HC Deb 12 May 1978 vol 949 c653W
Mr. Wigley

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a table showing the most recent comparable unemployment percentages for England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden and Austria.

Mr. Golding

Unemployment rates for the countries of the United Kingdom in April 1978 were:

Unemployed percentage Unemployed excluding school leavers seasonally adjusted percentage
England* 5.6 5.3
Wales* 8.4 7.8
Scotland* 8.2 7.8
Northern Ireland* 11.8 11.1

Unemployment rates are not available on a comparable basis for the other countries listed. The most recent available national data, not seasonally adjusted,

EMPLOYEES IN EMPLOYMENT IN SCOTLAND
June 1974 June 1976 (Thousands) December 1977*
Iron and Steel (general) and steel tubes (Minimum List Headings 311 and 312 of the Standard Industrial Classification) … … … … … … … … 27.9 26.0 —
Metal manufacture (Order VI of the S.I.C.) … … … 43.4 39.1 37.6
* Provisional.