In total how many people work in the UK (full or part time)?

With recession looming and jobs being lost in the thousands on a daily basis at the moment it looks as though unemployment will rise to nearly 2 million people.



My question is how many people (of working age) do work in the UK and what would you guess the total number of all jobs could be, from the most menial to the most senior jobs.



Given the population in the UK.



I have been made redundant quite a few times (working at the moment) and can comprehend how difficult it can be to get a new job at this moment in time!In total how many people work in the UK (full or part time)?
There are about 62 million people in the UK.



Official figures break down as follows:



12 million under the age of 16

14 million over retirement age

36 million of working age. The official workforce figure is 33 million with 3 million unable to work or claiming long term benefits.



Of the 33 million nearly 2 million are unemployed.



The UK is now at the point where 50% of the population is working and 50% is not. Very scary figures and the reason for such high taxation.



In total how many people work in the UK (full or part time)?
Aprx 55 million are over 18 of which apprx 20 million are pensioners/ill/disabled beyond work. Roughly 30 million are working, with the unemployed jobseekers %26amp; income support claiments making up the rest. There are an estimated 40 million jobs available. Many are low paid and/or menial/seasonal or transient.
Well 75 %of the low-life chavs on my council estate are on benefits. I am one of the 25% and i look down on these thick little rats with pride.
Just say the 75% of working age population maybe.
about 5 or 6, the rest are on benefits
How unemployment figures are counted changes from time to time, and in fairness to the government, one of their first deeds on taking office in 1997 was to change the count in a way which actually instantly made the unemployment figures look bigger, so as to more accurately reflect the true number of people out of work.



There are some dynamic factors at play. When a job is lost, it does not automatically mean that person becomes an unemployment statistic. Even in hard times, some people move straight into a new job, or opt to try self employment.



Before the current recession, the number of people in work was higher than at any time in history, and unemployment among the lowest in Europe.



The ONS keep accurate statistics on this, and despite technically being a government ';quango'; frequently produces statistics the government may find embarrassing.



Check the ONS website.



Note that the current government's policy of stepping in to nationalise or prop up banks in difficulty, the cutting of interest rates to their lowest levels in 50 years, and now talk of cutting taxes to boost the economy, is in stark contrast to the last Tory government's do-nothing approach during the 2 recessions they directly caused in the 80s and early 90s.



Teddy makes an excellent point about black market workers doing cash in hand work distorting the figures. A report by the influencial Fabian Society and the IPPR think tank in the late 90s suggested that black market workers may actually be of some benefit to the economy, provided they are not engaged in otherwise illegal activites. The idea being that if they are not claiming benefit, but not paying (direct) taxes, at least they are earning money and spending it, and therefore contributing to money circulation and paying some indirect taxation, the effects of which is more beneficial than them doing nothing but claiming benefit.
actually the prediction is by 2010 3 million will be jobless, not much to look forward to is it. Many are losing jobs because of downturn in businesses, if only the government had acted sooner much of this could well have been avoided. I mean if a small businessman employs 20 people and he can't get any further help from his bank because of the crisis, he is going to let people go or go under himself. If the banks had been hauled over the coals early on and not just been given a slap on the wrist, and made to pass on rate cuts and work out deals with their lenders then lots of people could have stayed afloat and and people wouldn't be losing jobs left right and centre.



there is no true figure as many work in the black economy, i.e don't pay tax or insurance, so actual government figures are often misleading.