HC Deb 17 November 1987 vol 122 cc511-2W
21. Mr. Cran

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the trend in unit labour costs from 1979–80 to date in the United Kingdom and its major international competitors.

Mr. Lee

Our unit labour cost increases have fallen back sharply over the period and now match those of our major international competitors.

Mr. Lee

In June 1987, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 24,359,000 in the employed labour force in Great Britain. This represents an increase of 1,321,000 since June 1983. The figures are adjusted for the effects of seasonal variation. The employed labour force is the sum of employees in employment, the self-employed and Her Majesty's Forces.

86. Mr. Marlow

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the current numbers of people employed and what was the level in May 1979.

Mr. Lee

In June 1987, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 24,359,000 in the employed labour force in Great Britain. In June 1979—figures are not available for May—there were 24,767,000. The figures are adjusted for the effects of seasonal variation. The employed labour force is the sum of employees in employment, the self-employed and Her Majesty's forces.

Mr. Strang

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will provide information showing the number of(a) female part-time employees and (b) male part-time employees in the United Kingdom and if he will provide a break down of this information by age-group and region.

Mr. Lee

The regularly published employees in employment series does not separately identify part-time employees by age and region. The labour force survey provides information on a different basis, but allows such analyses. LFS estimates for the spring of 1986 are shown in the table.