Upcoming event: multiple risk factors of worklessness

We’re hosting an event on 6th July to share the findings and implications of our recent research looking at how a person’s background and personal characteristics affect the individual’s chance of being out of work.

The report, Worklessness in the West Midlands: the impact of demographics and multiple risk factors (pdf, 545kb), looks in depth at the impact of several ‘risk factors’, in isolation and in combination with each other:

• Being a young person (aged 16–24)
• Being an older person (aged 55 to retirement)
• Being from a black, Indian or Pakistani or ​Bangladeshi ethnic group
• Having a long-​term health problem or disability
• Being a lone parent
• Having no qualifications

The analysis will help decision makers get a greater understanding of the complex interplay of issues behind the current high rate of worklessness across the West Midlands.

The event takes place at the West Midlands Regional Observatory offices (get directions), 8:45–11:00am, 6th July 2010.

It’s free to attend, though please register as places are limited.

• Event agenda (pdf, 94kb)
• Book online (requires registration)
• Download a booking form (doc, 45kb)

Understanding our local populations

At the Observatory’s recent event to launch the State of the Region dialogue on population change, Richard Wilson from Sandwell PCT spoke about some of the problems with population data. However, with help from quotes from David Brent to Albert Einstein, Richard argued that these problems should not lead to ‘data paralysis’ where problems with data become reasons for not making decisions.

Richard said that although population change is nothing new, it is important to understand how our population is changing by understanding, for example, which age groups are changing quickest, what the new family structures are and where new people are coming from.

Population estimates in the West Midlands

The Office for National Statistics released the 2007 mid year population estimates and 2006 mid year population estimates by ethnic group at Government Office Region level and down to Local Authority District level last week.

Data for the total population is available by five year age bands and broad age group (children, working age, and older people), and can also be split by sex. The ethnicity data can only be split by sex and broad age group.

This data has been incorporated into our 2008 State of the Region demographic dataset (XLS, 2.9MB) and the mid year estimates InstantAtlas maps by region and local authority.

Headline figures for the West Midlands show that in line with national trends the working age population has increased by 3,000, whereas the number of children has decreased by 6,000 since 2006.