§ Earl Russellasked Her Majesty's Government:
How the published figures for job vacancies are arrived at, and how these methods of calculation were decided on.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Social Security (Lord Skelmersdale)The basic method of compiling the monthly figures for job vacancies has been used since 1948 and relates to a count of vacancies notified to Jobcentres and their predecessors. This method provides up-to-date information, indicative of overall trends, within a reasonable timescale and at relatively little cost. Latest research suggests that vacancies notified to Jobcentres account for about a third of the total.