11.2 Employment and unemployement

Question 1

what is the definition of unemployed?

Answer 1

consists of those of working age (UK- 16-64) who are willing and able to work, actively seeking work but who do not have a job.

Question 2

what are the two measurements of unemployment?

Answer 2

The Labour force survey and the claimant count

Question 3

how is the labour force survey conducted and what is the calculation to find the unemployment rate?

Answer 3

Office for national statistics surveys 100,000 people asking if employed, unemployed or economically inactive to get unemployment rate

unemployment rate= unemployed/economically active x100

Question 4

how is the claimant account measured

Answer 4

total number of people claiming unemployment measurements

Question 5

limitations of the labour force survey

Answer 5

sampling errors only (100,000 out of millions)

costs (expensive)

hidden unemployed e.g. discouraged workers left out

inactive groups e.g full time students/carers

the under employed counted as employed (UK counted as fully employed e.g. 1 hour a week)

disparities (doesn’t show youth/ gender or race unemployment)

Question 6

imitations of the claimant count

Answer 6

not all countries have benefits/ different benefits so hard to compare internationally

not everyone will claim

not everyone can claim

could be subject to fraud