§ 26. Mr. Michieasked the Paymaster General how many full-time and part-time workers were employed in manufacturing industry in 1979 and for the latest year available.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeIn June 1979 there were 7,107,000 full-time and part-time employees in the manufacturing industries in Great Britain. A separate estimate for part-time employees is not available for 1979.
In June 1986, the figure was 5,148,000, of whom 346,000 were part-time employees.
Some of the decrease in the figures will be the result of the reclassification of jobs such as industrial cleaning, catering, computer services and road haulage, previously done by manufacturers' own employees and now done by subcontractors. This developing feature of our economy has the effect of exaggerating the extent of the move from manufacturing to service sector employment.
§ 46. Mr. Stan Thorneasked the Paymaster General what was the net loss or gain of manufacturing jobs in Britain and the north-west region, respectively, in 1986.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThere are no figures for job gains and job losses.
Between September 1985 and September 1986 (the latest year for which figures are available) there was a net decrease in the number of employees in employment in the manufacturing industries in Great Britain of 142,000. In the same period there was a comparable decrease in the north-west region of 21,000.
Some of the decrease in the figures will be the result of the reclassification of jobs such as industrial cleaning, catering, computer services and road haulage, previously done by manufacturers' own employees and now done by subcontractors. This developing feature of our economy has the effect of exaggerating the extent of the move from manufacturing to service sector employment.