§ Mr. Sheermanasked the Paymaster General what was the average wage of (a) 16 to 17-year-old women and men, (b) 18 to 20-year-old women and men and (c) over 21-year-old women and men in 1979, 1984 and 1986; what was the unemployment figure for each group in 1979, 1984 and 1986; and what was the percentage rise over the periods.
§ Mr. LeeThe information from the "New Earnings Survey" in April each year is as follows:
Average gross weekly earnings (£) of full-time employees in Great Britain whose pay was unaffected by absence Percentage Increase Age 1979 1984 1986 1979–84 1984–86 Males Under 18 40.3 63.3 72.7 57.1 14.8 18 to 20 61.9 101.0 113.5 63.2 12.4 21 and over 101.4 181.6 210.7 79.1 16.0 Females Under 18 36.6 58.6 72.1 60.1 23.0 18 to 20 48.7 82.3 93.3 64.0 13.4 21 and over 65.3 121.2 141.8 85.6 17.0 Following is the available information about unemployment which is also in the Library. The table 157W shows the numbers of unemployed registrants in the under 18, 18 to 19 and over 20 years age groups in Great Britain on 5 April 1979.
The table also shows the numbers of unemployed claimants in the same age groups in Great Britain on 5 April 1984 and 10 April 1986. However, direct comparison of the figures between these dates is not possible because of changes in the method of collection and compilation of the data.
Unemployed Registrants in Great Britain—5 April 1979 Number Age under 18 years 73,257 Age 18 to 19 years 117,467 Age over 20 years 1,089,084
Unemployed Registrants in Great Britain 5 April 1984 10 April 1986 Age under 18 years 155,580 181,336 Age 18 to 19 years 353,654 301,820 Age over 20 years 2,478,392 2,715,713