FOI reference: FOI-2025-3190
You asked
Please may you provide me with the number of working age people who have never had a paid job in the UK, and the number of working age people there are in the UK.
Could you then do a separate figure removing those in full-time education.
If time/costs allow, can you divide the number of people who have never had a paid job into 10-year age groups starting with 16-24, then 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, finally 55-64.
Also, if time/costs allow can you compare the number of working age people who have never had a paid job in the UK over time, for each year stretching back as far as you have data available.
Can you add the total number of working age people in the UK at the time/of that age group next to each number, for context.
We said
Thank you for your request.
We can identify people who have never worked from their responses to the Labour Force Survey (LFS) based on interviews with people resident in households in the UK.
Although it is possible to identify people who have never worked, we do not currently produce any regular estimates of the total number of people within this category.
It would be possible to request a tailored analysis to be produced to these estimates by contacting our Social Surveys team via our bespoke services route. These services are subject to legal frameworks, disclosure controls, resources, and an agreement of costs. As this information is reasonably accessible via another route, even if only on payment, the exemption found under s.21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) applies. Please contact the team for further details on this service.