MORE than 8,000 households in Blackburn with Darwen are out of work, according to national statistics.

Figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) estimate that last year 18 per cent of households in the area were workless, higher than the UK-wide figure of 15 per cent. In the North West, the figure was 17 cent.

According to the ONS, a household is defined as workless if every person aged from 16-64 in the house is not in employment at the time of the annual population survey.

Across the North West, the most common reason people gave for not being in work was being sick or disabled - 36 per cent of out-of-work individuals cited illness or disability as the primary reason for not working.

Students made up 10 per cent of the group, and 17 per cent were early retirees. Just 12 per cent of jobless people in the area were officially ‘unemployed’ - looking for work and able to start within two weeks.

Miranda Barker, chief executive of the East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, said groups across the borough were working hard to try and help people into employment.

She said: “The council has an employment and skills board which is working hard to not only reach into all communities to make sure jobs are being advertised in a way so everybody can apply, but also make sure businesses are being attracted to their area and having the right skills available in the job market. And if not, making sure have upskilling opportunities available.

“There is a lot of work going on to try and get people into work. It’s not a simple solution. There is a lot of negativity surrounding zero-hour contracts, but they really work for some people. The job market needs to be more flexible for the workforce.”

She added that some of the work was being carried out to target the economically inactive, defined as people who are not in employment or unemployed, for reasons including studying, caring for family or long-term sick.

“There is another report which show figures that 38.5 per cent of women aged between 16-64 in Blackburn with Darwen are economically inactive.

“These figures are typical in areas with a high Asian population, where women generally run the household. In the North West the figure is 28.8 per cent and England is 27.1 per cent so the figure in Blackburn with Darwen is quite high.”

A spokesman for Blackburn with Darwen Council said: “Getting people into employment is a key priority for us and there are a range services and providers offering support to unemployed adults in Blackburn with Darwen.

“Working closely with our local Job Centre Plus, the council’s National Careers Service team offers high quality and independent guidance to those looking for work, helping them to access the right support for them.

“The council also provides learning opportunities in the community which are specifically targeted at those looking for work via our BwD Learning website.”

A spokesman from the Department for Work and Pensions said: “Since 2010 the proportion of workless households is down in every region of Great Britain.

“The unemployment rate remains at its lowest since 1971, but we’re committed to ensuring that everyone who wants to work has the opportunity to do so - while making sure there is a safety net for those who can’t.”

The DWP has also said that the majority of employment growth has been in both full-time and permanent roles - but experts are still concerned about improving job security.

Head of Economics at the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Kate Bell said: “Some of these officially ‘workless’ households are actually stuck in a revolving door between short-term, insecure jobs and periods without any work.

“Behind the headlines about record employment rates, there are major problems of low pay, insecure work and in-work poverty.”

According to TUC research published in May, nearly four million UK workers are in insecure work, such as agency work, zero-hour contracts and low-paid self-employment - amounting to over 10 per cent of the workforce.