HC Deb 06 June 1978 vol 951 cc30-3W
Mr. Lawson

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if the unemployment figures requested in the Written Question from the hon. Member for Blaby which appeared in the Official Report, 7th April, column 263, are now available; if so, if he will publish them; and, if not, when he expects them to be available.

Mr. Golding,

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 15th May 1978, Vol. 950, c. 29], gave the following information:

The United States Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) estimates of unemployment rates, adjusted to United States concepts, for the first quarter of 1978 are:

United States … … … 6.2
Canada … … … 8.4
France … … … 5.1
Germany … … … 3.5
Italy … … … 3.5
Great Britain … … … 7.2

The estimates for Italy are currently being reviewed by the BLS. The figures for Japan and Sweden are not yet available.

Mr. Lawson

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will provide

Percentage change
Latest date Between March 1974 and the latest date Between November 1977 and the latest date
United Kingdom … … April 1978 … … +138 -3.0
United States … … April 1978 … … +29 -10.2
Japan … … April 1978* … … +77 +7.0
Italy† … … January 1978 … … — -4.9
West Germany … … April 1978 … … +103 -5.0
France … … April 1978 … … +144 +2.0
* Provisional figure.
† An important change in the method of compiling unemployment statistics in Italy prevents a direct comparison between March 1974 and current data. The figure given in the second column is the change in unadjusted unemployment since October 1977.

However, these comparisons are arbitrary: corresponding comparisons between March 1973 and the latest data, for example, would show the following:

Percentage change
United Kingdom … … +106
United States … … +39
Japan … … +94
West Germany … … +358
France … … +188

figures for the percentage unemployed in the public and private sectors of the economy in May, on the same basis as those contained in the table published in Written Answers, Official Report, 22nd February 1977, column 557.

Mr. Golding

Separate unemployment rates for the public and private sectors can be calculated only in an imprecise way by allocating the figures for each minimum list heading of the Standard Industrial Classification to the sector appropriate to the majority in each heading. On this basis, the percentages in Great Britain for May were 2.9 in the public sector and 5.3 in the private sector.

Mr. Pattie

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the percentage increase in unemployment since March 1974 to the latest available date in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Japan, Italy, West Germany, and France; and what was the percentage increase or decrease in unemployment in these countries between November 1977 and April 1978.

Mr. Golding

Using national definitions, the changes in the seasonally adjusted numbers unemployed for the countries listed are given below:

Mr. Tebbit

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish comparable rates of unemployment in the first quarter of 1978 for the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Italy, France, West Germany and Japan and quote the source used.

Mr. Golding

I refer the hon. Mem-Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Blaby (Mr. Lawson) today.

Mr. Canavan

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the most up-to-date estimate of the number of unemployed people under the age of 25 years.

Mr. Golding

At 12th January, the latest date for which the half-yearly age analysis is available, there were 551,240 people under 25 years of age registered as unemployed in Great Britain.