PEOPLE 13th May 2008

… but it is growing and so are rates of employment PEOPLE People Chapter Population Economic Activity Earnings Skills Education Health The North East is the smallest region in England in terms of population … … but it is growing and so are rates of employment

Population Population estimates (thousands)

Employment % of Working Age Population 74.4% 71.2%

Employment % of Working Age Population Projected Values

Part Time Working Self-employment ¼ of workers in Great Britain classed as part-time Slight increase in fulltime workers in the region – and a slight reduction in the number of part-time workers Part-time working is similar to national picture Self-employment Self-employment lowest of countries and regions in Great Britain Linked to low levels of business stock and entrepreneurialism However – rates increasing in the region

Economic Inactivity Economic Inactivity Rate (%) 21.2% 23.8%

Unemployment Unemployment Rate (%) 6.5% 5.4%

Economic Inactivity – Age Effects ¼ of working age population is 50-retirement North East economically inactive is more extreme in this age group Difference not so pronounced in 16-49 year olds However, economic inactivity in over 50s is steadily decreasing – but still a gap with national Gap much narrower in the under 50 age group Uncertainty about will happen to rates as current 50+ move into retirement – time will tell!

Earnings Gross Weekly Pay – Full time workers £456 £402

Education % of pupils achieving 5 GCSE at A* - C Female Male Projected Values Projected Values

Life Expectancy Life Expectancy at Birth Projected Values

Health – the positive picture The region performs well on ‘preventative measures’ MMR Vaccinations is highest of all English regions Immunization against influenza in older people is higher than national average Cervical screening programme coverage is greater than the national performance However - the picture is not entirely positive…

Health – the negative picture High rate of deaths from cancer High rate of deaths from Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) Highest conception rate amongst teenage females Not all doom and gloom – these rates are all falling… … and the rate of deaths from CHD is falling faster than the national rate – closing the gap

Smoking Smoking Rate as % of population 29% 24%

PEOPLE The North East is the smallest region in England – but projections show that it is growing and the population is ageing Employment rates have grown noticeably since the mid-1990s – halving gap with rest of UK Economic inactivity remains higher than national average – but rates are decreasing Adults with qualifications is increasing faster – as is the rate of qualified young people Health in the region is improving, but life expectancy is still about one year behind the national average