HC Deb 17 January 1983 vol 35 cc81-2W
Mr. Freud

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the numbers of young people outside Government employment schemes who, in their first full year of employment, are earning (a) £40 to £45 per week and (b) £45 to £55 per week for a working week of 35 hours or more; and what are the comparable numbers for the same time in 1982.

Mr. Alison

I regret that information in the terms requested is not available. However, information on the distribution of gross weekly earnings of all young people (males aged under 21 and females aged under 18) is given in table 34 of the report of the 1982 new earnings survey, a copy of which is available in the Library.

Mr. Freud

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what evidence his Department now has as to any correlation between youth unemployment and wage levels for the young unemployed.

Mr. Alison

Research carried out by this Department and published as Research Paper No. 10 concluded that changes in the level and duration of youth unemployment are closely associated with changes in the level and duration of unemployment in general. An updated analysis of this research, which is available in the Library, suggested that there was also a correlation between the pay of young people relative to adults and youth unemployment.

There is other evidence which points to a relationship between the relative cost of employing young workers and youth employment. This is drawn from both international and domestic sources. International evidence is sum-marised in a paper published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (No. CPE (WPI) (81) 6:MAS (WP5 (81) 8), and British evidence is taken both from work carried out by the centre for labour economics and from the evaluation of special employment measures.

Mr. Freud

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many jobs under the young workers scheme there are where the wage previously paid for that job exceeded that offered under the scheme.

Mr. Alison

This information is not available.

Mr. Freud

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many young people have been placed in the young workers scheme in positions (a) not covered by wages councils agreements, (b) covered by wages councils agreements but where the wages council level is not above that of the young workers scheme and (c) covered by wages councils where the wage is above that allowed under the young workers scheme; and what percentage this number represents.

Mr. Alison

Statistics on the numbers of individuals supported under the young workers scheme who are covered by wages council agreements are not available.