§ 5. Mr. NEWBOULDasked the Minister of Labour whether he can state the percentage of unemployment on 1st October with the corresponding percentage for the same day last year?
§ Sir M. BARLOWFigures are not available showing the total number of persons unemployed in the United Kingdom, but an indication of the trend of unemployment may be obtained from the statistics of unemployment among persons in trades insured against unemployment under the Acts of 1911 and 1916 and also among trade union members. In the industries in which workpeople are insured against unemployment the percentage unemployed on 1st October, 1920, was 3.80 compared with 3.63 on 26th March, 1920, and 33.7 on 10th October last year; these figures are not available for 1st October last year, owing to the railway strike, which took place at the end of September. The percentage of unemployed of members of certain trade unions (mainly of skilled workers), which make returns to this Department was 2.2 on 1st October, 1920, compared with 1.1 on 1st April, 1920, and 1.6 on 1st October, 1919.