§ Mr. Wyn Robertsasked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the percentage annual increase in the total United Kingdom labour force since 1967 to date, and the expected increase up to 1975, and the effect on unemployment to date.
§ Mr. BryanDuring the period March, 1967, to March, 1971, the latest date for which estimates are available, the working population of the United Kingdom fell from 25,925,000 to 25,373,000, an average annual decrease of 0.5 per cent. Over the same period, the number registered as wholly unemployed in the United Kingdom rose from 564,000 to 738,000 and the most recent figure, November, 1971, was 894,000.
Apart from the effects of fluctuations in the pressure of demand, the total working population in 1975 is expected to be about the same size as in 1971.