1. PEOPLE
13th May 2008

2. … 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

3. Population
Population estimates (thousands)

4. Employment
% of Working Age Population
74.4%
71.2%

5. Employment
% of Working Age Population
Projected Values

6. 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

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

8. Unemployment
Unemployment Rate (%)
6.5%
5.4%

9. 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 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!

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

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

12. Life Expectancy
Life Expectancy at Birth
Projected Values

13. 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…

14. 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

15. Smoking
Smoking Rate as % of population
29%
24%

16. 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