Unemployment (Hansard, 6 June 1995)

§ Mr. Austin Mitchell
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what targets he has set for the rate of unemployment. [26533]

§ Mr. Oppenheim
The Government pursue policies designed to achieve high levels of employment and low inflation. However, I do not believe that it is sensible to set a particular rate of unemployment as a target for these policies.
103W

§ Mr. Austin Mitchell
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many(a) full-time and (b) part-time jobs would have to be created in the absence of special Government measures to reduce unemployment to the same level as in the fourth quarter of 1973 on the same definition. [27025]

Work-force in employment and claimant unemployment, United Kingdom, seasonally adjusted

Workforce in employment Of which Claimant Unemployed¹ Unemployment rate

Date 000's Part time employees² 000's Work related govt training programmes³ 000's 000's Percentage

June l973⁴ 25,209 3,891 ¹— 534 2.1

June 1974⁴ 25,280 4,183 ¹— 513 2.0

December 1994 25,604 6,222 304 2,419 8.6

April 1995 n/a n/a n/a 2,328 8.3

Source: "Employment Gazette"

n/a: not available

Notes:

¹ Consistent with the current definition.

² There are also part-time self-employed workers but for the UK figures are available only for employees. Participants in work related government training programmes are all considered to be part-time members of the workforce in employment.

³Includes participants on government training and employment programmes who receive some work experience on their placement but who do not have a contract of employment. Participants with a contract are included as employees.

⁴ Figures that are comparable and consistent with the current coverage of the "Workforce in Employment" statistics are not available on a quarterly basis before 1978. Therefore, the figures for June 1973 and June 1974 are given to provide the most comprehensive information available for the last quarter of 1973.

Work-force in employment and claimant unemployment, United Kingdom, seasonally adjusted
	Workforce in employment	Of which	Claimant Unemployed¹	Unemployment rate
Date	000's	Part time employees² 000's	Work related govt training programmes³ 000's	000's	Percentage
June l973⁴	25,209	3,891	¹—	534	2.1
June 1974⁴	25,280	4,183	¹—	513	2.0
December 1994	25,604	6,222	304	2,419	8.6
April 1995	n/a	n/a	n/a	2,328	8.3
Source: "Employment Gazette"
n/a: not available
Notes:
¹ Consistent with the current definition.
² There are also part-time self-employed workers but for the UK figures are available only for employees. Participants in work related government training programmes are all considered to be part-time members of the workforce in employment.
³Includes participants on government training and employment programmes who receive some work experience on their placement but who do not have a contract of employment. Participants with a contract are included as employees.
⁴ Figures that are comparable and consistent with the current coverage of the "Workforce in Employment" statistics are not available on a quarterly basis before 1978. Therefore, the figures for June 1973 and June 1974 are given to provide the most comprehensive information available for the last quarter of 1973.