§ 46. Sir W. de FRECEasked the Minister of Labour if, taking the number of registered unemployed, he can give some indication of the numbers in the following age periods: 20 to 30, 30 to 40, 40 to 50, and 50 to 60 years of age?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the MINISTRY of LABOUR (Mr. Betterton)As the reply is somewhat long, I will, if I may, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Mr. BETTERTONThis answer is very long and perhaps the hon. Member will await its circulation.
§ Following is the reply:
§ Statistics showing the ages of persons on the registers of Employment Exchanges are not regularly obtained, but an investigation regarding claimants for unemployment benefit made on a sample basis at the beginning of April, 1927, showed that at that date 29.3 per cent. of the males and 47.1 per cent. of the females were aged 20 to 29 inclusive, 19.3 per cent. of the males and 15.5 per cent. of the females were aged 30 to 39, 17.5 per cent, of the males and 8.6 per cent. of the females were aged 40 to 49, and 16.3 per cent. of the males and 4.9 per cent. of the females were aged 50 to 59. At 14th May, 1928, the claimants to benefit on the registers of Employment Exchanges included 877,165 males and 145,553 females; and it is probable that the proportions within the age groups mentioned, at that date, did not differ greatly from those found in April, 1927.