§ 21. Mr. Andrew MacKayasked the Paymaster General if he will make a statement on the current level of unemployment.
§ 24. Mr. Hardyasked the Paymaster General what proportion of the population between the ages of 18 and 60 years are now in full-time employment.
§ Mr. LeeThe information is not readily available in the exact form requested.
Preliminary Labour Force Survey results for the spring of 1986 estimate that 54.0 per cent. of all persons aged 16 and under 60 were in full-time employment (including Government Schemes) in Great Britain.
§ 30. Mr. Flanneryasked the Paymaster General what is the latest figure for unemployment; and if he will make a statement.
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§ 46. Mr. Parryasked the Paymaster General if he will make a statement on the latest unemployment figures.
§ Mr. LeeOn 12 February 1987, the number of unemployed claimants in the United Kingdom was 3,225,809.
§ 37. Mr. Chapmanasked the Paymaster General what assessment he has made of the likely numbers of people seeking employment in the United Kingdom in the next five years; and if he will make a statement about relevant demographic trends.
§ Mr. LeeTaking account of the latest population projections and of information on activity rates from the 1986 "Labour Force Survey", my Department projects that the civilian labour force in Great Britain will rise by about 500,000 between June 1986 and June 1991. The projected rate of growth is considerably faster at the beginning of this period than at the end. More detailed figures and explanations will be published in an article which is scheduled for the May issue ofEmployment Gazette.
The demographic trends of most relevance to the size of the labour force are those in the numbers of entries to and exits from the population of working age. Reflecting the pattern of the baby boom 16 years earlier, the number of entrants has reduced somewhat from its peak in 1981 and further substantial reductions are projected. The number of exits, mostly people reaching retirement age, is projected to be relatively constant. As a result the rate of increase in the population of working age is projected to decline each year, from 176,000 in 1986–87 to zero in 1990–91.
§ 45. Mr. Wattsasked the Paymaster General if he will make a further statement on the trends of unemployment and employment.
§ Mr. LeeUnemployment has fallen continuously for the past seven months and is now 150,000 below the level of last July. Employment has risen every quarter since spring 1983. There were 1,040,000 more people in work in September 1986 than there were in March 1983.
§ 50. Mr. Geraint Howellsasked the Paymaster General what percentage of men aged 55 to 65 years were unemployed at the last available date; and what were the comparable figures in 1979 and 1983.
§ Mr. LeeOn 8 January 1987, the latest date for which an analysis of unemployment by age is available, the rates of unemployment, expressed as a percentage of the working population for males in the 55 to 59 and 60 and over age groups in the United Kingdom were 17.6 per cent. and 7.5 per cent. respectively. The corresponding unemployment rates for January 1983 were 15.0 per cent. and 22.1 per cent. This comparison is affected by changes in coverage of the data, in particular the effect of the 1983 Budget measures for men over 60. Unemployment rates by age, expressed a percentage of the working population are available only from January 1983.
The published figures for January 1979 related to unemployed registrants expressed as a percentage of employees in employment plus the unemployed and these were 5.5 per cent. and 12.0 per cent. in the respective age groups.
§ 52. Mr. Dobsonasked the Paymaster General what percentage of the total unemployed are aged 25 years or 462W less; and what initiatives the Government are pursuing in London in particular in order to provide full-time employment at average rates of pay for those affected.
§ Mr. LeeOn 8 January 1987, the latest date for which an analysis of unemployment by age is available, 34.4 per cent. of unemployed claimants in the United Kingdom were aged under 25 years.
All of the employment, training and enterprise measures run by my Department and the Manpower Services Commission are part of a wider strategy for encouraging enterprise and employment in London and elsewhere.
§ 58. Mr. Deakinsasked the Paymaster General how many people have been unemployed for more than 12 months at the latest available date; and what percentage of the total unemployed this represents.
§ Mr. LeeOn 8 January 1987, the latest date for which an analysis of unemployment by duration is available, the number of unemployed claimants in the United Kingdom who had been unemployed for over 12 months was 1,334,430 which represents 40.5 per cent. of the total.
§ 60. Mr. O'Brienasked the Paymaster General if he will give the numbers of people out of work in the Wakefield travel-to-work area; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. LeeOn 12 February 1987, the number of unemployed claimants in the Wakefield and Dewsbury travel-to-work area was 17,132.