§ 30. Mr. Willie W. Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the current rate of unemployment among building trade workers in Scotland; what was the comparable rate in 1978; what are these rates as expressed in numbers of electricians, bricklayers, joiners, painters, plasterers and slaters; and what are the future prospects.
§ Mr. Allan StewartThe information requested is not available. The industrial and occupational analyses of unemployment were discontinued in 1982. Estimates of unemployment by broad sectors of industry and occupational groups are expected to be available for Scotland in due course from the 1983 labour force survey.
Provisional figures for new construction orders showed an increase or nearly a quarter between 1982 and 1983. The best prospects for the industry lie in government continuing their overall policy of creating a sound economy.
§ 31. Mr. Eadieasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the average annual number of unemployed in the Midlothian district council area in each year since 1980; and what was the average annual number of job vacancies and their descriptions.
§ Mr. Allan StewartPrecise figures are not available for Midlothian district. However, the average annual number of unemployed registrants in the combined jobcentre areas of Dalkeith, Loanhead and Penicuik in 1980, 1981 and 1982 was 2,759, 3,880 and 4,915 respectively. In October 1982 the method of calculating unemployment was changed from a registrant to a claimant based count. The average annual number of unemployed claimants in 1983 was 4,275.
Over the same period the averge number of vacancies notified to these jobcentres which remained unfilled at the four counts during each year was 77, 97, 109 and 161 respectively. The breakdown of each annual figure is as follows: One in primary industries, 15 in manufacturing industries, 13 in construction industries and 48 in service industries for 1980; Three, 12, 9and 73 respectively for 1981; Two, eight, 11 and 89 respectively for 1981; and four, 27, 23 and 106 respectively for 1983.
Vacancies notified to Great Britain jobcentres are estimated to be about one-third of all available vacancies. Moreover, the number remaining unfilled at a particular date takes no account of the flow of vacancies being notified or filled. for each of the years from 1980 to 1983, the number of people placed in employment by the three Midlothian jobcentres was 1,189, 1,198, 1,488 and 1,756 respectively.