§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many jobs have been lost in textiles since the end of June 1979; and how many further jobs he expects to disappear in the coming year.
§ Mr. Jim LesterPrecise information about job gains and losses is not available but an indication of the net change can be seen by comparing the levels of the estimates of employees in employment at different dates.
Between June 1979 and April 1980, the latest date for which information is available, the number of employees in employment in the textiles industry in Great Britain fell by 42,500. The figure is provisional.
Future levels of employment in the textile industry depend upon a number of factors, including the level of world trade, which cannot be forecast with any degree of certainty. It is, therefore, not possible to say what the employment situation in the industry will be during the coming year.