HC Deb 20 October 1949 vol 468 cc66-8W
Mr. Anthony Greenwood

asked the Minister of Labour what are the latest available unemployment figures shown as a percentage of insured workers in Rawtenstall, Haslingden, Bacup and Ramsbottom respectively; and what were the comparable figures for each of these towns for each year between 1919 and 1939.

Mr. Isaacs

The following table gives the information desired, so far as it is available.

Numbers of insured persons registered as unemployed at the undermentioned employment exchanges expressed as percentages of the estimated total numbers of insured persons in the areas of those exchanges.*
Date Rawtenstall Employment Exchange Haslingden Employment Exchange Bacup Employment Exchange Ramsbottom Employment Exchange
12th September, 1949 … 0.2 0.2 0.6 0.2
24th September, 1923† … 11.7 9.1 13.6 15.6
22nd September, 1924 … 6.3 7.5 8.2 5.5
21st September, 1925 … 9.1 3.9 5.8 4.8
20th September, 1926 … 23.5 14.6 36.8 11.6
26th September, 1927 … 7.5 5.8 10.9 2.9
24th September, 1928 … 18.1 7.2 26.1 7.2
23rd September, 1929 … 13.5 6.8 18.8 5.1
22nd September, 1930 … 26.7 39.7 35.6 27.5
21st September, 1931 … 41.2 37.9 39.3 26.4
26th September, 1932 … 32.0 32.0 28.9 22.1
25th September, 1933 … 20.0 24.0 18.7 12.4
24th September, 1934 … 25.7 19.3 22.2 9.3
23rd September, 1935 … 20.6 17.6 22.6 9.3
21st September, 1936 … 15.2 13.8 20.3 7.7
13th September, 1937 … 8.3 7.9 9.6 4.5
12th September, 1938 … 15.3 20.4 14.6 12.0
11th September, 1939 … 7.0 8.2 9.6 4.3
* The estimated numbers of insured persons are based on the number of unemployment books exchanged at the employment exchanges in question. The unemployment books were normally exchanged by employers at the exchange nearest to their establishments and the figures accordingly approximate more closely to the numbers working in the area than to the numbers living in the area. The percentages cannot, therefore, be taken as accurate measures of the rates of unemployment among residents in the areas, but they serve as broad indications of the change in the level of unemployment from year to year.
† Comparable figures are not available for any earlier year.

Mr. Morley

asked the Minister of Labour if he will supply the figures of unemployment in Southampton, classified into categories of trades and occupations for the nearest convenient date together with the comparable figures for 1948.

Industry 13th September, 1948 12th September, 1949
Males Females Total Males Females Total
Shipbuilding and Ship-Repairing 154 3 157 1,049 5 1,054
Manufacture and Repair of Aircraft 55 15 70 37 7 44
Building and Civil Engineering Contracting 124 1 125 159 3 162
Sea Transport 140 — 140 128 2 130
Distributive Trades 106 40 146 72 72 144
National Government Service 34 5 39 30 12 42
Catering, Hotels, etc. 51 81 132 53 127 180
All other Industries and Services 450 162 612 359 331 690
Total—All Industries and Services 1,114 307 1,421 1,887 559 2,446

Mr. Isaacs

The table below gives an industrial analysis of the numbers of persons registered as unemployed at employment exchanges in Southampton at 13th September, 1948 and 12th September, 1949.