HC Deb 16 February 1983 vol 37 cc163-4W
Mr. Peter Robinson

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the size of the work force in Northern Ireland in each of the years (a) 1982, (b) 1981, (c) 1979 and (d) 1972; how many people were unemployed in each of those years; and what were the unemployment rates for each of the travel-to-work areas of Northern Ireland in each of those years.

Mr. Adam Butler

The size of the working population and the number of those unemployed at June of each of the specified years is as follows:

Year Working population Unemployed claimants
1972 556,330 36,800
1979 651,050 59,600
1981 640,200 95,900
1982 630,700 105,800

Note: Working population is the sum of the employed, self-employed and unemployed.

Unemployment rates on the new basis cannot be provided for Northern Ireland travel-to-work areas for these years. The following rates are based on registrations at employment service offices rather than the number of claimants at social security offices.

Unemployment Rate for Travel-to-Work Areas (June), per cent.
1972 1979 1981 1982
Armagh 9.9 12.1 18.6 20.4
Ballymena 5.5 10.7 18.8 22.2

1972 1979 1981 1982
Belfast 5.3 9.0 14.5 17.1
Coleraine 9.8 12.4 21.9 22.5
Cookstown 12.3 21.3 32.0 33.1
Craigavon 6.0 9.5 16.9 17.8
Downpatrick 10.0 10.1 21.8 22.1
Dungannon 17.0 19.3 31.8 33.6
Enniskillen 11.3 13.8 24.2 24.9
Londonderry 14.0 15.2 25.5 27.8
Newry 19.4 19.5 29.7 32.0
Omagh 10.9 12.4 22.0 21.1
Strabane 19.8 24.4 34.8 36.2
Northern Ireland
Totals 7.8 11.1 18.0 20.3