Employment Statistics

HC Deb 17 February 1983 vol 37 cc201-3W

Mr. Nicholas Winterton

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people in the United Kingdom are currently employed in (a) the retail distribution of milk, (b) liquid milk processing, (c) manufacture of glass milk bottles and (d) manufacture and maintenance of electric milk floats.

Mr. Alison

The Department's employment statistics are analysed according to the 1968 standard classification, which does not separately distinguish the retail distribution of milk, the manufacture of glass milk bottles or the manufacture and maintenance of electric milk floats.

For liquid milk processing, minimum list heading 215 of the 1968 SIC provides information for milk and milk

Registered unemployed	South Yorkshire Metropolitan County	West Yorkshire Metropolitan County	North Yorkshire County	Total of Yorkshire counties
1978
January	35,228	52,481	12,032	99,741
February	34,333	51,465	11,827	97,625
March	32,994	49,862	11,481	94,337
April	34,142	49,945	10,953	95,040
May	33,317	48,232	10,301	91,850
June	36,810	50,090	9,730	96,630
July	41,012	55,580	11,018	107,610
August	41,672	58,371	11,593	111,636
September	39,463	55,177	11,304	105,944
October	36,754	50,419	11,281	98,454
November	35,535	48,076	11,130	94,741
December	34,640	46,839	10,822	92,301
1979
January	36,764	49,888	11,662	98,314
February	36,883	50,086	11,825	98,794

products, and the provisional number of employees in employment in that industry in the United Kingdom at September 1982 was 50,400.

Mr. Hordern

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are aged 60 years and over who have been unemployed for more than one year.

Mr. Alison

At October 1982, the latest date for which the information is available, the number of unemployed claimants aged 60 years and over in Great Britain who had been unemployed for over 52 weeks was 122,837. The figure excludes a number of claimants unemployed for over 52 weeks, estimated to be about 4 per cent. for all age groups combined.

Mr. Mason

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many persons were employed in the textile industry in Yorkshire in 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982, respectively;

(2) how many persons were employed in the steel industry in Yorkshire in 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982, respectively.

Mr. Alison

I regret that the figures requested are not available. The June 1978 census of employment showed 94,600 employees in textiles in Yorkshire and 49,500 in iron and steel (general) and steel tubes. Censuses were not held in 1979 and 1980 and local figures from the September 1981 census are not yet ready.

Mr. Mason

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the national and the Yorkshire monthly unemployment figures for 1978, 1979 and 1982, respectively.

Mr. Alison

The national figures for unemployed claimants were published in the January 1983 issue ofEmployment Gazette, labour market data section, tables 2.1 and 2.2, a copy of which is in the Library.

The following table gives, for the Yorkshire counties, the monthly figures for registered unemployed—the old basis of the count—for 1978, 1979 and from January to October in 1982. It also gives the numbers of unemployed claimants—the new basis of the count—for October, November and December 1982. The figures include school leavers and are not seasonally adjusted. Estimates of unemployed claimants for dates prior to October 1982 are not available below regional level.

Registered unemployed	South Yorkshire Metropolitan County	West Yorkshire Metropolitan County	North Yorkshire County	Total of Yorkshire counties
March	36,103	48,588	11,679	96,370
April	34,314	45,952	10,737	91,003
May	34,367	44,645	9,815	88,827
June	37,480	46,970	8,681	93,131
July	40,195	52,172	10,142	102,509
August	39,565	52,269	10,324	102,158
September	38,026	49,734	9,508	97,268
October	36,630	48,165	9,913	94,708
November	35,484	46,925	9,974	92,383
December	35,367	47,548	10,223	93,138
1982
January	86,469	117,087	22,491	226,047
February	85,656	115,901	22,227	223,784
March	84,281	113,797	21,755	219,833
April	85,481	114,649	21,247	221,377
May	84,868	114,015	20,682	219,565
June	88,754	118,820	20,376	227,950
July	92,064	123,245	21,271	236,580
August	93,900	126,878	22,038	242,816
September	97,846	130,855	22,629	251,330
October	95,545	127,452	23,176	246,173
Unemployed claimants
October	91,246	120,011	21,370	232,627
November	91,797	120,304	21,874	233,975
December	93,056	120,945	22,433	236,434