HC Deb 03 July 1981 vol 7 cc518-9W
Mr. Ralph Howell

asked the Prime Minister what was the average number of unemployed in each of the following decades: the 1950s, the 1960s and the 1970s in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, France and the United States of America.

The Prime Minister

The available figures using national definitions are given below: they are not directly comparable because of differences in coverage, concepts and methods of compilation.

United Kingdom German FR France USA
Average 000's 000's 000's 000's
1955–59 352 806 117 3,361
1960–69 458 223 148 3,520
1970–79 1,021 647 723 5,729

Source: OECD (Main Economic Indicators Historical Statistics), except for the United Kingdom.