UK workless household numbers falling, says ONS
The number of UK households where no adult aged 16 to 64 is in work has continued to fall, figures show.
Some 3.4 million such households were recorded in the UK in the last three months of 2013, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
This represented about 16.6% of all households that include an adult of working age, down from 17.3% in the same three months of 2012.
Workless households include those who are unable, or choose not, to work.
People may choose not to work because of family commitments, early retirement or study. They may be unable to work because of sickness or disability.
The latest figures show that there were 137,000 fewer workless households in the final three months of 2013 compared with the same quarter a year earlier.
The proportion of workless households was at its highest in 1996, when comparable records began, when it stood at more than 20% of households with an adult of working age.
This fell steadily to just over 17% in 2006 before rising to just over 19% in 2010. The proportion has fallen relatively sharply in the past three years.