§ Mr. Knoxasked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the average number of vacancies notified to employment offices in the Staffordshire, Moorlands constituency over each of the years 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983, respectively.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonThe information requested is as follows:
Year ending Monthly average 30 November 1979 1,173 5 December 1980 778 4 December 1981 675 3 December 1982 694 2 December 1983 859 There is likely to have been a substantial number of vacancies other than those notified to jobcentres. Nationally it is estimated that about one third of all vacancies are notified to jobcentres.
§ Mr. Knoxasked the Secretary of State for Employment what number of vacancies had been notified to employment offices in the Staffordshire, Moorlands constituency at the last date for which figures are available.
680Wspecified figures are available for April each year for Great Britain, unadjusted for seasonal variations. The figures from 1964 to 1982 relate to registered unemployed and those for 1983 and 1984 are of unemployed claimants. Since the overall level of unemployment varies from year to year, percentage changes in the proportion of longer term unemployed people from one year to another cannot be provided on a comparable basis.
The comparisons are affected by the change in the basis of the unemployment count in October 1982 and by the 1983 Budget provisions, which meant that some men aged 60 and over no longer had to sign on in order to receive supplementary benefit or national insurance credits.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonA total of 1,171 vacancies were notified to jobcentres in the Staffordshire, Moorlands constituency during the five-week period ending 8 June 1984.
There is likely to have been a substantial number of vacancies other than those notified to the jobcentres. Nationally it is estimated that about one third of all vacancies are notified to jobcentres.