§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of job vacancies on Merseyside at the latest date; and what they were in May 1979.
§ Mr. Jim Lester[pursuant to his reply, 28 November 1980]: At 7 November 1980, the provisional numbers of notified vacancies remaining unfilled at employment offices and careers offices in the Merseyside special development area were 1,890 and 14, respectively. The corresponding figures at 4 May 1979 were 4,019 and 152. The figures are not adjusted for seasonal influences, which normally lead to vacancies being higher in May than in November.
Vacancies notified to employment offices are estimated to be about one-third of all vacancies in the country as a whole. Because of possible duplication the figures for employment offices and careers offices should not be added together.
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§ Mr. Jim LesterI will reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.