HL Deb 09 March 1987 vol 485 cc926-7WA
The Earl of Selkirk

asked Her Majesty's Government:

If they can state the numbers employed (a) in Scotland (h) in the United Kingdom in the years 1925, 1935, 1945, 1955, 1965, 1975, 1985.

Lord Young of Graffham

It is not possible to give consistent figures for all the dates asked for because of the changes since 1935 in methods and definitions used in making employment estimates. The available information is as follows:

Employed Labour Forces
At Mid Year United Kingdom Scotland
1935 About 19½ to 20 million ..
1955 23,699,000 2,261,000
1965 (A) 25,626,000 2,272,000
1965 (B) 25,204,000 ..
1975 25,040,000 2,234,000
1985 24,402,000 2,095,000

Notes

(1) The UK employed labour force includes employees in employment, the self employed and members of HM Forces. The Scottish figures do not include any HM Forces.

(2) The figures for 1955 and 1965(A) are based on counts of national insurance cards; those for 1965(B) and later years are based on the censuses of employment (for employees) and population (for the self employed). In Scotland the difference between estimates on the two bases was 15,000 in 1971.

.. not available.