§ 13. Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of the total flow of all vacancies is now estimated to be reported to his Department; and upon what basis this estimate is made.
§ Mr. John FraserIt is estimated that about 25 per cent. of the total flow of vacancies are notified to the Employment Service Agency or to the careers offices of local education authorities. The calculation is very approximate and is made by relating the number of vacancies notified in each financial year to the number of changes of employment collected by the Inland Revenue.
§ Mr. HowellDoes the hon. Gentleman agree that the unemployment and vacancy figures as at present published are totally misleading?
§ Mr. FraserI do not agree that they are totally misleading. The registered unemployed figure is the most reliable that can be obtained as an indication of unemployment. We have never pretended that the notified vacancies figure describes the total demand for labour. That has always been made clear.