§ 17. Mr. Lawsonasked the Minister of Labour whether he has any information regarding the number of long-term unemployed at a recent date; and what changes have occurred in the figures during the last few months?
§ Mr. AsshetonA special count of claim ants for benefit or allowances on the registers of Employment Exchanges in Great Britain for a year or more was taken on 1st January, 1940, and a comparison can therefore be made between the figures for that date and those for 14th August last. I am glad to say that there has been a substantial reduction in
| Persons unemployed for a year or more. | ||||||
| The following table shows the changes between 14th August, 1939, and 1st January, 1940, in the numbers who had been on the register for various periods. | ||||||
| Duration of last spell of unemployment. | Men. | Women. | ||||
| Number at 14th August, 1939. | Number at 1st January, 1940. | Decrease (-). | Number at 14th August, 1939. | Number at 1st January, 1940. | Increase (+). Decrease (-). | |
| 1 year but less than 2 years. | 77,147 | 40,405 | -36,742 | 9,769 | 8,956 | -813 |
| 2 years but less than 3 years. | 43,054 | 26,187 | -16,867 | 4,726 | 4,485 | -241 |
| 3 years but less than 4 years. | 36,685 | 23,613 | -13,072 | 2,462 | 2,482 | +20 |
| 4 years but less than 5 years. | 16,980 | 10,024 | -6,956 | 1,306 | 1,298 | -8 |
| 5 years or more | 49,232 | 36,440 | -12,792 | 2,639 | 3,096 | +457 |
| Total 1 year or more | 223,098 | 136,669 | -86,429 | 20,902 | 20,317 | -585 |
§ the number of men so situated. The total has fallen from 223,098 to 136,669, that is by over 86,000 or 38.7 per cent. The reduction was distributed over all parts of the country and affected to the extent of over 25 per cent. even those who had been on the registers for five years or more. The corresponding number of women remained almost stationary at rather more than 20,000 between the two dates. I will circulate a memorandum in the OFFICIAL REPORT giving further details.
§ Mr. LawsonCan the hon. Gentleman now give the number of unemployed over 50 years of age? Will he tell us how all these people are being employed, or if they have become 65 years of age, or have died?
§ Mr. AsshetonThe hon. Member will realise the difficulty of making such an exact analysis of the figures as that. With regard to the question of unemployed over 5o years of age, I am sorry that the figures we have relate only to the 45 years of age limit. I have figures for the age analysis between 45 and 65 and they show that the fall in the 45 to 54 age group between the 1st May, 1939, and the 1st January, 1940, was 26,604—a decrease of 44.5 per cent. With regard to the age group 55 to 64 it shows a fall of 24.5 per cent.
§ Following is the memorandum:
749| The table below gives an analysis for the four occupations which included the largest numbers of men, aged 18 and over, unemployed for a year or more. | ||||||
| Occupation. | Number of unemployed for | Total 1 year or more. | ||||
| 1–2 years. | 2–3 years. | 3–4 years. | 4–5 years. | 5 years or more. | ||
| General Labourers (heavy work) | 8,971 | 5,803 | 5,965 | 1,904 | 7,716 | 30,359 |
| General Labourers (light work). | 6,210 | 4,566 | 3,975 | 1,922 | 7,015 | 23,688 |
| Colliery Labourers | 2,550 | 1,658 | 1,211 | 864 | 3,591 | 9,874 |
| Other Colliery Workers | 1,959 | 1,059 | 755 | 590 | 2,151 | 6,514 |
| Total of above | 19,690 | 13,086 | 11,906 | 5,280 | 20,473 | 70,435 |
| Other Occupations | 20,715 | 13,101 | 11,707 | 4,744 | 15,967 | 66,234 |
| Grand Total | 40,405 | 26,187 | 23,613 | 10,024 | 36,440 | 136,669 |
§ The occupations specified thus account for over half the total number of men unemployed for 12 months or more.
§ Analysis according to age.
§ The latest previous date for which figures are available analysing the long term unemployed by age is 1st May, 1939. At that date the total number of men who had been on the registers for a year or more was 252,200 and there was consequently a reduction between that date and 1st January, 1940, of 115,531 or 45.8 per cent.
§ The following table gives a comparative age analysis for these two dates.
| Age Group. | Men unemployed for a year or more at | Decreases. | |||||
| 1st May, 1939. | 1st January, 1940. | ||||||
| Number. | Per cent. | ||||||
| 18–20 | … | … | … | 2,604 | 831 | -1,773 | 68.1 |
| 21–24 | … | … | … | 11,055 | 3,004 | -8,051 | 72.8 |
| 25–34 | … | … | … | 41,659 | 13,839 | -27,820 | 66.8 |
| 35–44 | … | … | … | 52,138 | 21,668 | -30,470 | 58.4 |
| 45–54 | … | … | … | 59,753 | 33,149 | -26,604 | 44.5 |
| 55–64 | … | … | … | 84,991 | 64,178 | -20,813 | 24.5 |
| Total | … | … | 252,200 | 136,669 | -115,531 | 45.8 |
§ It is natural that the greatest percentage decreases should have occurred among the younger men but the numbers aged 55 to 64 show a fall of about 25 per cent. Over two-thirds of the decrease in the total since 1st May has occurred among men aged 35 and over.
§ Analysis for women.
§ As already stated there has been little change, on the whole, since 14th August in the total number of women claimants on the register in the long-term category. But there have been decreases in the North Eastern and North Western Divisions, due, no doubt, to the demand for women's labour in the textile industries. The figures are as follow:
| Division. | Number unemployed 12 months or more at | Increase (+). Decrease (-). | ||||
| 14th August, 1939. | 1st January, 1940. | |||||
| Number. | Per cent. | |||||
| North Eastern | … | … | 1,112 | 905 | -207 | -18.6 |
| North Western | … | … | 9,009 | 7,838 | -1,171 | -13.0 |
| Other Divisions | … | … | 10,781 | 11,574 | +793 | +7.4 |
| Total | … | … | 20,902 | 20,317 | -585 | -28 |