§ Lord Diamondasked Her Majesty's Government:
What were the various dates since taking office in 1979 when a change was made in the method of calculating the number of unemployed, the likely effect of each such change on the figures, and what the June and December figures would have been in 1979 and each subsequent year had all those figures been calculated on the same basis as the most recent figures and as adjusted by the most recent announcement.
§ Lord Young of GraffhamA full list of the changes in the coverage of the monthly unemployment count and the estimated effects on the figures at the time each change was made was given in my reply to the Lord Stallard on 6th March at cols. 292–4.
The following are estimates of unemployment seasonally adjusted and excluding school-leavers allowing for the various discontinuities since 1979, consistent with the current coverage of the monthly claimant count. Corresponding estimates taking further account of the most recent announcement have not yet been calculated but will be available when the first figures on the new basis are published on 16th April.
UNEMPLOYMENT ADJUSTED FOR DISCONTINUITIES AND SEASONALITY (EXCLUDING SCHOOL-LEAVERS) United Kingdom (thousands) 1979 June 1,164.5 December 1,156.2 1980 June 1,394.4 December 1,934.4 1981 June 2,311.2 December 2,520.5 1982 June 2,649.7 December 2,811.6 1983 June 2,933.6 December 2,958.3 1984 June 3,031.8 December 3,106.4 1985 June 3,168.9 December 3,184.3