HC Deb 03 August 1976 vol 916 cc760-2W
Mr. Geraint Howells

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will set out in a table the average employment per small firm for each year since 1945 in the following industrial sectors: manufacturing, retailing, wholesale trades, construction, mining/quarrying, motor trades, miscellaneous services, road transport and catering;

(2) if he will set out in a table the proportion of total employment in small firms for each year since 1924 in the following industrial sectors: manufacturing, retailing, wholesale trades, construction, mining/quarrying, motor trades, miscellaneous services, road transport and catering.

Mr. Golding

The full information requested is not available from my Department's statistics. For manufacturing industries some information—but mainly for establishments and not firms—is given from 1930 to 1963 for the United Kingdom, and from 1949 to 1961 for Great Britain, in Tables 206 and 207 of British Labour Statistics: Historical Abstract 1886–1968.

For more recent years the Census of Employment also provides some information for all industries and services but it relates to work places and not firms. The census unit, which is the basic unit reporting information normally represents complete individual addresses, such as shops, offices or factories. The branches of multiple firms thus constitute separate units. Furthermore there can be more than one census unit for a single address. This happens where the firm supplies information for different groups of employees, eg the monthly and weekly paid, on separate returns.

Following is an analysis for 1975, the most recent year for which this information is available, for the industry groups specified. It shows the numbers of census units and employees—for four size ranges—and the proportion each range forms of the total for the industry group. This information has been specially complied and the figures are provisional at this stage.

ANNUAL CENSUS OF EMPLOYMENT: GREAT BRITAIN SIZE ANALYSIS 1975
Number of census units in each size range and the proportion that this number forms of all units in the industry group Number of employees in employment in each size range and the proportion that this number forms of all employees in employment in the industry group
Number (000) Per cent Number (000) Per cent
MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES—Orders III-XIX inclusive of the Standard Industrial Classification
Size range (numbers of employees)
1–10 … … … … … 56.1 47.8 246.9 3.4
11–49 … … … … … 37.9 32.3 885.8 12.1
50–99 … … … … … 9.9 8.4 692.6 9.4
100–199 … … … … … 6.3 5.4 875.8 11.9
RETAIL DISTRIBUTION—MLHs 820 and 821 of the Standard Industrial Classification
Size range (numbers of employees)
1–10 … … … … … 204.1 86.7 722.5 38.5
11–49 … … … … … 26.9 11.4 527.1 28.1
50–99 … … … … … 2.4 1.0 163.4 8.7
100–199 … … … … … 1.2 0.5 171.0 9.1
WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTION—MLHs 810, 811 and 812
Size range (numbers of employees)
1–10 … … … … … 22.0 65.9 90.0 16.6
11–49 … … … … … 9.2 27.5 200.9 37.0
50–99 … … … … … 1.4 4.2 95.0 17.5
100–199 … … … … … 0.5 1.5 69.1 12.7
CONSTRUCTION—ORDER XX
Size range (numbers of employees)
1–10 … … … … … 67.2 73.9 228.9 18.0
11–49 … … … … … 18.7 20.6 405.8 31.9
50–99 … … … … … 3.1 3.4 212.0 16.6
100–199 … … … … … 1.3 1.4 183.7 14.4
MINING AND QUARRYING—Order II
Size range (numbers of employees)
1–10 … … … … … 1.4 45.2 6.2 1.8
11–49 … … … … … 1.1 35.5 25.3 7.2
50–99 … … … … … 0.3 9.7 17.7 5.1
100–199 … … … … … 0.1 3.2 9.1 2.6
MOTOR REPAIRERS, DISTRIBUTORS, GARAGES AND FILLING STATIONS—MLH 894
Size range (numbers of employees)
1–10 … … … … … 34.0 78.0 133.6 31.5
11–49 … … … … … 8.4 19.3 170.2 40.2
50–99 … … … … … 0.9 2.1 60.7 14.3
100–199 … … … … … 0.3 0.7 36.5 8.6
MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES—MLHs 881 to 883, 889, 892, 893, 895 and 899
Size range (numbers of employees)
1–10 … … … … … 79.8 83.9 251.7 27.4
11–49 … … … … … 12.6 13.2 266.6 29.0
50–99 … … … … … 1.5 1.6 103.6 11.3
100–199 … … … … … 0.8 0.8 105.1 11.5
ROAD TRANSPORT—MLHs 702, 703 and 704
Size range (numbers of employees)
1–10 … … … … … 15.5 69.2 56.2 12.6
11–49 … … … … … 5.2 23.2 112.1 25.1
50–99 … … … … … 0.8 3.6 57.2 12.8
100–199 … … … … … 0.4 1.8 62.0 13.9
CATERING—MLHs 884 to 888 inclusive
Size range (numbers of employees)
1–10 … … … … … 65.1 75.8 268.8 33.0
11–49 … … … … … 19.2 22.4 361.5 44.3
50–99 … … … … … 1.0 1.2 69.7 8.5
100–199 … … … … … 0.4 0.5 49.3 6.0

Note: MLH = Minimum List Heading of the Standard Industrial Classification.