§ Mr. Leeasked the Secretary of State for Employment what were the 12 industries in which employment contracted most sharply during 1977; in which 12 industries employment expanded most during the same period; what was the net difference, in terms of total increase or decrease of persons employed; which 12 industries he expects to lose most labour during the current year, and which 12 industries he expects to take on the most labour during the same period.
§ Mr. GoldingThe latest comprehensive employment estimates are for September 1977. The following table gives the 12 industries in which employment has (a) decreased most sharply, and (b) increased most sharply, based on percentage 55W changes in the numbers of employees since September 1976:
A. Industries with greatest decreases Per cent. Telegraph and telephone apparatus and equipment 7.8 Soft drinks 7.2 Brushes and brooms 6.2 Production of man-made fibres 5.9 Textile machinery and accessories 5.7 Bedding, etc. 5.4 Tobacco 5.2 Abrasives and building materials, etc. not elsewhere specified 4.7 Fertilisers 4.3 Carpets 4.2 Vegetable and animal fats and oils 4.1 Spinning and doubling on the cotton and flax systems 4.1
B. Industries with greatest increases Per cent. Jewellery and precious metals 9.0 Other road haulage 8.5 Sport and other recreation 7.1 Cans and metal boxes 6.4 Water supply 6.1 Other business services 5.9 Motor vehicle manufacturing 5.4 Pottery 5.4 Dress industries not elsewhere specified 5.1 Glass 4.8 Aluminium and aluminium alloys 4.8 Motor cycle and pedal cycle manufacture 4.6 Between September 1976 and September 1977 the estimated total number of employees in employment in Great Britain increased by 105,000. There is no reliable method of estimating the future employment levels of individual industries.