Men Not at Work?
Figures released this week predict that 1 in 10 men in the UK will be unemployed by 2010.
Figures released this week by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) have highlighted the impact the recession has had on men and warned that with a ‘jobs light’ recovery from the recession on the cards, the proportion of men in work is due to fall to a record low in 2010.
The current unemployment rate for males in the UK currently stands at 9 per cent (compared to 6.9% for women) and the number of men unemployed has increased by almost 50 per cent during the recession. The number of women unemployed during the recession stands at a comparatively low 33.4 per cent. Unemployment rates among men have also risen 3.0 points during the recession, unemployment amongst women has risen 1.6 points.
The deterioration in the labour market position of men has hit young men and black men hardest. One in five men aged 18-25 are currently unemployed and almost 1 in 5 black men are without work, which is more than double the unemployment rate for white British men. The climb in unemployment for black men during the recession has been greater than for white British men and men from other ethnic minority groups.
By the summer of 2009 the employment rate of men in working age had fallen to 75.8%, only 2 years post World War 2 (1993 and 1994) have experienced a lower proportion of men in work. The low point was 75.0 per cent in the second quarter of 1993 as Britain came out of its last recession.
What’s more, there seems to be worse to follow for Britain’s men – the male unemployment figure is expected to rise above 10% by the start of 2010 before peaking at around 11% (1.9 million) later that year. Although unacceptably high, the peak in male unemployment should be less than that experienced in the 1980s and 1990s recessions where rates reached 12.4 and 12.8 per cent respectively.
Although men are feeling the pinch hardest, it should also be noted that women have also suffered a significant number of job loses in recent times and could be further affected by the cuts in public sector expenditure which are forecast over the next few years.
