§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the current unemployment percentages in Austria, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, respectively; and what were the comparable percentages at the same time in the year before the United Kingdom joined the EEC.
§ Mr. Alison:The unemployment rates for August 1972 and August 1981, the latest available common date for the countries requested, are given below. The rates for different countries are not directly comparable because of differences in concepts and coverage.
August 1972 August 1981 Austria* 1.3 1.4 Norway* 0.6 1.6 Swedent† 3.0 2.6 Switzerland* 0.1 0.2 United Kingdom* 3.8 12.2 * Registered unemployed as a percentage of total employees.† Labour force survey figures as a percentage of total labour force.SourceOECD main Economic Indicators—except United Kingdom, supplemented by labour attache reports, etc.