HC Deb 18 November 1974 vol 881 cc321-2W
Mr. Richard Wainwright

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will print in the OFFICIAL REPORT (a) the number of people of working age, and (b) the size of the working population divided between (i) males and (ii) females for each year since 1945; and if he will publish with these data the rate of unemployed (a) for all employees, and (b) for those unemployed for eight or more weeks.

Mr. John Fraser

The information requested is shown in the following tables:

Population of Working Age Working Population
(Great Britain: Mid-year estimates in thousands)
Males (aged 15–64) Females (aged 15–59) Males (aged 15 and over) Females (aged 15 and over)
1950 16,115 15,582 15,692 7,290
1951 15,933 15,568 15,798 7,441
1952 15,959 15,530 15,897 7,460
1953 15,985 15,496 15,920 7,524
1954 16,017 15,465 16,015 7,705
1955 16,050 15,435 16,079 7,853
1956 16,059 15,394 16,203 7,953
1957 16,091 15,362 16,237 8,009
1958 16,146 15,367 16,173 7,944
1959 16,238 15,403 16,168 8,029
1960 16,365 15,441 16,264 8,261
1961 16,544 15,486 16,366 8,407
1962 16,795 15,607 16,507 8,539
1963 16,889 15,650 16,548 8,590
1964 16,967 15,638 16,546 8,722
1965 17,001 15,636 16,604 8,859
1966 16,992 15,626 16,558 9,027
1967 16,986 15,585 16,477 8,937
1968 16,993 15,565 16,323 8,952
1969 16,988 15,524 16,246 9,022
1970 16,966 15,480 16,095 9,029
1971(a) 16,944 15,433 15,956 8,970
1971(b) 16,944 15,433 15,838 8,708
1972 16,975 15,432 15,824 8,836
1973 17,020 15,454 15,831 9,175

Notes:

1. Reliable estimates are not available for the years 1945 to 1949.

2. Persons in the working population who are employees in employment were estimated from counts of national insurance cards up to 1971(a) and thereafter from censuses of employment. The former counts include seasonal or part-year workers, many of whom are excluded from the censuses.

Unemployed (as a percentage of total employees) (Great Britain: June of each year)
(a) (b)
All unemployed Unemployed for eight weeks or more (at the June count)
1950 1.3 0.6
1951 0.9 0.4
1952 1.4 0.6
1953 1.3 0.6
1954 1.1 0.5
1955 0.8 0.4
1956 0.9 0.4
1957 1.1 0.6
1958 1.7 0.8
1959 1.8 1.0
1960 1.3 0.8
1961 1.1 0.6
1962 1.6 0.9
1963 2.0 1.2
1964 1.4 0.8
1965 1.2 0.7
1966 1.1 0.6
1967 2.0 1.2
1968 2.2 1.3
1969 2.1 1.3
1970 2.3 1.4
1971 3.1 1.9
1972 3.4 2.4
1973 2.4 1.7
1974 2.3 1.5

Note: Reliable estimates are not available for the years 1945 to 1949.