No full-time workers in 4.6m homes

Last Modified: 16 May 2008
Source: PA News

There are more than 4.5 million households in the UK where no one works full-time, according to research released by the Conservatives.

The figure of 4.66 million households - which does not include homes occupied by pensioners - is up by more than 200,000 since 1997, when Labour came to power, said shadow work and pensions secretary Chris Grayling.

It means that some 10.9 million people live in households where there are working-age adults but no full-time workers.

Areas where half or more of households had no one working full-time include Liverpool Riverside (51%), North Hull (50%) and Rochdale (50%), said the Tories.

Worst affected region is the North East, where 29% of households have no full-time worker, compared to a national average of 25% and 21% in the South-East.

Mr Grayling said: "These figures show the true picture of the failure of welfare reform under Gordon Brown.

"It is unbelievable that this Government thinks it has achieved full employment when a quarter of households have no one in full-time work."

Other areas with high proportions of households with no full-time workers include Edmonton in north London, Birmingham Ladywood and Regents Park & Kensington North (all 46%), and Birmingham Hodge Hill, Vauxhall in south London and Manchester Blackley (45%).

The figures were drawn up by the Office for National Statistics and obtained in response to written parliamentary questions from Conservatives.

These news feeds are provided by an independent third party and Channel 4 is not responsible or liable to you for the same.