AQW 50838/11-16

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 13/11/2015
Answered On Date: 30/11/2015
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Finance and Personnel how changes in the uptake of Employment Support Allowance have impacted the latest figures showing economic activity; and to outline the criteria used to arrive at these figures.

Answer:

Official estimates of economic activity are sourced from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). The LFS is a sample survey that is primarily designed to provide labour market information at the Northern Ireland level.

Estimates of the numbers in receipt of Employment Support Allowance (ESA) cannot be provided from the LFS due to the wide survey margins of error associated with these estimates. It is not therefore possible to calculate how changes in the uptake of Employment Support Allowance have impacted the latest figures showing economic activity.

The official source for Employment Support Allowance statistics is the Department for Social Development (DSD).

For information, Table 1 provides levels of economic activity from the LFS and Table 2 shows ESA estimates sourced from DSD.

Table 1 Economic activity levels (16+), 2010 – 2015

Year	Quarter	Number of economically active (16+)
2010	Jan-Mar	818,000
	Apr-Jun	822,000
	Jul-Sep	824,000
	Oct-Dec	831,000
2011	Jan-Mar	837,000
	Apr-Jun	849,000
	Jul-Sep	843,000
	Oct-Dec	844,000
2012	Jan-Mar	840,000
	Apr-Jun	843,000
	Jul-Sep	848,000
	Oct-Dec	844,000
2013	Jan-Mar	842,000
	Apr-Jun	833,000
	Jul-Sep	844,000
	Oct-Dec	849,000
2014	Jan-Mar	851,000
	Apr-Jun	853,000
	Jul-Sep	850,000
	Oct-Dec	839,000
2015	Jan-Mar	852,000
	Apr-Jun	847,000
	Jul-Sep	843,000

Source: Labour Force Survey

Table 2Employment and Support Allowance levels, 2010 - 2015

Year	Month	All Claimants	Recipients	Credits Only
2010	February	16,760	14,560	2,200
	May	19,210	17,070	2,130
	August	21,170	18,500	2,680
	November	23,090	20,520	2,570
2011	February	24,700	21,870	2,840
	May	25,810	23,100	2,710
	August	28,130	25,500	2,640
	November	32,290	29,240	3,060
2012	February	36,280	33,020	3,260
	May	44,020	40,240	3,780
	August	49,830	45,990	3,840
	November	57,110	53,740	3,370
2013	February	64,100	60,400	3,700
	May	74,190	70,500	3,690
	August	81,340	77,610	3,730
	November	90,650	86,930	3,730
2014	February	96,340	93,060	3,280
	May	103,860	99,950	3,910
	August	111,670	107,190	4,480
	November	113,800	109,090	4,710
2015	February	116,430	111,730	4,690
	May	118,140	113,670	4,470

Source: Department for Social Development