The True Scale of the Regional Problem in the UK

This article argues that the scale of unemployment in the UK, and the differences between regions, are severely understated by claimant unemployment data. It explains how unemployment becomes 'hidden', in particular by a major diversion of older and less healthy workers from unemployment-related benefits, and how this process is especially marked in the traditional industrial parts of northern Britain. The true scale of regional differences in joblessness is also underlined by employment rates in different parts of the country.