§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many graduates from 1980 are still unemployed; what percentage of those graduating this represents; and what are the comparable figures and percentages for each of the last five years.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonThe number of students graduating each year and the numbers unemployed at the end of the year are based on information provided by universities and polytechnics. The final figures for 1980 will not be available until May of this year.
The figures for 1976 onwards—reliable statistics were not kept prior to that year—are as follows: 28W
1976 1977 1978 1979 (a) Numbers graduating 67,903 73,283 78,136 83,094 (b) Numbers unemployed at year end 3,939 3,927 3,509 3,931 (c)(b) as percentage of (a) 5.8 5.4 4.5 4.7 Note: Figures include all United Kingdom university graduates and graduates from polytechnics in England and Wales.