§ 87. Mr. Prenticeasked the Minister of Labour why, despite the drop in the number of registered unemployed during February, the statistics issued by his Department show that there were 25,000 fewer people in employment at the end of that month than at the end of January.
§ Mr. Iain MacleodThere is normally a drop in February both in the numbers estimated to be in civil employment and registered as unemployed. The numbers in the working population in any month, 9W both employed and unemployed, are affected by normal wastage due to retirements, deaths, marriage, etc., on the one hand, and by the number of new entrants, mainly school leavers, on the other. February I as a small new intake of school-leavers and wastage is likely to be high.
NUMBERS OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS ON THE REGISTERS OF THE BURNTISIAND EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGE AT THE UNDERMENTIONED DATES Year March June September December Men Women Men Women Men Women Men Women 1951 … … … 22 28 17 22 16 22 21 44 1952 … … … 26 58 18 45 22 49 29 59 1953 … … … 27 54 21 35 16 39 20 52 1954 … … … 20 47 22 26 20 19 18 33 1955 … … … 18 31 13 21 17 29 23 34 1956 … … … 20 33 16 19 19 27 24 30 1957 … … … 69 28 16 9 31 30 35 32 1958 … … … 47 48 113 32 44 44 81 54 1959 … … … 111 53 — — — — — —