§ Mr. Ashdownasked the Paymaster General if he will give the latest figures available for the total number of self-employed; and if he will indicate what trades and professions are represented in that total.
§ Mr. LeeThe latest provisional estimate of the number of self-employed persons in Great Britain, as shown in the regular quarterly self-employment series, is 2,665,000 as at June 1986. This series is not classified by occupation.
The labour force survey provides information on a different basis but allows an analysis by occupation. Estimates from the 1985 labour force survey are given in the table.
full-time equivalent level of the employed labour force for each quarter, identifying separately (a) employees in employment, (b) the armed forces and (c) the self-employed and, where possible, giving a breakdown of these categories by hours and sex.
§ Mr. LeeThe available estimates of the employed labour force are given in table 1.
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TABLE 1 Employed labour force in the United Kingdom seasonally adjusted: thousand Analysis by sex of which Full-time/Part-time employees in employment Employed labour force Employees in employment Self-employed HM Forces Total Males Females Males Females Males Females Males Females All males and full-time females1 Part-time females2 1979 March 25,263 15,306 9,958 13,457 9,587 1,548 355 300 15 19,253 3,791 June 25,378 15,339 10,038 13,474 9,664 1,567 359 299 15 19,296 3,842 September 25,437 15,362 10,075 13,484 9,692 1,576 367 303 16 19,311 3,865 December 25,480 15,360 10,121 13,463 9,728 1,594 376 303 16 19,312 3,880 1980 March 25,418 15,318 10,100 13,391 9,700 1,621 385 305 16 19,187 3,905 June 25,305 15,249 10,056 13,303 9,646 1,639 393 307 16 19,034 3,914 September 25,062 15,087 9,975 13,115 9,556 1,657 402 315 17 18,800 3,872 December 24,785 14,907 9,878 12,915 9,450 1,675 411 317 17 18,530 3,836 1981 March 24,538 14,731 9,807 12,722 9,371 1,693 419 317 17 18,279 3,813 June 24,321 14,573 9,748 12,546 9,303 1,710 428 317 17 18,054 3,795 September 24,203 14,459 9,744 12,428 9,289 1,712 439 319 16 317,905 33,811 December 24,057 14,354 9,703 12,325 9,237 1,713 450 316 16 17,736 3,827 1982 March 24,006 14,303 9,703 12,277 9,226 1,715 461 312 16 17,653 3,850 June 23,892 14,228 9,665 12,203 9,177 1,716 473 309 15 17,539 3,841 September 23,770 14,155 9,615 12,129 9,115 1,718 484 308 15 17,375 3,870 December 23,635 14,064 9,560 12,039 9,050 1,719 495 306 15 17,247 3,842 1983 March 23,558 14,009 9,549 11,983 9,027 1,721 507 306 15 17,144 3,866 June 23,603 13,978 9,625 11,951 9,090 1,722 518 306 16 17,101 3,940 September 23,738 14,022 9,717 11,941 9,163 1,771 538 309 16 17,095 4,009 December 23,882 14,063 9,819 11,933 9,246 1,821 557 309 16 17,097 4,082 1984 March 23,978 14,095 9,883 11,915 9,290 1,870 577 310 16 17,080 4,125 June 24,067 14,138 9,929 11,909 9,316 1,919 596 310 16 17,064 4,161 September 24,149 14,174 9,975 11,926 9,353 1,936 606 312 16 17,086 4,193 December 24,270 14,220 10,050 11,956 9,418 1,953 616 311 16 17,118 4,256 1985 March 24,337 14,227 10,109 11,947 9,467 1,970 626 310 16 17,123 4,291 June 24,399 14,251 10,148 11,955 9,496 1,987 636 309 16 17,116 4,335 September 24,448 14,245 10,204 11,931 9,539 2,005 649 309 16 17,094 4,376 December 24,545 14,281 10,263 11,952 9,585 2,022 662 307 16 17,127 4,410 1986 March 24,577 14,264 10,313 11,918 9,622 2,039 675 306 16 17,075 4,465 June 24,595 14,252 10,342 11,890 9,638 2,057 688 305 16 17,020 4,508 1Includes all employees in Northern Ireland, whether full time or part time. 2Great Britain. 3The Census of Employment shows that there were 17,092 full time and 4,624 part time employees in the United Kingdom in September 1981. The Labour Force Survey (LFS) provides information on a different basis but identifies the average total usual hours worked by employees and the self-employed. Estimates from the 1985 LFS for Great Britain are presented in table 2.
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Table 2 Labour Force Survey estimates of average total usual hours worked1—Great Britain, spring 1985 Males Females Housrs All persons Employees 43.4 29.8 37.4 Self-employed 51.5 33.5 47.0 Employees and self-employed2 44.6 30.1 38.5 1Including overtime, excluding meal-breaks.
2Includes those who did not state if they were employees or self-employed.
The available quarterly estimates are insufficiently detailed to form the basis of a calculation of a full-time equivalent series.
§ Mr. Pawseyasked the Paymaster General if he will list the 50 constituencies in which unemployment shows the largest fall over the past 12 months.
§ Mr. LeeThe following information is in the Library. The table shows the 50 parliamentary constituencies in Great Britain at 9 October 1986, where in percentage terms unemployment had the greatest fall in the previous 12 months.
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Parliamentary Constituency Percentage Decrease per cent. Pembroke 19.2 Aberavon 14.6 Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney 14.2 Corby 13.4 Mole Valley 13.2 Basingstoke 13.0 Westminster North 12.1 Reading West 12.0 Maidstone 12.0 The City of London and Westminster South 11.7 Stockton North 10.4 Preston 10.3 Norwood 10.3 Woodspring 10.3 Stoke-on-Trent South 10.2 Wantage 9.9 Braintree 9.7 Eddisbury 9.7 Gloucester 9.3 Hartlepool 9.2 Oxford West and Abington 9.2 Medway 9.1 Dumbarton 9.0 Oxford East 8.9 Northavon 8.9 Neath 8.9 Stoke-on-Trent Central 8.9 Warwick and Leamington 8.9 Rutland and Melton 8.8 Upminster 8.7 Newbury 8.6 North Wiltshire 8.4
Civilian employment (Figures in thousands) Country 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 United Kingdom 25,083 25,005 24,008 23,589 23,299 23,757 24,090 Belgium 3,707 3,706 3,627 3,578 3,542 3,546 3,573 Denmark 2,544 2,576 2,471 2,476 2,500 2,497 2,556 Germany 25,516 25,797 25,610 25,177 24,793 24,828 25,000 Greece 3,311 3,356 3,529 3,501 3,540 3,552 3,589 France 21,317 21,347 21,226 21,240 21,168 20,978 20,916 Ireland 1,129 1,141 1,131 1,132 1,108 1,090 1,056 Italy 20,057 20,313 20,361 20,297 20,350 20,423 20,508 Luxembourg 156 157 158 158 157 158 160 Netherlands 4,821 4,973 5,005 5,010 4,932 4,966 5,106 Sources: 1982–85: Eurostatistics Data for short-term economic analysis.
1979–82: OECD Labour Force Statistics 1964–84 Except United Kingdom (DE).