§ 55. Mr. J. H. Osbornasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many vacancies there are for employment which have yet to be filled; and if he will tabulate the number of vacancies for each grade of industrial activity making up this total, also indicating in each grade or category the average wage being paid at the present time.
§ Mr. Dudley SmithThere is no obligation on employers to notify their vacancies to my Department, but at 6th October of those that had been notified, 158,870 remained unfilled in Great Britain. It is too early for an industrial analysis of this provisional figure, but I will, with permission, circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT an analysis of the vacancies which were unfilled at 8th September.
The latest available industrial analyses of wages and salaries relate to October, 1970 and were published in the February and March, 1971 issues of the Department of Employment Gazette. More up-to-date analyses for April, 1971, de- 416W rived from the New Earnings Survey, will be published shortly.
Following is the vacancy information:
Notified vacancies remaining unfilled in Great Britain at 8th September, 1971 Agriculture, forestry and fishing 2,181 Mining and quarrying 3,499 Food, drink and tobacco 3,862 Coal and petroleum products 141 Chemicals and allied industries 2,333 Metal manufacture 2,026 Mechanical engineering 6,925 Instrument engineering 1,333 Electrical engineering 5,349 Shipbuilding and marine engineering 517 Vehicles 3,805 Metal goods not elsewhere specified 4,867 Textiles 3,923 Leather, leather goods and fur 731 Clothing and footwear 10,880 Bricks, pottery, glass, cement, etc. 1,454 Timber, furniture, etc. 2,806 Paper, printing and publishing 2,904 Other manufacturing industries 3,000 Construction 13,562 Gas, electricity and water 755 Transport and communication 6,277 Distributive trades 25,625 Insurance, banking, finance and business services 5,827 Professional and scientific services 18,994 Miscellaneous services 28,812 Public administration 6,406 Total, all industries and services 168,794