Video Summary: Workless Households in the UK in 2012

• The number of households with at least one person aged 16 to 64 in which no-one was in work was 3.7 million in 2012, down 153,000 on a year earlier

• There were 5.02 million people aged 16 to 64 living in workless households and a further 1.75 million children aged 0 to 15

• The main reason for worklessness was being disabled or sick. Around 1.45 million people gave this reason, accounting for 29 per cent of those in workless households. The second most common reason was unemployment, accounting for 1.03 million, or around 1 in every 5.

• Around 45 per cent of council/housing association households were workless, compared with 4 per cent of households buying their home through a mortgage

• The majority of children aged 0 to 15 in the UK lived with couples, 8.75 million of the estimated total of 11.64 million. However the majority of the 1.75 million children living in workless households lived with lone parents, 1.16 million, or 2 in every 3 children.

Source: Office for National Statistics

Background notes

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   These National Statistics are produced to high professional standards and released according to the arrangements approved by the UK Statistics Authority.