The year on year changes throughout 2008 showed a consistent decline through to February 2009. A levelling out period then followed during the year but the rolling average fell to zero by December. As a result of significant increases since, the rolling average has started to improve.

Apart from 2009, which was an unusual year, average weekly earnings normally peaks around February and March as a result of annual bonuses being paid. Apart from January and February 2009, the monthly changes in 2009 and 2010 largely mirror each other with the level of earnings being consistently between £2 and £12 per week greater.

Although seasonally adjusted, the monthly changes are quite small, throughout most of the year. This changes up to Christmas and around the March year end due to bonuses. However, the economic conditions in 2009 caused the monthly changes to shift but the papptern overall is broadly the same.

This chart shows the percentage of all those, male and female, over the age of 16 to the national work-force. The government's standard definition of what constitutes an unemployed person is used. Generally, there is little movement from one month to the next when the percentage is to one decimal place. In April 2008 the figures began to show the sort of increases that are symptomatic of a period of recession. The total passed through the 2 million mark in December and continued to climb but, since June, there has been a distinct levelling but with part time employment rising as full time employment falls.