Women Council Job Losses
Tuesday 25th October 2011
SOUTH EAST COUNCILS HIGHEST IN ENGLAND
AND WALES AS THE DROP IN NUMBER OF WOMEN EMPLOYED BY THE COUNCILS
MAKE UP 75.8% OF THE TOTAL DROP IN NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN COUNCILS
SINCE GENERAL ELECTION OFFICIAL DATA SHOWS
The drop in the number of women
employed in local government and schools in England and Wales
accounts for more than two-thirds of the drop in numbers employed
by councils since the general election says GMB
There has been a drop of 13,474 in total
number of workers employed by councils in the South East between
the first quarter of 2010 and the second quarter of 2011. The drop
in the number of women workers employed by the council in the same
period was 10,213. This means that the drop in the number of women
employed by these council accounts for 75.8% of the total drop in
employment. This is the highest percentage for councils in any
region in England and Wales.
For England and Wales as a whole the drop in
the number of workers employed by councils in the same period was
129,051. The drop in the number of women employed by councils
was 85,710. This means that the drop in the number of women
employed by all council in England aand Wales accounts for 66.4% of
the total drop in employment in councils.
After South East in the England and Wales
league for the proportion of the drop in employment numbers in
councils made up by the drop in the number of women in employment
in the same period were East of England 71.2%, West Midlands
70.2%, Wales 69.8%, North East 68.4%, South West 66.4%, North West
65.6%, Yorkshire and the Humber 65.2%, London 60% and East Midlands
29%.
There are 19 councils where the drop
in the number of women employed account for 100% or more of the
total drop in the numbers employed in these councils. These are
North Warwickshire, Lichfield, Powys, Stroud, Canterbury, East
Hampshire, Spelthorne, Wealden, Oxford, Pendle, Allerdale,
Hammersmith and Fulham, Harlow, King's Lynn and West Norfolk, High
Peak, Cotswold, West Somerset, Tonbridge and Malling and South
Ribble. See table at foot of release for changes in the numbers in
these
councils.
The detailed figures for councils in all
regions England and Wales are set out in the table below. The
figures for 312 seperate councils in England and Wales are
set out as pdf at the foot of this release on GMB website http://www.gmb.org.uk/ . There
are seperate releases for each region also at pdfs at foot of this
national release.
These figures are from a new analysis by GMB
public services union of official data for employment in local
councils in England and Wales compiled by The Office of National
Statistics (ONS). See Notes to Editors for the ‘source’. The data
is for workers directly employed in the teacher and non-teacher
workforce. The table contains details for men and women and is
ranked by the proportion of the drop in employment accounted for by
the drop in the number of women employed.
The data in the table below is from the series
that looks at the numbers of workers employed rather than the
series which aggregates workers in to full time equivalent posts.
Some of the changes in the data for each council may include the
number for staff being transferred from councils or back to
councils. Queries regarding figures for individual councils should
be raised directly with the ONS see contact number in Notes to
Editors below.
Table: Change in employment levels
(headcount ) for councils in regions between first quarter 2010 and
second quarter of 2011 ranked by regions where the drop in
the number of women accounts for the highest proportion of total
change in numbers.
