HC Deb 16 April 1946 vol 421 cc435-6W
Major Bruce

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will furnish figures showing as at 31st March, or the nearest convenient date thereto, of each year from 1918 to 1946, the numbers of men and women employed in the city of Portsmouth; and the numbers unemployed and distinguishing where possible, temporary and permanent unemployment.

Mr. Isaacs:

The available figures corn-piled by my Department relate to persons insured under the Unemployment Insurance Acts, and the first year for which comparable figures are available is 1923. The table below shows the approximate numbers of insured persons as indicated

Date. Approximate numbers of insured persons. Numbers of insured persons unemployed
Men aged 18 years and over.* Women aged 18 years and over.* Men aged 18 years and over. * Women aged 18 years and over. *
Wholly unemployed (inc. Casuals). Temporarily stopped. Wholly unemployed.(inc. Casuals). Temporarily stopped.
July
1923 32,830 8,400 Comparable figures not available
1924 33,430 9,000
1925 33,400 10,650 3,757 425
1926 33,220 10,150 3,901 17 544 91
1927 33,280 10,120 2,873 505 94
1928 32,920 10,090 3,164 4 387 85
1929 33,800 10,340 2,758 2 244 21
1930 35,190 10,670 4,066 441 73
1931 30,690 11,360 5,569 28 672 109
1932 37,790 11,380 6,520 24 760 155
1933 38,780 11,530 5,503 41 705 37
1934 38,890 11,310 4,900 5 457 202
1935 39,890 11,850 4,841 354 72
1936 41,110 12,030 3,498 419 117
1937 43,010 12,340 3,233 372 59
1938 45,590 13,440 3,167 3 353 54
1939 48,420 14,260 2,217 2 594 48
1940 44,530 15,820 964 838 97
1941 38,560 14,360 205 155 21
1942 37,560 18,470 215† 121† 33
1943 36,130 19,710 211 47
1944 37,120 20,070 132 22
1945 34,690 18,250 377 107
1946 (March) 1,067 841 3
* The figures for 1923 to 1927 relate to persons aged 18 years and over, including those aged over 65. Persons aged 65 years and over ceased to be insurable under the Unemployment Insurance Acts in January, 1928, and the figures for 1928 to 1939 relate to persons aged 18 and under 65 years. Women aged 60 and under 65 years ceased to be insurable in July, 1940, and the figures for 1940 and later years relate, therefore, to men aged 18 and under 65 and to women aged 18 and under 60 years.
† For 1942 and subsequent years the unemployment figures exclude persons classified as unsuitable ordinary employment. In 1942 the numbers so excluded were 44 men and 6 women.

by the statistics of unemployment insurance books exchanged at Portsmouth Employment Exchange in respect of men and women, employed and unemployed, insured against unemployment at July of each year from 1923 to 1945, the latest year for which such figures are available, together with the numbers of such persons recorded as unemployed in July of each of those years and at 11th March, 1946, distinguishing wholly unemployed, i.e., out of a situation, and temporarily stopped, i.e., temporarily suspended from work on the understanding that they were shortly to resume their former employment. Agricultural workers, who first became insurable against unemployment in 1936, have been excluded throughout.

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