Nigerians and people from other parts of the world often travel to European countries, the United States of America, and the United Kingdom in search of employment and better opportunities.
One of the most popular destinations is the United Kingdom (UK), with its capital city being London.
However, for adults residing in the UK, more than one-fifth (20 percent) of them are reportedly not actively engaged in employment, according to official figures.
The UK’s economic inactivity rate stood at 21.8% between November and January, representing an increase compared to the previous year.
This means that 9.2 million people aged between 16 and 64 in the UK are neither employed nor actively seeking employment.
The total figure is more than 700,000 higher than before the coronavirus pandemic, raising concerns over the shortage of workers affecting the UK economy.
The health of the UK economy is under scrutiny with the upcoming general election in the coming months, and major political parties are pledging to boost growth.
The UK entered a recession
The UK entered a recession at the end of last year when the economy shrank for two consecutive three-month periods, but the latest official statistics show that the level of unemployment is steady.
The figures also show that wage rises have slowed again, although pay is still rising more than inflation.
However, the number of people who are unemployed or not actively seeking work is still high in recent years since it rose during the pandemic.
Long-term sickness is one of the main reasons for about one-third of the working-age population being inactive in the labor force.
But other groups in the bracket – defined differently by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) – include students, people caring for family or their home, people with disabilities, and people retiring early and discouraged workers.
More women are classified as economically inactive compared to men.
The ONS says the latest figures suggest that the number of people inactive due to sickness has decreased in recent months, but it is still higher than estimates from one year ago.
It adds that the likelihood of people aged 16 to 34 becoming economically inactive has increased, but the number of people aged 35 to 64 has decreased.
A recent report suggests that people in their early 20s may be more likely to be out of work due to sickness than those in their early 40s, with cases of poor mental health believed to be on the rise.
Workforce shortages have prompted Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to outline a series of measures.
Most recently, in his budget last week, aimed to encourage people to find work or increase work hours.
Policies outlined include reducing the starting rate for National Insurance Contributions from 10% to 8% for 27 million workers from April 6, along with an extension of free childcare services for working parents.
But business groups say more needs to be done to get more people into work due to concerns over the long-term weak economic growth of the UK.
Neil Carberry, chief executive of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, said cutting NI rates was the “right call,” but not a “silver bullet to encourage enough people to work.”
“To bring inactivity down, the government needs to focus on childcare, transport, and address NHS waiting lists,” he said.
“The budget doesn’t add up to the industrial and workforce strategy we really need despite the Chancellor’s obvious interest in workforce matters.”
Alexandra Hall-Chen, principal policy adviser for employment at the Institute of Directors, said many companies were “still struggling to access the skills they need.”
“The future government should prioritize tackling skills shortages and increasing labor force participation at the center of its growth plan,” she added.
Source: BBC
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