|
|
|
Male
headcount
|
Female
headcount
|
Total
headcount
|
Female % of
total
|
|
|
|
Q1 2010
|
Q2 2011
|
change
|
Q1 2010
|
Q2 2011
|
change
|
change
|
|
|
rank
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
England and Wales
|
560,609
|
517,268
|
-43,341
|
1,696,196
|
1,610,486
|
-85,710
|
-129,051
|
66.4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
South East
|
68,359
|
65,098
|
-3,261
|
233,321
|
223,108
|
-10,213
|
-13,474
|
75.8
|
|
2
|
East of England
|
50,196
|
46,539
|
-3,657
|
167,335
|
158,299
|
-9,037
|
-12,694
|
71.2
|
|
3
|
West Midlands
|
57,571
|
54,188
|
-3,383
|
186,631
|
178,646
|
-7,985
|
-11,368
|
70.2
|
|
4
|
Wales
|
46,262
|
44,096
|
-2,166
|
118,355
|
113,359
|
-4,996
|
-7,162
|
69.8
|
|
5
|
North East
|
36,187
|
32,694
|
-3,493
|
93,503
|
85,955
|
-7,548
|
-11,040
|
68.4
|
|
6
|
South West
|
53,099
|
45,137
|
-7,963
|
160,126
|
144,370
|
-15,756
|
-23,719
|
66.4
|
|
7
|
North West
|
75,823
|
67,556
|
-8,267
|
229,732
|
213,950
|
-15,783
|
-24,050
|
65.6
|
|
8
|
Yorkshire and the Humber
|
60,114
|
56,564
|
-3,550
|
183,511
|
176,857
|
-6,654
|
-10,203
|
65.2
|
|
9
|
London
|
65,974
|
61,733
|
-4,241
|
178,399
|
172,033
|
-6,366
|
-10,607
|
60.0
|
|
10
|
East Midlands
|
47,024
|
43,663
|
-3,360
|
145,283
|
143,910
|
-1,373
|
-4,733
|
29.0
|
Brian Strutton, GMB National Secretary
for Public services said, “The drop in the number of women
employed in local government and state schools accounts for more
than two-thirds of the drop in numbers employed by councils
in England and Wales since the general election. This is a direct
result of the government's cuts in public spending. This was
entirely predictable because the public sector employs more women
than men.
The drop in the number of women
employed in the public sector means a serious loss of income from
employment to women across the UK. Many households depend on having
income from two wage earners to pay the mortgage and the household
bills. The impact will be even worse in the quarter of households
with children that are headed by lone parents, 90 per cent of whom
are women.
The Tories and Lib Dem’s big gamble
that private sector growth would create enough jobs to compensate
for their cuts in public sector jobs has not come off as the rise
in unemployment to 2.57 million shows.
In the middle of the worst
international recession for 80 years it is the Government itself
that is creating unemployment with 250,000 public sector posts
already gone and still more cuts to come. These posts could have
been available to the 2.57 million workers now facing the despair
of mass unemployment.
Government policy is hurting but it’s
not working.
We know that the Tories are the
uncaring party of mass unemployment but Marie Antoinette impression
from the Lib Dems has got to stop. An emergency budget for
investment in jobs is overdue.
The priority is for investment to
create jobs and boost confidence rather than cuts in the tax rate
for the super-rich.
Investment in housing, school repair,
energy and transport are all badly needed and will create jobs and
growth in all sectors of the economy.
Barriers to recruitment of women such
as ensuring affordable childcare and access to flexible working
need to be tackled. Specific measures are also needed to ensure
that unemployed women receive the support they need to get them
back into work.
The squandering of human talent
through unemployment is a crime that will haunt future
generations.”
Ends
Contact: Kamaljeet Jandu, GMB
Equalities Officer on 07956 237178 or Brian Strutton 07860 606 137
or 0208 947 3131 GMB Press Office: Steve Pryle 07921 289880 or Rose
Conroy on 07974 251823.
Notes to Editors:
1 Source and notes on data - This
data is collected and analysed by the Office for National
Statistics (ONS) and forms part of the ONS public sector
employment statistics. The LGA is responsible only for publication
and any reuse should be properly attributed to the ONS. The
data is published with the express consent of all
councils. The data is available here: www.lga.gov.uk/lga/core/page.do?pageId=1955843.
For queries journalists should contact the ONS Press Office,
telephone 0845 604 1858.
The data relates to the male and female
headcount change figures between Quarter 1 2010 and Quarter 2 2011,
female change is expressed as a percentage of total change.
The data also includes some records for
individual local authorities that have been imputed. Records are
imputed when a local authority fails to respond for a specific
quarter. Rather than simply reporting these as a 'blank' or 'nil'
return in the data the ONS have provided the best estimate of their
employment for that time.
Further information on the methodology of the
Public Sector Employment statistics is available on the ONS
website:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/method-quality/quality/quality-information/business-statistics/public-sector-employment.pdf
National Quarterly Public Sector Employment Survey
Related release for the East of
England
Related release for London
Related release for the North
East
Related release for the
North West
Related release for the South
East
Related release for the South
West
Related release for Wales
Related release for the West
Midlands
Related release for Yorkshire &
The Humber