Southwark’s jobless are more likely to be looking for work than unemployed people around the country, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) data.
A staggering 29% of Southwark’s out-of-work residents said they wanted a job in 2021. Across London, only 20.6% of unemployed people wanted work and this dropped to 18.6% nationally.
This means that, out of the 32 London boroughs with data available, Southwark’s unemployed were the fourth most likely to be looking for work.
Southwark residents also benefit from significantly higher levels of employment than others around the country, according to ONS data.
Figures for 2021 showed that 81.6% of Southwark residents were economically active compared to 79.4% in London generally and 78.4% across Great Britain.
ONS data also shows that Southwark residents score well above the national average for gross value added to the national economy per hour worked.
This evidence of Southwark’s hard graft is even more impressive considering the borough’s high student population.
Full-time students are less likely to be employed and Southwark is home to those studying at King’s College London, Goldsmiths, LSBU and others.
This is reflected in the statistics which show that 41.4% of those who were economically inactive said they were students.
Southwark Labour says that, since 2018, they have created 5,500 new jobs and created 4,000 apprenticeships – the most in London.
However, the average Southwark resident did earn less money than those living in other boroughs in 2021, earning £724.10 per week compared to £728.40 London average.
According to the ONS’ subnational indicators, the borough also scored poorly for ‘life satisfaction’ and ‘anxiety’.
The borough with the highest level of employment was the City of London, followed by Hackney. Kensington and Chelsea scored the lowest, with just 63.5% employed in 2021.
