§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Employment what were the number and percentage of unemployed in Wolverhampton for the latest available month and the comparable figures for the same months in each of the previous 10 years.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonThe following table gives the numbers registered as unemployed and the percentage rates of unemployment in the Wolverhampton travel-to-work area at 11 December 1980 and, where available, at December each year from 1970. This area comprises the Wolverhampton, Bilston and Wednesfield employment office areas.
December each year Number Per Cent. 1970 3,350 2.4 1971 6,240 4.3 1972 4,913 3.5 1973 2,367 1.7 1974 * * 1975 8,568 6.2 1976 * * 1977 8,444 6.0 1978 8,642 5.9 — — — 1979 10,092 6.9 1980 17,590 12.0 * not available. NoteThe figures for 1979 and 1980 are not strictly comparable with those for the earlier dates because of the introduction, in September 1979, of fortnightly attendance and payment of benefit. Estimates of this effect are not available for local areas but for the country as a whole the monthly figures are about 20,000, or 1½ per cent., higher than under weekly attendance.
§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what was the number of redundancies in Wolverhampton and the West Midlands announced since the beginning of 1980: if he will publish comparable figures for each of the last 10 years; and what is the number of redundancies in prospect;
(2) how many redundancies have occurred in (a) Wolverhampton and (b) the West Midlands since May 1979 to the latest convenient date.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the number of workers involved in redundancies which have so far been confirmed as due to occur in the areas concerned from May 1979 to December 1980 are as follows:
559W
Employees (a) Wolverhampton 6,938 (b) West Midlands 77,347 The Figures from January to December 1980 are as follows:
Employees (a) Wolverhampton 4,003 (b) West Midlands 63,134 Comparable figures are available only from 1977 and are as follows:
Employees January to December 1977 (a) Wolverhampton 950 (b) West Midlands 6,135 January to December 1978 (a) Wolverhampton 718 (b) West Midlands 10,006 January to December 1979 (a) Wolverhampton 3,225 (b) West Midlands 19,320 Redundancies that have so far been confirmed as due to occur in the areas concerned from January to April 1981 are as follows:
Employees (a) Wolverhampton 57 (b) West Midlands 1,769 All these figures are for redundancies involving 10 or more employees.
Wolverhampton employment office area West Midlands region Standard Industrial Classification, 1968 Notified Vacancies Notified Vacancies Registered Unemployed At Employment Offices At Careers Offices Registered Unemployed At Employment Offices At Careers Offices Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing 45 — — 2,511 47 13 Mining and Quarrying 9 — — 2,249 7 — Food, Drink and Tobacco 82 2 — 4,187 74 33 Coal and Petroleum Products 9 — — 84 2 — Chemicals and Allied Industries 78 — — 1,541 74 3 Metal Manufacture 688 1 — 10,989 54 6 Mechanical Engineering 274 — 1 9,675 171 9 Instrument Engineering 7 — — 379 16 1 Electrical Engineering 487 1 — 6,075 178 18 Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering 9 — — 163 3 1 Vehicles 216 — — 16,258 70 4 Metal Goods not elsewhere specified 2,121 6 — 26,665 201 21 Textiles 104 — — 2,927 33 — Leather, Leather Goods and Fur 9 — — 562 11 4 Clothing and Footwear 164 2 — 2,250 99 8 Bricks, Pottery, Glass, Cement etc 33 — — 5,580 53 4 Timber, Furniture, etc 114 2 — 1,929 98 5 Paper, Printing and Publishing 75 — — 1,921 32 24 Other Manufacturing Industries 262 — 1 3,732 59 2 Construction 1,176 19 — 23,948 290 12