Labour market stats response, August 2024

Every month, Learning and Work Institute produces detailed and timely analysis of the latest labour market statistics from ONS. Become a supporter to receive our monthly labour market briefing delivered to your inbox and navigate our labour market dashboard.

Responding to the labour market stats release by ONS on 13 August 2024, Dr Helen Gray, chief economist of Learning and Work Institute, said:

“This month’s labour market figures show that the number of people of working age who were economically inactive in the April to June quarter of 2024 was 350,000 higher than in the same quarter of 2023. Compared with the period immediately prior to the pandemic (December 2019 to February 2020), 859,000 more people aged 16 to 64 were economically inactive in the most recent quarter. 1.8 million people who are economically inactive want a job.

“In April to June 2024, only just over half (53.0%) of all people of working age with a disability were employed, compared with 81.6% of those without a disability. Yet only 1-in-10 out-of-work people with a disability get help to find work each year. To achieve the government’s ambition of an 80% employment rate, it will be necessary to extend employment support to a greater proportion of those who want to work.”