§ 58. Mr. Eadieasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what was the labour force in the car industry in Scotland in each year from 1963 to 1968; and what is the projected manpower envisaged each year until 1970.
§ Mr. FernyhoughThe reply to the first part of the Question is contained in the following table. As regards the second part of the Question, like my predecessors, I have never thought it a fruitful exercise to make forecasts about employment or unemployment.
Following is the information:
ESTIMATED NUMBERS OF EMPLOYEES IN EMPLOYMENT IN SCOTLAND IN MOTOR VEHICLE MANUFACTURING (MINIMUM LIST HEADING 381 OF THE 1958 EDITION OF THE STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION) (Thousands) Males Females Total Mid-1963 … 15.6 1.7 17.3 Mid-1964 (a) … 18.5 1.8 20.3 (b) … 18.6 1.9 20.5 Mid-1965 … 18.7 1.8 20.5 Mid-1966 (a) … 19.3 1.9 21.2 (b) … 19.5 1.9 21.4 Mid-1967 … 17.0 1.8 18.8 Mid-1968 … 16.4 1.6 18.0 Estimates for mid-1964 (b) and later dates are on a revised basis of calculation and are not strictly comparable with the estimates for mid-1964 (a) and mid-1963. Between June, 1966 and June, 1967 the industrial classifications of many establishments were corrected. The estimates for mid-1966 are shown (a) excluding and (b) including the effects of reclassifications.