HC Deb 18 May 1993 vol 225 cc132-3W
Ms Quin

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what were the youth unemployment rates in actual numbers and percentages for each United Kingdom standard planning region and for each of the past five years.

Mr. McLoughlin

[holding answer 17 May 1993]: Information on the level of claimant unemployment by age in each region is available from the NOMIS database in the Library.

Information on claimant unemployment by age, expressed as a percentage of the work force in a particular age band, are available on a quarterly basis but only at national level, and only for standard age bands. These data are published in the Employment Gazette—table 2.15.

Labour force survey data on regional unemployment rates by age and sex, using the ILO measure of unemployment, are published regularly in table 7.15 of "Regional Trends".

Ms Quin

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will supply figures for the youth unemployment rates, by actual numbers and by percentages, in each EC country for the five most recent years for which figures are available.

Mr. Michael Forsyth

[holding answer 17 May 1993]: The extent of the readily available, comparable information is given in the following tables:

1987 1988 1989 1990 1991
Unemployment levels amongst 14.24 year olds in EC countries (ILO Definition)
Belgium 130 99 79 71 68
Denmark 52 51 66 64 63
Germany 411 365 280 232 173
Greece 125 135 135 128 134
Spain 1,411 1,334 1,047 956 895
France 888 784 670 672 615
Ireland 85 80 66 59 70
Italy 1,388 1,419 1,305 1,151 1,180
Luxembourg 2 11 11 11 11
Netherlands 248 196 181 156 154
Portugal 180 146 116 103 82
United Kingdom 1,026 828 642 618 712
Unemployment rates amongst 14–24 year olds in EC countries (ILO definition)
Belgium 25.4 11.1 11.5 11.5 11.0
Denmark 8.9 8.5 11.5 11.5 11.5
Germany 7.5 6.8 5.5 4.6 3.7
Greece 24.8 25.8 24.8 23.2 24.6
Spain 43.5 41.1 32.3 31.8 30.5
France 23.4 22.1 19.6 19.6 19.6
Ireland 26.0 25.3 21.9 19.5 23.2
Italy 33.9 33.4 31.9 29.0 28.2
Luxembourg 5.4 14.7 13.3 13.6 12.6
Netherlands 17.1 14.4 13.4 11.4 11.3
Portugal 17.4 14.4 11.7 10.4 8.7
United Kingdom 16.2 13.2 10.3 10.4 13.9
1 Estimate.

Source: EUROSTAT Labour Force Survey 1983–1991.

Note: These statistics are compiled from each country's Labour Force Survey and relate to "14–24 year olds" at the time of the survey. The ILO definition of unemployment used in the Labour Force Survey relates to people who are; (a) without a paid job; (b) available to start work in the next fortnight; and (c) have looked for work in the last four weeks or are waiting to start a job already obtained.

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