Activity rates: Regional and sub-regional differentials

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Abstract
Gordon I. R. (1970) Activity rates: Regional and sub-regional differentials, Reg. Studies 4, 411–424. Data from the 1966 Census are used to show the variations in activity and inactivity rates by age group, region and sub-region within Great Britain and changes since 1961. The main factors affecting female activity rates are enumerated and four groups of factors associated respectively with unemployment, urbanization, industrial structure and the level of male earnings are identified and correlated with sub-regional inactivity rate differentials. Male inactivity is shown to be largely associated with the unemployment variable while female inactivity is shown to be equally linked with unemployment, lack of urbanization and an unfavourable industrial structure. The results are used to produce revised “armchair” regional and sub-regional estimates of labour reserves adjusted for differences in urbanization, and to suggest an improved method of estimating local reserves combining the “armchair” and “micro” approaches.