Capital's 'hidden jobless' total climbs to one in four

ONE in four people of working age in Edinburgh does not have a job, a new study of Edinburgh's "hidden" jobless revealed today.

An analysis of official figures by the Evening News shows that 82,200 people between the ages of 18 and 64 in Edinburgh were "economically inactive" - out of work and not in full-time education - in the 2009/10 financial year, compared with 69,400 only one year earlier.

It means that almost 25 percent of Edinburgh's working age population is now out of work - which is higher than both the Scottish and UK average.

The figures are a much clearer indication of the impact of the recession on Edinburgh than the monthly unemployment figures that only show the number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance, which currently stands at only 10,555, or 3.1 per cent, of working age people.

Business leaders say that the rise can be attributed to the number of people leaving full-time education and being unable to secure a job, while lifestyle changes - like more people staying at home to bring up their children - have also influenced the figures.

Ron Hewitt, chief executive of Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, said: "Edinburgh has something in excess of 80,000 people in full-time education, which is an enormous proportion for a city of only 400,000. The largest sector hit by the rise in unemployment is young people, particularly those who come out of education and cannot find work.

"Throughout the recession, private companies have done their best to keep people but inevitably they have had to let people go, while some of these companies have gone to the wall."

There are now 24.6 per cent of people aged 16-64 in Edinburgh who are out of work, compared with 20.8 per cent a year ago. The 82,200 people who are out of work in Edinburgh includes people who cannot work and live off benefits. But it also includes 22,700 people who say they want to work but can't get a job.

And city council data shows that the number of people who say they are not seeking work because they want to stay at home with the family has almost doubled, to 4600.

Councillor Tom Buchanan, the city's economic development leader, said: "We are aware that, in many cases, people are making different lifestyle choices in response to changes in the labour market.

"That said, these new figures do seem peculiar and we will investigate them further."

Year Number % of total

2005/06 70,000 21.9

2006/07 65,800 20.4

2007/08 75,400 22.9

2008/09 69,400 20.8

2009/10 82,200 24.6