§ Mr. Ernie Rossasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how the current unemployment rate in Scotland compares with rates in European Economic Community countries.
§ Mr. Alexander FletcherThe latest available unemployment rates in the European Economic Community are as follows. They are compiled using national definitions and are seasonally adjusted where possible. The figures are not comparable, owing to differences in concepts, coverage and methods of compilation.
EEC countries Percentage unemployment rate Germany*▀ June 7.5 France* June 10.8 Italy† ● May 10.3 Netherlands* May 11.9 Belgium‡ ▀ June 17.0 Luxembourg† ● May 1.1 United Kingdom*¶ July 12.3 Ireland† June 12.6 Denmark≑ May 9.6 Greece*▀ May 3.0 Scotland*¶ July 14.2 Notes: * Numbers registered at employment offices, expressed as a percentage of total employees. † Numbers registered at employment offices, expressed as a percentage of the civilian labour force. ‡ Insured unemployed, expressed as a percentage of the total insured population. ≑ Numbers registered at employment offices, expressed as a percentage of the total labour force. ¶ Rates for Scotland and United Kingdom exclude school-leavers. ● Not seasonally adjusted. ■ Estimate. Sources:
OECD publications, 'Main Economic Indicators' etc. Supplemented by labour attache reports etc—except Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg (source SOEC).