Are the UK unemployment figures accurate?
Despite the fact that today we saw better news on the unemployment front, with figures nowhere near as bad as had been expected, when you compare the fact that nearly 2.5 million people are officially classified as unemployed against 8 million people who are classified as "economically inactive" what is really happening?
These two figures more than any other perfectly illustrate how many areas of the UK have become dependent upon the state benefit system and the "real" unemployment figure may well be far higher than the 2.5 million quoted by the authorities. It is bizarre to see so much emphasis placed upon the 2.5 million unemployed when in reality there are over 8 million people classified as "economically inactive" which effectively means that they have no income outside of the state benefit system.
While there are obviously many reasons why a member of the UK population would be eligible for state benefits, there has been a suspicion over recent years that in some areas of the country, rather bizarrely, some members of the population may be better off on benefits than in employment. The benefit system is currently under review by the UK government and the Conservative party has also promised a root and branch review if successful at the next general election.
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