HC Deb 14 June 1993 vol 226 cc448-9W
Mr. Leighton

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of people aged 18, 19, 20 and 21 years are currently out of work.

Miss Widdecombe

Information on claimant unemployment by pre-determined age bands, expressed as a percentage of the work force in those particular age bands, is available on a quarterly basis and only at national level. The latest available data for April are as follows:

Age group Unemployment rate
18–19 18.1
20–24 16.7

The latest available labour force survey (LFS) data on unemployment by age in the United Kingdom—using the ILO measure of unemployment—are given in the following table:

Unemployment by Age, United Kingdom, Spring 1992 LFS
Thousands
Age Unemployment rate1
18 14.8
19 18.3
20 17.9
21 16.8
1 Unemployment as a percentage of those who are economically active.

Mr. Dewar

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish figures showing for each occupational group within the standard occupational classifications(a) the numbers currently employed and (b) the number of long-term unemployed claimants whose previous occupation fell within that group, giving the most recently available data.

Miss Widdecombe

The most recent available information from the labour force survey is given in the following table:

Persons in employment by current occupation and long-term ILO unemployed claimants by previous occupation
Great Britain (thousands)
SOC major Occupations In employment1 Long-term ILO unemployed Claimants2
All persons 324,967 3759
1. Managers and administrators 3,803 46
2. Professional occupations 2,494 10
3. Associate professions and technical occupations 2,239 28
4. Clerical, secretarial occupations 3,827 56
5. Craft and related occupations 3,386 177
6. Personal, protective occupations 2,492 43
7. Sales occupations 1,975 35
8. Plant and machine operatives 2,382 106
9. Other occupations 2,200 127
1 Includes employees, self-employed, those on government employment and training programmes, and unpaid family workers.
2 Includes those who are ILO unemployed for more than a year and claiming unemployment related benefit.
3 Includes those who did not state their occupations.

Source: Labour Force Survey—Autumn (September-November) 1992 (not seasonally adjusted).