Economic Structure of the UK Population
A commentary on the interactive visualisation
People are described as being of working age if they are aged between 16 and 64 (men) and 59 (women).
The change in the age distribution of people of working age is shown in the accompanying image. The image shows a 'population pyramid' - a two-sided bar chart showing age groupings of men and women in a population. The name 'pyramid' suggests a shape with a large base, steadily tapering towards the top.
In 1992, the chart was indeed bottom-heavy, showing larger numbers of people in their late 20s and early 30s. By 2005, the chart shows a more uniform distribution as those people have aged and moved up the pyramid.
There have also been a number of changes in economic activity over the period. The economically active population are those who are either in employment or unemployed.
One example of a change in economic activity can be seen in the increase in employment rates. The employment rate for men aged 25 increased from 80 per cent in 1992 to 83 per cent in 2005. More strikingly, employment rates for women aged 25 increased from 67 per cent to 76 per cent over the same period. As a result of these increases in employment, inactivity rates for women aged 25 declined from 26 per cent in 1992 to 20 per cent in 2005.
There has been an overall decline in ILO unemployment in all age groups since 1992, and particularly for the group of men aged in their late twenties and early thirties in 1992.
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Interactive economic activity pyramids