Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the potential for further increases in the employment rate in the UK economy over the next (a) two, (b) four and (c) six years.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) publish forecasts for the employment rate for all those aged over 16. This differs from the main Office for National Statistics measure which looks at those aged between 16 and 64.

In the November 2016 Economic and Fiscal Outlook, the OBR projected the 16+ employment rate to stand at the highest annual rate since 1974 in 2016, at 60.5%, before falling to 60.1% in 2018, 59.9% in 2020 and 59.7% by 2022Q1.