User:CircleGirl/ESA Hidden Unemployment

Use of ESA to Reduce Unemployment Figures
A report from Sheffield Hallam University argued that ESA was being used to conceal unemployment in official unemployment statistics. The report shows that the number of out-of work sickness benefit claimants in relation to JSA claimants has grown steeply since 1979, and that while the introduction of ESA produced a modest reduction in the number of claimants, this has not changed the overall trend of more people claiming out-of-work sickness benefits rather than JSA. The report argues that many people develop disabilities while they are employed, and only start claiming ESA after they became unemployed for a reason unrelated to their disability. The report also cites data on employment for disabled people that shows a correlation between high overall employment and high employment for people with disabilities. Furthermore, the report also showed that the number of people on ESA is higher in areas with high unemployment than in areas with low unemployment. The report estimates that 760,000 people on ESA should be classed as unemployed as they may be able to work.