HC Deb 12 May 1980 vol 984 cc300-3W
Mr. Field

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the level of unemployment in (a) Great Britain, (b) the North-West, (c) Merseyside and (d) Birkenhead for each year since 1945; and if he will subdivide these data according to whether the persons were male or female.

Mr. Jim Lester

The present series of unemployment statistics started in July 1948. In the following table information is given, where readily available, for June each year from 1949 to 1979 and for April 1980.

NORTH WEST REGION
Males Females Total
June 1949 32,717 9,988 42,705
June 1950 30,391 12,564 42,955
June 1951 17,817 10,313 28,130
June 1952 29,948 29,785 59,733
June 1953 31,095 18,459 49,554
June 1954 23,875 12,898 36,773
June 1955 17,825 10,683 28,508
June 1956 19,689 10,686 30,375
June 1957 26,785 12,736 39,521
June 1958 41,195 17,787 58,982
June 1959 46,816 20,351 67,167
June 1960 35,684 16,424 52,108
June 1961 29,090 10,456 39,546
June 1962 45,832 16,445 62,277
June 1963 58,251 22,237 80,488
June 1964 41,908 13,190 55,098
June 1965 32,287 10,036 42,323
June 1966 28,111 7,679 35,790
June 1967 50,741 12,716 63,457
June 1968 57,100 9,541 66,641
June 1969 56,884 8,463 65,347
June 1970 63,085 9,047 72,132
June 1971 87,743 13,788 101,531
June 1972 108,990 18,337 127,327
June 1973 82,582 12,754 95,336
June 1974 73,113 11,438 84,551
June 1975 114,099 21,864 135,963
June 1976 152,301 46,818 199,119
June 1977 152,926 57,493 210,419
June 1978 149,642 62,316 211,958
June 1979 138,399 62,302 200,701
April 1980 (provisional) 156,099 70,254 226,353
MERSEYSIDE SPECIAL DEVELOPMENT AREA
Males Females Total
June 1949 . . . . . .
June 1950 . . . . . .
June 1951 . . . . . .
June 1952 . . . . . .
June 1953 . . . . . .
June 1954 . . . . . .
June 1955 . . . . . .
June 1956 . . . . 15,009
June 1957 . . . . 20,090
June 1958 . . . . 27,316
June 1959 . . . . 30,423
June 1960 . . . . 23,965
June 1961 . . . . 21,102
June 1962 . . . . 30,642
June 1963 . . . . 36,500
June 1964 . . . . 27,192
June 1965 . . . . 19,191
June 1966 . . . . 16,045
June 1967 19,852 4,948 24,800
June 1968 21,316 3,398 24,714
June 1969 23,076 3,339 26,415
June 1970 26,676 3,612 30,288
June 1971 34,103 5,813 39,916
June 1972 42,360 7,932 50,292
June 1973 38,202 6,149 44,351
June 1974 34,636 5,382 40,018
June 1975 49,797 10,049 59,846
June 1976 60,989 20,008 80,997
June 1977 59,922 24,154 84,076
June 1978 60,057 25,552 85,609
June 1979 60,620 26,380 87,000
April 1980 (provisional) 63,813 28,651 92,464
BIRKENHEAD EMPLOYMENT OFFICE AREA
Males Females Total
June 1949 1,548 369 1,917
June 1950 1,180 662 1,842
June 1951 641 462 1,103
June 1952 670 766 1,436
June 1953 1,044 866 1,930
June 1954 784 709 1,493
June 1955 624 614 1,238
June 1956 558 578 1,136
June 1957 980 824 1,804
June 1958 1,218 711 1,929
June 1959 1,621 895 2,516
June 1960 1,586 698 2,284
June 1961 1,494 508 2,002
June 1962 2,176 757 2,933
June 1963 2,394 899 3,293
June 1964 2,371 558 2,929
June 1965 1,042 328 1,370
June 1966 832 215 1,047
June 1967 1,253 390 1,643
June 1968 1,434 164 1,598
June 1969 1,750 188 1,938
June 1970 2,066 302 2,368
June 1971 2,695 597 3,292
June 1972 4,069 834 4,903
June 1973 3,586 690 4,276
June 1974 3,270 601 3,871
June 1975 4,674 989 5,663
June 1976 5,256 1,661 6,917
June 1977 5,406 1,799 7,205
June 1978 5,185 2,028 7,213
June 1979 5,313 2,051 7,364
April 1980 (provisional) 5,661 2,184 7,845
. . Not available.

Notes:

(1) The figures for the North West region from June 1974 are not strictly comparable with those for earlier dates because of boundary changes.

(2) The April 1980 figures are not strictly comparable with those given for earlier dates because of the introduction, in September 1979, of fortnightly attendance and payment of benefit. This had the effect of raising the monthly unemployment figures for Great Britain by about 20,000 or 1½ per cent. from October 1979.

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