§ Mr. Lawsonasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a table showing the total numbers unemployed, both in absolute figures and as a percentage of the total work force, in each year since 1945.
§ Mr. GoldingThe present series of unemployment statistics started in July 1948. The following table gives the information for Great Britain at March each year from 1949. The unemployment percentage rates are based on the estimated total numbers of employees—employed and unemployed—which differ from the total work force in that they exclude self-employed persons and members of Her Majesty's Forces.
Total unemployed Percentage rate of unemployment March 1949 332,202 1.6 March 1950 338,624 1.6 March 1951 267,752 1.3 March 1952 328,580 1.6 March 1953 357,817 1.7 March 1954 326,519 1.5 March 1955 251,297 1.2 March 1956 238,077 1.1 March 1957 335,353 1.5 March 1958 395,727 1.8 March 1959 500,875 2.3 March 1960 401,741 1.8 March 1961 322,296 1.4 March 1962 411,173 1.8 March 1963 636,085 2.8 March 1964 415,398 1.8 March 1965 342,978 1.5 March 1966 306,512 1.3 March 1967 524,817 2.3 March 1968 571,951 2.5 March 1969 566,053 2.5 March 1970 601,772 2.6 March 1971 700,040 3.1 March 1972 924,677 4.1 March 1973 682,637 3.0 March 1974 590,071 2.6 March 1975 768,423 3.4 March 1976 1,234,573 5.3 March 1977 1,328,081 5.7 March 1978 1,398,980 6.0