§ 26. Mr. Pikeasked the Paymaster General which regions in England show the biggest percentage reductions in jobs in the manufacturing sector since 1979.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeBetween December 1979 and December 1986 the north, Yorkshire and Humberside and north-east regions have experienced the biggest percentage net reductions in the number of employees in employment in the manufacturing industries.
Some of the decrease in the number of employees in employment in manufacturing will be the result of reclassification of jobs such as industrial cleaning, catering, computer services and road haulage, previously done by manufacturer's 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.