"Lies, damned lies, and statistics" ........... Shock horror as trade union massages figures in favour of its arguments.

 

[arknor]

how is it massaging? if they are on unemployment benefits they are statisticly unemployed surely?

 

[semi-pro waster]

how is it massaging? if they are on unemployment benefits they are statisticly unemployed surely?

I'd have thought it was more accurate to say they're in a slightly nebulous state - they're not in full employment (presuming they want to be) but conversely they're not completely unemployed because they are still working.

So there's approximately 3m people who are working part time - is that the complete total of everyone who is working less than full time or is that a selected grouping? Of those people how many would be willing and able to work full time if they had the opportunity (e.g. they may have a medical condition that prevents them working a 35+ hour week)? I think more information is needed to make a useful comment on it i.e. what are the parameters that determine whether someone is partially employed but counts as unemployed?

 

[shoes]

True, but statistics are BS a lot of the time.

 

[mattyfez]

I'm supprised they didn't go further and include people claiming any kind of benefit, such as child tax benefit, and simply swap out the words 'unemployed people' to 'people on benefits'.

 

[spain]

how is it massaging? if they are on unemployment benefits they are statisticly unemployed surely?

This. You have the same obligations, job search, signing on, and so on. You are technically unemployed as defined by the state not the trade union.

 

[shoes]

Jesus wept, can we just not outlaw trade unions already?!

 

[arknor]

So there's approximately 3m people who are working part time - is that the complete total of everyone who is working less than full time or is that a selected grouping?

i'd imagine its the ones

working for less than 16 hours a week, on average, and earn up to £97.50

which still entitles you to claim job seekers allowance

i doubt theres only 3 million people in the country working part time

 

[nshire]

You probably got quite a few people who are part time who want to work full time.

Part timers are probably the forgotten lot.

 

["andy"]

These statistics including part time show a better picture of the state we are in . The government tell people there's however million unemployed but don't tell you about the millions that earn barely enough to live on. Or the agency workers who do A week of work then don't get any for ages because "it's quiet"

My brothers contract at a tesco is now down to 14 hours a week. My cousin is on an agency contract that only guarantees 4 hours a week. Both struggle to live . They can't get benefits to help unless they knock a kid or two out . Theres millions like that

 

[Jonny69]

I think what we can conclude is nobody here knows what basis these statistics are from. The 'statistics' are essentially meaningless without an explanation of the data.