§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Employment which industries in Scotland have suffered the greatest job losses over the past three years.
§ Mr. GoldingPrecise information about job gains and job losses is not available, but an indication of the net change can be seen by comparing the level of the estimates of employees in employment at different dates. For Scotland, estimates have been compiled for certain groups of industries at quarterly intervals since June 1974. Between December 1974 and December 1976, the latest date for which estimates are available, the main decreases in numerical terms were 21,100 in engineering and allied industries (Orders VII-XII of the Standard Industrial Classification), 10,700 in other manufacturing industries (Orders XVI-XIX) and 7,300 in the distributive trades (Order XXIII). The comparison has been based on the same month in each year in order to avoid seasonal influences. Corresponding estimates for December 1973 are not available.