HL Deb 20 April 2000 vol 612 cc141-2WA
Lord Marlesford

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 27 March (WA 60), whether they will extend the table supplied by publishing for the industries specified below (a) the total job figures and (b) an index based on 1948 = 100 showing the changes that have occurred in these industries from 1948 to 1998 in 10-year steps: coal mining; ports and docks; railways; steel production; shipbuilding; agriculture; motor vehicle manufacture; and textiles. [HL2119]

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics, who has been asked to reply.

Letter to Lord Marlesford from the Economics Statistics Director of the Office for National Statistics, Mr John Kidgell, dated 19 April 2000.

The Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has been asked to reply to your recent question on employment changes by industry in the United Kingdom since 1948. I am replying in the Director's absence.

The data requested appears in the attached table. The figures for 1948 to 1968 are based on in formation from British Labour Statistics Historical Abstract 1886–1968. For the years 1978 to 1998, figures are based on employment surveys in the nearest available year.

You should be aware that the figures given in the reply are based on industry classifications that have changed several times since 1948, and therefore some estimates may not be strictly comparable over time.

Employee Jobs in United Kingdom
(Thousands)
1948 1958 1968 1978 1988 1998
Coal mining 794 782 482 295 118 16
Ports and docks 156 156 136 66 36 25
Railways 572 495 293 250 155 89
Steel production 268 306 329 271 99 48
Shipbuilding 245 215 156 147 58 20
Agriculture 784 577 385 372 316 312
Motor vehicle manufacture 280 316 475 474 108 101
Textile manufacture 993 931 737 488 228 180
Column Totals 4,092 3,778 2,993 2,363 1,118 791

Index (1948 = 100)
1948 1958 1968 1978 1988 1998
Coal Mining 100 98 61 37 15 2
Ports and docks 100 100 87 42 23 16
Railways 100 87 51 44 27 16
Steel production 100 114 123 101 37 18
Shipbuilding 100 88 64 60 24 3
Motor vehicle manufacture 100 113 169 169 39 36
Textile manufacture 100 94 74 49 23 18
Index of column totals 100 92 73 58 27 19
Notes:
1 The figures are arranged according to the five versions of the Standard Industrial Classification in use from 1948 to date. For this reason the figures are broadly comparable but there may be some fine definitional differences in certain industries.
2 The 1988 figures are interpolations based on the 1987 and 1989 ere was no Censuses of Employment. There was no Census of Employment in 1988.

Forward to