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Hidden Unemployment Among Men: A Case Study

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  • Christina Beatty
  • Stephen Fothergill

Abstract

The debate about the extent of hidden unemployment is central to understanding the contemporary UK labour market. This paper provides a detailed case study of one area - Barrow-in-Furness - where major industrial job losses have co-existed with falling claimant unemployment among men. Using aggregate statistics and new survey evidence, it argues that these trends mask extensive hidden unemployment, especially among men on sickness-related benefits. Comparisons are also made with areas covered by similar surveys. The paper concludes that the claimant and International Labour Organization measures of unemployment both appear deeply flawed in the UK context because of the diversion from unemployment to sickness benefits. Le debat sur l'importance du chomage cache est essentiel a la comprehension du marche du travail contemporain au Royaume-Uni. Cet article cherche a fournir une etude de cas detaillee d'une zone - Barrow-in-Furness - ou d'importantes suppressions d'emplois ont coexiste avec une baisse du nombre d'allocataires masculins. A partir des chiffres globaux et des preuves provenant d'une enquete recente, on affirme que ces tendances deguisent un niveau du chomage cache statistiquement important, surtout parmi les hommes qui touchent des allocations pour cause de maladie. On la compare aux zones oudes enquetes similaires ont ete conduites. L'article conclut que, dans le cadre du Royaume-Uni, la mesure du chomage, en termes du nombre des allocataires ou selon la definition BIT, semble defectueuse a cause du transfert de fonds des allocations chomage aux allocations maladie. Die Debatte u¨ber das Ausmass verborgener Erwerbslosigkeit ist wesentlich fu¨r ein Versta¨ndnis des gegenwa¨rtigen Arbeitsmarktes im Vereinigten Ko¨nigreich. Dieser Aufsatz liefert eine ins einzelne gehende Fallstudie eines Gebietes - Barrow-in-Furness -, wo bedeutende Stellenverluste in der Industrie mit einer Abnahme der Antra¨ge auf Arbeitslosenunterstu¨tzung einhergehen. Gestu¨tzt auf aggregierte Statistiken und Beweismaterial neuer Untersuchungen, vertritt er den Standpunkt, dass diese Tendenzen weit verbreitete, verborgene Erwerbslosigkeit verdecken, besonders bei Ma¨nnern, die Unterstu¨tzung in Form von Krankengeld beziehen. Es wurden auch Vergleiche mit Gebieten angestellt, fu¨r die a¨hnliche Gutachten erstellt wurden. Der Aufsatz zieht den Schluss, dass die Inanspruchnahme und ILO Erwerbslosigkeitsmassnahmen im UK wegen der Verschiebung von Erwerbslosen - zu Krankengeldzahlungen schwerwiegende Fehler aufweisen.

Suggested Citation

  • Christina Beatty & Stephen Fothergill, 2002. "Hidden Unemployment Among Men: A Case Study," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(8), pages 811-823.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:regstd:v:36:y:2002:i:8:p:811-823
    DOI: 10.1080/0034340022000012261
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. David Armstrong, 1999. "Hidden Male Unemployment in Northern Ireland," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(6), pages 499-511.
    2. Ivan Turok & David Webster, 1998. "The New Deal," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 12(4), pages 309-328, February.
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    6. Christina Beatty & Stephen Fothergill & Rob Macmillan, 2000. "A Theory of Employment, Unemployment and Sickness," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(7), pages 617-630, October.
    7. repec:nsr:niesrd:25 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. John Sutherland, 1999. "Further reflections on hidden unemployment: An examination of the off-flows from the claimant count in the North West of England," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(5), pages 465-476.
    9. Christina Beatty & Stephen Fothergill, 1996. "Labour Market Adjustment in Areas of Chronic Industrial Decline: The Case of the UK Coalfields," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(7), pages 627-640.
    10. Stephen Fothergill, 2001. "The True Scale of the Regional Problem in the UK," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(3), pages 241-246.
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    1. Wouter Vermeulen, 2006. "Regional disparities in a small country? An analysis of regional unemployment and participation differentials in the Netherlands from 1975 to 2003," CPB Document 113.rdf, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    2. Whelan, Adele & Bergin, Adele & Devlin, Anne & Garcia Rodriguez, Abian & McGuinness, Seamus & Privalko, Ivan & Russell, Helen, 2021. "Measuring childhood disability and AIM programme provision in Ireland," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number RS127.
    3. Colin Lindsay & Donald Houston, 2011. "Fit for Purpose? Welfare Reform and Challenges for Health and Labour Market Policy in the UK," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 43(3), pages 703-721, March.
    4. Vanessa Beck & Martin Quinn, 2011. "The Importance of Health in Promoting Employability in the East Midlands," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 16(1), pages 9-20, February.
    5. Katharine Weston, 2012. "Debating conditionality for disability benefits recipients and welfare reform: Research evidence from Pathways to Work," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 27(5-6), pages 514-528, August.
    6. Melanie Jones, 2004. "The Dynamic Benchmarking of Labour Markets," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(5), pages 493-504.
    7. Wouter Vermeulen, 2006. "Regional disparities in a small country? An analysis of regional unemployment and participation differentials in the Netherlands from 1975 to 2003," CPB Document 113, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    8. Maria Plotnikova, 2020. "Explaining Spatial Patterns Of Incapacity Benefit Claimant Rolls," Romanian Journal of Regional Science, Romanian Regional Science Association, vol. 14(2), pages 35-48, DECEMBER.
    9. Mikael Holmqvist, 2009. "Medicalization of unemployment: individualizing social issues as personal problems in the Swedish welfare state," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 23(3), pages 405-421, September.
    10. Wouter Vermeulen, 2005. "Regional disparities in a small country? An assessment of the regional dimension to the Dutch labour market on the basis of regional unemployment and participation differentials," ERSA conference papers ersa05p207, European Regional Science Association.
    11. John Komlos, 2019. "The Real U.S. Unemployment Rate Is Twice the Official Rate, and the Phillips Curve," CESifo Working Paper Series 7859, CESifo.
    12. O'Leary, Nigel C. & Murphy, Philip D. & Latreille, Paul L. & Blackaby, David H. & Sloane, Peter J., 2005. "Accounting for Differences in Labour Market Outcomes in Great Britain: A Regional Analysis Using the Labour Force Survey," IZA Discussion Papers 1501, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    13. Duncan McVicar, 2008. "Why Have Uk Disability Benefit Rolls Grown So Much?," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(1), pages 114-139, February.
    14. John Komlos, 2019. "Estimating Labor Market Slack, U.S. 1994-2019," CESifo Working Paper Series 7941, CESifo.
    15. Christina Beatty & Steve Fothergill, 2023. "The persistence of hidden unemployment among incapacity claimants in large parts of Britain," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 38(1), pages 42-60, February.
    16. Stephen Hincks, 2017. "Deprived neighbourhoods in transition: Divergent pathways of change in the Greater Manchester city-region," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 54(4), pages 1038-1061, March.
    17. Maria Plotnikova, 2020. "Explaining Spatial Patterns Of Incapacity Benefit Claimant Rolls," Romanian Journal of Regional Science, Romanian Regional Science Association, vol. 14(2), pages 35-47, DECEMBER.
    18. Tessa Peasgood & Jenny Roberts & Aki Tsuchiya, 2006. "Incapacity Benefit: A Health or Labour Market Phenomenon?," Working Papers 2006011, The University of Sheffield, Department of Economics, revised Nov 2006.

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