The UK has one of the highest rates of "hidden joblessness" in Europe, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has revealed.
According to an article in CIPD publication People Management, analysis of official Eurostat data has revealed the UK counts for one in seven of Europe’s total hidden jobless population.
In the third quarter of 2009, the country had a rating of 5.9 per cent, exceeded only by Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Austria and Poland in terms of this economic inactivity.
Meanwhile, Britain’s overall unemployment rate of eight per cent was found to rank mid-table among other countries on the continent.
John Philpott, the CIPD’s chief economic adviser, said: "The UK may draw comfort from having lower measured unemployment than the EU average but in truth we are no better than a mid-table performer in the EU jobless league."
He added that when hidden joblessness was taken into account, the UK’s performance looked even less impressive.
Meanwhile, the Mail on Sunday has reported that one of Asda’s biggest meat suppliers may have discriminated against UK workers by posting a job advert requesting that candidates speak Polish.
Posted by Hayley Edwards
