HC Deb 03 May 1988 vol 132 c716
9. Mr. Sackville

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the number of job vacancies registered at jobcentres.

Mr. Fowler

In March the number of unfilled vacancies at jobcentres in the United Kingdom, seasonally adjusted and excluding community programme vacancies, was 245,500, an increase of 15 per cent. compared with a year ago.

Mr. Sackville

Will my right hon. Friend join me in congratulating the staff of the Bolton, Westhorton and Norwich jobcentres on their efforts during the past 12 months, during which unemployment in my constituency has fallen by 735? Does he agree that the very welcome rise in the number of vacancies registered at those jobcentres does not reflect the full picture? Will he give any information that he has about the number of vacancies in the economy as a whole?

Mr. Fowler

I join my hon. Friend in congratulating the Bolton office, with which my Parliamentary Private Secretary keeps me in touch. We estimate that there are about 700,000 vacancies in the economy. In other words, the vacancies at jobcentres represent only about one third of the total number of vacancies.

Mr. Barry Jones

Will the right hon. Gentleman consider how he might help the many thousands of steel workers who lost their jobs as long ago as 1980 under the closure programme, many of whom left school early and have no skills? One of my constituents has been out of work for many years and has found it necessary to travel to London to find work, and go home about every 10 days. This is a serious matter. He is an industrial gypsy. Will the right hon. Gentleman not be complacent, and say how such men will find work?

Mr. Fowler

I am prepared to look at the case that the hon. Gentleman has put to me. I hope that he in turn will back all the Government's moves to improve adult training. Only if we are able to provide the long-term unemployed with skills through training will they be able to take up the vacancies that are increasingly occurring.