§ Mr. G. Hallasked the Minister of Labour whether he will give the number of man-days lost through unemployment for each year since 1919?
§ Mr. E. BrownThe table below shows the estimated total number of working days lost owing to unemployment in each year since 1923 (the earliest year for which comparable figures can be given) by persons aged 16 to 64 insured against unemployment in Great Britain.
The figures do not include unemployment among agricultural and other classes of workers who have been brought within the scope of unemployment insurance since 1935.
Year. Number(Million days). 1923 390 1924 350 1925 380 1926 440 1927 340 1928 380 1929 380 1930 590 1931 810 1932 850 1933 760 1934 650 1935 600 1936 520 1937 440 1938 530* * This figure has been computed under the revised procedure for counting the unemployed introduced in September, 1937, and is, therefore, not strictly comparable with the figures for earlier dates. It is estimated that the aggregate number of possible working days for insured persons, aged 16–64 (exclusive of agricultural and domestic workers) ranged from about 3,300 million in 1923 to about 4,200 million in 1938.