Mr. Alan WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the change in employment in manufacturing industry in the United Kingdom, Scotland and Wales since 1979; and what information he has as to comparable figures in other manufacturing countries.
§ Mr. LeeBetween June 1979 and June 1987 (the latest date for which comparable figures are available) the percentage changes in the numbers of employees in the manufacturing industries for the areas specified are as follows:
Percentage change United Kingdom -29 Scotland -34 Wales -34 Some of the decrease in the figures will be the result of the reclassification of jobs such as industrial cleaning, computer services, and road haulage, previously done by 8W 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.
Annual average figures for other manufacturing countries have been published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the latest available are for 1985. In the period 1979 to 1985, the percentage changes in the numbers of employees in the manufacturing industries of six principal countries are as follows:
Percentage change United States -8 Canada -5 Japan 9 France -14 Germany -9 Italy -10 The shift in employment from manufacturing to service industries is happening in most other developed industrial nations. Manufacturing employment expressed as a percentage of all employees in the United Kingdom in 1985 was higher than in Canada or the United States.