Greater Manchester's low unemployment rate leaves out a 'hidden army' of hundreds of thousands of working-aged people who are neither in work nor looking for a job due for reasons outside their control, a report by a leading think-tank says today.
According to the Centre for Cities, Manchester's official unemployment rate of 5.3% more than triples to 17% when those classed as 'involuntarily economically inactive' are included in the figures.
The official rate only measures those who are actively looking for employment but this doesn't include students, parents caring for children and those with long-term illnesses. It also includes early retirees and those who have simply decided that work is not worth their time.
