§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the latest available statistics on the total number of persons unemployed, the percentage rate of unemployment and the number of vacancies in each industrial classification in (a) Wolverhampton and (b) the West Midlands.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonThe following table gives the numbers registered as unemployed and the numbers of notified vacancies remaining unfilled at May 1981, analysed by orders of the Standard Industrial Classification. Percentage rates of unemployment by industry could be calculated only at disproportionate cost. The unemployment figures relate to the industry in which the unemployed person last worked. The vacancy figures relate only to vacancies notified to employment offices arid careers offices; vacancies notified to employment offices are estimated to be about one-third of all vacancies in the economy as a whole. Because of possible duplication the figures for employment offices and careers offices should not be added together. The number of vacancies unfilled at a particular date takes no account of the flow of vacancies being notified, filled or withdrawn during the preceding month, which may reflect activity more closely.
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Wolverhampton employment office area West Midlands Region Vacancies Vacancies Standard Industrial Classification, 1968 Number unemployed At employment offices At careers offices Number unemployed At employment offices At careers offices Agriculture, forestry, fishing 58 — — 2,866 40 9 Mining and quarrying 10 — — 2,395 3 — Food, drink and tobacco 200 1 2 5,832 115 4 Coal and petroleum products 6 — — 121 1 — Chemicals and allied industries 85 — — 2,125 106 5 Metal manufacture 750 6 1 15,029 68 45 Mechanical engineering 370 2 — 14,129 213 27 Instrument engineering 6 — — 546 27 2 Electrical engineering 397 3 — 7,572 195 7 Shipbuilding and marine engineering 5 — — 166 4 — Vehicles 284 2 2 23,226 70 15 Metal goods not elsewhere specified 2,918 11 10 36,824 277 40 Textiles 202 — — 3,436 26 3 Leather, leather goods and fur 6 — — 676 12 1 Clothing and footwear 167 6 — 2,927 88 10 Bricks, pottery, glass, cement, etc. 46 1 — 7,740 81 6 Timber, furniture, etc. 143 — 1 2,516 99 9 Paper, printing and publishing 93 1 2 2,561 57 11 Other manufacturing industries 339 5 2 5,367 61 8 Construction 1,558 11 1 32,663 260 24 Gas, electricity and water 21 1 — 983 36 — Transport and communication 351 3 2 8,328 152 36 Distributive trades 826 28 10 23,512 1,579 157 Insurance, banking, finance and business services 194 20 — 4,817 399 68 Professional and scientific services 257 13 — 7,839 496 44 Miscellaneous services 875 53 2 22,524 1,550 80 Public adminstration 288 24 — 7,518 386 15 Not classified by industry (including school leavers) 4,869 — — 49,874 — — Total 15,324 191 35 294,112 6,401 626
§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the industries in the West Midlands in which there have been increases in unemployment or short-time working since May 1979; and what proportion of the labour force in each industry is affected.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonThe following table gives the numbers registered as unemployed at May 1979 and May 1981 in the West Midlands region and the increases between these dates. The figures are analysed according to the industry orders of the Standard Industrial Classification in which the unemployed person last worked. The proportion of the labour force affected could be calculated only at disproportionate cost. An industrial analysis of the statistics on short-time working, limited to manufacturing industries, is made for Great Britain as a whole but not for the individual regions.
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May 1979 May 1981 Increase Agriculture, forestry, fishing 1,576 2,866 1,290 Mining and quarrying 1,621 2,395 774 Food, drink and tobacco 2,741 5,832 3,091 Coal and petroleum products 56 121 65 Chemicals and allied industries 754 2,125 1,371 Metal manufacture 4,551 15,029 10,478
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May 1979 May 1981 Increase Mechanical engineering 3,966 14,129 10,163 Instrument engineering 254 546 292 Electrical engineering 2,722 7,572 4,850 Shipbuilding and marine engineering 75 166 91 Vehicles 5,745 23,226 17,481 Metal goods not elsewhere specified 11,749 36,824 25,075 Textiles 1,290 3,436 2,146 Leather, leather goods and fur 234 676 442 Clothing and footwear 1,028 2,927 1,899 Bricks, pottery, glass, cement, etc. 2,484 7,740 5,256 Timber, furniture, etc. 938 2,516 1,578 Paper, printing and publishing 1,026 2,561 1,535 Other manufacturing industries 1,939 5,367 3,428 Construction 11,792 32,663 20,871 Gas, electricity and water 639 983 344 Transport and communication 3,513 8,328 4,815
May 1979 May 1981 Increase Distributive trades 10,268 23,512 13,244 Insurance, banking, finance and business services 2,042 4,817 2,775 Professional and scientific services 4,091 7,839 3,748 Miscellaneous services 9,559 22,524 12,965 Public administration and defence 4,500 7,518 3,018 Not classified by industry (including school leavers) 26,536 49,874 23,338 Total 117,689 294,112 176,423