§ 2. Mr. DAYasked the Minister of Labour whether she has any statistics and can state the number of unemployed, over whole or part time, in France, Germany, and America as at the last convenient date?
§ Miss BONDFIELDAs the reply is long and contains a number of figures, I propose, with my hon. Friend's permission, to circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Mr. DAYCan my right hon. Friend say whether she has received any information of the new methods adopted in America in this connection?
§ Miss BONDFIELDI am not sure that I know to what the hon. Member is referring. If he will send me particulars, I will look into it.
§ Following is the reply:
§ In France, it has been estimated officially that, in January, 1931, there were about 350,000 persons totally and 1,000,000 partially unemployed. No similar estimate is available for a later date. In Germany, 4,211,000* persons were registered by the public Employment Exchanges as unemployed on 15th May, 1931. Among about 4,360,300 members of German trade unions reporting upon unemployment, 31.8 per cent. were wholly unemployed and 18.1 per cent. were working short time at the end of April, 1931. On the basis of a special unemployment census in the United States of America during the latter half of January, 1931, covering 19 cities, the Secretary of Commerce estimated that a total of 6,050,000 able-bodied persons in the United States were wholly unemployed and that 250,000 to 300,000 were temporarily stopped. No later official estimates of the total numbers unemployed are available but the United States official index of employment in manufacturing industries was 73.1 in January, 1931, and 74.8 in March, 1931, the monthly average index of employment in 1926 being taken as 100. Among members of trade unions, in 24 cities, affiliated to the American Federation of Labour, 25* per cent. were reported to be wholly unemployed and 18 per cent. to be working part-time in April, 1931.
§ * Provisional figure, subject to correction when later information is available.