Male Unemployment
CENSUS_EMPL:male/unem * 100.0 / CENSUS_ACTIVE_GEN:male/act
In twentieth century Britain, unemployment was the primary measure of economic distress.
It has been measured in various ways: by the number receiving unemployment benefit,
by sample surveys and, only at ten year intervals but perhaps most accurately, by the census.
After the 1939-45 war, new economic policies reduced the impact of the trade cycle,
and the 1951 census generally revealed almost full employment: the highest rate was 8%
for Merthyr Tydvil, and the most conspicuous feature of the map is the high rates
around the coast, due to seasonal unemployment in seaside resorts.
Following the post-war boom of the 1950s and 1960s, unemployment rose over the 1970s and 1980s.
In some areas, 1991 unemployment was higher than in the inter-war slump: Knowsley, on the edge
of Liverpool, had 15% unemployment in 1931 but 31% in 1991.