HC Deb 27 April 1984 vol 58 cc625-6W
Mr. Austin Mitchell

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the size and percentage of youth unemployment, adult unemployment, and long-term unemployment, respectively, in Grimsby, in March 1979 and March 1984.

Mr. Alan Clark

Information on the age and duration of unemployment is available quarterly with the latest figures relating to January 1984. The following table gives, for the categories specified, the number of unemployed claimants in January 1984, and the numbers registered as unemployed in January 1979 in the Grimsby jobcentre area. It also gives the figures on both bases for October 1982. Percentage rates of unemployment for youths and adults are not available due to the absence of employment estimates below national level.

Aged under 18 years Aged 18 years and over Unemployed for over 52 weeks—all ages
number number number rate
Registered unemployed
January 1979 443 5,234 979 1.3
October 1982 859 9,748 3,348 4.4
Unemployed claimants
October 1982 839 9,232 2,975 3.9
January 1984 722 11,490 3,685 4.8

Notes:

(1) The comparisons are affected by the change in the basis of the unemployment count in October 1982 and by the 1983 Budget provisions which meant that some men aged 60 and over no longer had to sign on in order to receive supplementary benefit or national insurance credits.

(2) The rate of unemployment for over 52 weeks is estimated by expressing the number of unemployed for over 52 weeks as a percentage of the total number of employees (both in employment and unemployed) in the Grimsby jobcentre/travel-to-work area.

Mr. Craigen

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give a breakdown by region of the increases in employment through new jobs in each of the employment regions during the past year for which figures are available.

Mr. Alan Clark

Information about job gains or job losses is not'available from the Department's statistics, but an indication of the net changes can be seen by comparing the levels of employees in employment at different dates. On this basis, the following table gives the changes in the estimated numbers of employees in employment in each region between December 1982 and December 1983.

Region Change December 1982-December 1983
South East +52,000
East Anglia +9,000
South West +17,000
West Midlands +4,000
East Midlands +2,000
Yorkshire and Humberside -11,000
North West -11,000
North -17,000
Wales -4,000
Scotland -1,000