§ Mr. Speedasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what is the average population of an area which is served by an employment exchange.
§ Mr. Fernyhough62,000.
§ Mr. Speedasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity how many employment exchanges there are in England and Wales; and what is the average number of staff in each, the average annual cost of the staff employed in each and the average total cost of each establishment, for the most convenient recent year.
§ Mr. FernyhoughOn 1st July there were 750 employment exchanges in England and Wales. They employ an average of 23 staff for all purposes, including the payments of unemployment benefit at an estimated cost, in the financial year 1968–69, of £24,000 per exchange. The estimated average total cost per exchange in the same year was £35,000.
§ Mr. Speedasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what was the average number of applications for employment received by each employment exchange in the last year for which 270W figures are available; what proportion of applicants was found employment; what was the average period between the initial application and successful placing in employment; and what was the proportion of applicants unplaced three months after their initial application.
§ Mr. FernyhoughThe number of registrations for employment by adults at each employment exchange in Great Britain—including those by persons who were still employed—averaged about 5,200 for the twelve months ending 6th January, 1969. Adult placings as a proportion of these registrations during the period were about 34 per cent.
Because of the wide variations in the length of time different individuals spend on the register any average would be unrepresentative. Recent studies, however, suggest that about one in eight of unemployed registrants remain on the register after 13 weeks from registration.
§ Mr. Speedasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will estimate what proportion of applicants for jobs through an employment exchange is placed in jobs outside the area covered by that exchange; and what arrangements exist for the interchange of information about job opportunities.
§ Mr. FernyhoughDuring the first quarter of 1969 about 5 per cent. of adult applicants for jobs were placed outside the area covered by the employment exchange at which they were registered and about 30 per cent. were placed in the area covered by the exchange.
There have always been extensive arrangements for the exchange of information between local offices. These have recently been overhauled and speeded up. Neighbouring offices are constantly exchanging particulars of job opportunities and regional offices arrange for circulation over wider areas as necessary. Use is made of modern equipment, such as photocopiers, the linking of offices by telephone for a daily "conference call"; a teleprinter network in Liverpool and an image transmission system in Birmingham. A national clearing house has recently been established to deal with all vacancies notified to the 41 offices of the Professional and Executive Register.
§ Mr. Speedasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what 271W use is made at present of computers by employment exchanges; and what future uses for them are planned.
§ Mr. FernyhoughExchanges are not at present in direct touch with a computer. Receipt, check and approval of claims for repayment under the Selective Employment Payments Act, previously undertaken clerically at exchanges, is now performed by computer.
Much of the statistical information supplied by exchanges is processed by computer. A system is under development for recording in a computer particulars about individual registrants from which statistical information at present extracted clerically at employment exchanges will be produced centrally by computer programme. We are studying the practicability of computer techniques being applied to assist staff with vacancy matching.
A system for processing unemployment benefit by computer has been devised in conjunction with the Department of Health and Social Security and its practical testing at one employment exchange began this month. If the test is successful it is hoped to extend the system to employment exchanges in London by the end of 1970.
§ Mr. Speedasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will give a breakdown by socio-economic class or income group of those who were placed in employment by employment exchanges for the most convenient recent year.
§ Mr. FernyhoughI regret that this information is not available.
§ Mr. Speedasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what proportion of school leavers find their first job through the Youth Employment Service.
§ Mr. Fernyhough35 per cent.
§ Mr. Speedasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity whether she will estimate, for the most recent year for which figures are available, the proportion of all those taking up new jobs each year who found jobs through the employment exchanges.
§ Mr. FernyhoughAny estimate can only be very approximate as no precise272W figures are available of the total number of engagements made each year. It is thought that the proportion of jobs filled each year by employment exchanges and careers offices, taken together, is of the order of 20 per cent.
§ Mr. Speedasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity how many employment exchanges are in the same building as the offices of the Department of Social Services.
§ Mr. Fernyhough224.
§ Mr. Speedasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity when an official study was last made of the efficiency and effectiveness of employment exchanges.
§ Mr. FernyhoughThe method of examining the efficiency and effectiveness of employment exchanges is that of continuous and systematic review.
§ Mr. Speedasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what charges are made to employers for services offered by employment exchanges; and if she will give details of them.
§ Mr. FernyhoughNo charges are made to employers in respect of the employment services offered by employment exchanges.