Mr. Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for Employment, further to his reply of 1 March, Official Report, column 300, concerning prices and earnings in the United Kingdom and the United States of America over the past 12 months, whether he will include figures showing hours worked and the change in unit labour costs in both cases; and if he will compare the latest monthly change in the employment figures in the two countries for manufacturing and for other industries.
§ Mr. GummerThe latest information for comparable periods is as follows:
Percentage change in average weekly hours in year to December 1983 Per cent. Manufacturing operatives in Great Britain +1.6 Manufacturing workers in United States +3.8
Percentage change in manufacturing unit wage and salary costs in the year to November 1983 Per cent. United Kingdom +3 United States -4
Change in employees in employment between June and September 1983 (thousands, seasonally adjusted) Manufacturing* Other industries and services Great Britain -35 +60 United States† +289 +718 * The change between November and December (available only for manufacturing) was -12 and +89 for Great Britain and the United States respectively. † Based on non-agricultural payroll data.