Workless households

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Working age people living in workless households, 1997 and 2007

Source: ONS

Children living in workless households, 1997 and 2007

Source: ONS

In Spring 2007, nationally, 11.8 per cent of working age people were in workless households (down from 12.8 per cent in 1997) and 16.2 per cent of children lived in such households (down from 18.7 per cent).
London had the highest regional proportion of children living in workless households (24.6 per cent), and the highest proportion for working-age people in workless households (15.5 per cent).
The South East had the lowest proportion of working-age people in workless households (at 8.5 per cent), closely followed by the East of England and South West.
The South East had the lowest proportion of children in workless households (10.3 per cent).
Since 1997, all regions except the West Midlands have seen a reduction in the proportions of children living in workless households with the greatest reduction being in the North West (6 percentage points). West Midlands saw an increase of 0.8 percentage points.
The percentage of working age people in workless households decreased the most in the North East and in Yorkshire and the Humber (2.3 percentage points). All other regions have seen decreases of smaller proportions except London with a small increase (0.2 percentage points).

Updated: 31 January 2008