HC Deb 18 March 1976 vol 907 cc610-1W
Mr. Tebbit

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the latest figures for unemployment and notified job vacancies in London compared with the equivalent figures for each of the last 10 years, together with the best estimates he has of the total number of jobs in London at the same dates.

Mr. John Fraser

The first table below shows the numbers registered as unemployed and notified unfilled vacancies in greater London. The vacancy figures relate only to vacancies notified to employment offices and careers offices and are not a measure of total vacancies. Because of possible duplication, the two series should not be added together.

The second table gives the estimated numbers of employees in employment in greater London at June each year from 1966 until 1974, the latest date for which the information is available.

NUMBERS UNEMPLOYED AND UNFILLED VACANCIES IN GREATER LONDON
Notified vacancies remaining unfilled at
Numbers unemployed Employment Offices Careers Offices
February 1966 37,588 58,788 22,551
February 1967 71,999 35,677 13,676
February 1968 78,959 35,862 13,314
February 1969 68,267 39,540 15,884
February 1970 65,269 37,930 15,365
February 1971 67,511 30,363 11,425
February 1972 87,815 24,812 7,141
February 1973 70,098 45,730 10,746
February 1974 60,096 58,498 15,883
February 1975 73,910 * *
February 1976 144,871 19,206 3,916
*Because of industrial action at local offices of the Employment Service Agency vacancy figures for February 1975 are not available.

ESTIMATED NUMBERS OF EMPLOYEES IN EMPLOYMENT IN GREATER LONDON
Thousands
June 1966 … … … 4,667
June 1967 … … … 4,558
June 1968 … … … 4,500
June 1969(a) … … … 4,432
June 1969(b) … … … 4,383
June 1970 … … … 4,276
June 1971(a) … … … 4,213
June 1971(b) … … … 3,939
June 1972 … … … 3,894
June 1973 … … … 3,879
June 1974 … … … 3,847

Notes:

(1) Estimates for June 1969(b) include improved information about the location of employees in the distributive trades and are not strictly comparable with estimates for June 1969(a) and earlier dates.

(2) Estimates for June 1971(b) and later dates are taken from censuses of employment and are not strictly comparable with figures for June 1971(a) and earlier dates which were based on counts of national insurance cards.