§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing (a) the estimated levels of ethnic minority unemployment on a region by region basis; (b) the estimated working population on the same basis; and (c) if he will express (a) as a percentage of (b) in each case at the latest convenient date for which figures are available.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe latest available information which provides the required comparison is from the 1981 labour force survey.
Estimates for the second quarter of 1981 of the numbers of economically active persons identified as of non-white ethnic origin and of these the numbers and proportions out of employment are given below:
Economically active Out of employment Out of employment as a proportion of economically active (Thousands) (Thousands) (per cent.) North west 66 14 21 South east 511 68 13 East Midlands 75 14 18 West Midlands 149 35 24 Yorkshire and Humberside 58 14 23 The sample numbers in the 1981 labour force survey are too small to produce reliable estimates for other regions.
Information on the ethnic origin of those within the working population is not available.
§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will make a statement on the current levels of unemployment among the ethnic minorities;
(2) what progress he has made towards the improved monitoring of ethnic minority unemployment; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe last count at jobcentres and careers offices was taken in August 1982 when there were 131,701 registered unemployed ethnic minority group workers in Great Britain. This represented 4.2 per cent. of all registered unemployed at that date. The figures cover those who were born or whose parent(s) were born in the New Commonwealth or Pakistan.
New arrangements for monitoring the level of ethnic minority unemployment remain under consideration. My right hon. Friend will make a statement in due course.
§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the percentage of the British work force represented by the ethnic minorities; and if he will express the ethnic minority percentage and the total work force in numerical terms.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe latest available information is from the 1981 labour force survey. It is estimated that in 1981 there were 25,737 thousand economically active persons in Great Britain of whom 908 thousand (3.5 per cent.) were identified as of non-white origin.