The diversion from 'unemployment' to 'sickness' across British regions and districts

Christina Beatty and Stephen Fothergill

Regional Studies, 2005, vol. 39, issue 7, 837-854

Abstract: Beatty C. and Fothergill S. (2005) The diversion from 'unemployment' to 'sickness' across British regions and districts, Regional Studies 39 , 837-854. Around 2.7 million non-employed adults of working age in the UK claim sickness-related benefits, and the numbers have risen steeply over time. The very large variation in the numbers across districts and regions points strongly to extensive hidden unemployment, especially in older industrial areas affected by job losses. This paper builds on two previous papers by the same authors - one dealing with the theoretical framework and the other with a local case study - to present wholly new estimates of the scale of the diversion across all parts of the country. It also questions contemporary perceptions of the UK labour market and the validity of current approaches to re-engaging sickness claimants with employment.

Keywords: Unemployment; Sickness; Social Security; Districts; Chomage; Maladie; Securite sociale; Districts; Erwerbslosigkeit; Krankheit; Sozialhilfe; Distrikte; Desempleo; Incapacidad laboral; Seguridad social; Distritos; JEL classifications: J64; J68; R23 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2005
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (22)

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DOI: 10.1080/00343400500289804

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