More than two in five Wealden residents economically inactive

File photo dated 17/02/16 of a Job Centre Plus. Britain's rate of unemployment edged higher in the three months to September as the country heads for what is feared will be the longest recession in a century, official figures have shown. The rate of unemployment stood at 3.6% in the three months to September, up from 3.5% in the three months to August, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. Issue date: Tuesday November 15, 2022.

More than two in five Wealden residents were economically inactive in 2021, new census figures show.

The Resolution Foundation said rising numbers of people in economic inactivity must be addressed as Treasurer Jeremy Hunt aimed to get people back to work with his Spring Budget this week.

Census figures from the Office for National Statistics show 56,145 residents in Wealden were economically inactive between March 15 and 22 2021.

An economically inactive person is aged 16 and over and did not have a job in that time period, could not start work in the next two weeks, or had not looked for work in the month before.

It meant 42% of over-16s in the area were economically inactive.

Across the two countries, 19.1 million over-16s (39.4%) were economically inactive.

The highest proportions tended to be in coastal areas, such as East Lindsey in Lincolnshire, North Norfolk and Tendring in Essex, all of which had more economically inactive than active residents.

Meanwhile, the six most active areas were all in London, and every area in the top 20 was in London or the South East bar commuter town Watford.

Louise Murphy, economist at the Resolution Foundation, said: "Levels of inactivity vary significantly across the UK, and tend to be highest in places where the population is older, and where long-term illness is widespread, such as deprived, ex-industrial areas.

"Economic inactivity is also concentred in low-income households. One-in-three adults in the poorest tenth of households have a disability, compared to fewer than one-in-ten adults among the richest families.