Unemployment

The unemployment figures provide an indicator of the number of people who are actively seeking or waiting to start work. These figures include estimates of the number of people aged 16 and above who are unemployed and the proportion of the economically active people aged 16 and above who are unemployed (the unemployment rate).

Key figures

In the 12-month period ending December 2024:

  • In Lancashire-12, an estimated 19,300 people were unemployed in Lancashire-12 - an unemployment rate of 3.2%.
  • In Lancashire-14, an estimated 25,400 people were unemployed - an unemployment rate of 3.5%.
  • The unemployment figures for both Lancashire-12 and Lancashire-14 were similar to both the North West (4%) and England (3.9%).
  • Compared to the 12-month period ending December 2023, the unemployment rate was similar for both Lancashire-12 (2.8%) and Lancashire-14 (2.9%).
  • The figures continue the overall longer-term trend of a reduction in unemployment since the 12-month period ending December 2012, which had the highest unemployment rate in the available data for both Lancashire-12 (7.8%) and Lancashire-14 (8.1%).
  • The unemployment rate was similar amongst males and females in both Lancashire-12 (3.3% compared to 3.1%) and Lancashire-14 (3.6% compared to 3.4%).

Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Population Survey, via the National On-line Manpower Information System (Nomisweb).

Definition of unemployment

The unemployment figures follow the International Labour Organisation definition of unemployment - a person is considered unemployed if they are not currently classed as being in work, they have been looking for work within the last four weeks and are available to start work in the next two weeks.

Data availability

Unemployment data covering 12-month periods and 3-month periods are published quarterly at different geographic levels. The Labour Force Survey (LFS) publishes quarterly unemployment data at the regional and national level only. The Annual Population Survey (APS) combines the previous four quarters of unemployment data from the LFS and publishes a 12-month dataset at the local-tier level and above. Please note that the 12-month figures therefore differ from the quarterly headline unemployment figures for the UK and regions that are reported each month in the media. The 12-month figures also lag the quarterly figures by two to five months.

Limitations

Despite the larger sample size of the 12-month figures, there are gaps in district-level data due to estimates and confidence intervals being either suppressed or unreliable due to small sub-sample sizes. Therefore, the annual figures for the combined authorities of Lancashire-12 and Lancashire-14 alongside regional and national figures are summarised here. District and unitary authority data provided where this is available, though note that these data have a higher level of uncertainty which itself cannot always be calculated.

Page updated May 2025

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