§ 12. Mr. FoulkesTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment which travel-to-work areas had the highest level of unemployment in(a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland at the latest available date; and what was the percentage unemployed in each case.
§ Mr. NichollsThe travel-to-work areas with the highest rates of unemployed claimants in England, Wales and Scotland at 14 January 1988 were Newquay, south Pembrokeshire and Cumnock and Sanquhar. The numbers of unemployed claimants in these travel-to-work areas expressed as a percentage of the number of employees in employment plus the employed were 26.7, 25.1 and 28.9 per cent. respectively.
§ 16. Dr. GodmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people leaving school at 16 years found jobs in 1983 and in the most recently available year.
§ Mr. NichollsThirty per cent. of those young people aged 16 on 1 September 1984, who had left school between September 1984 and February 1986, went directly into full-time employment. A further 41 per cent. went into YTS, which has become the major route into work for school leavers and offers high-quality training. This information, drawn from England and Wales youth cohort study, is not available for earlier years.
§ 29. Mr. AmessTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the latest figures for those people registered as unemployed in the constituency of Basildon and for the same period in each of the past four years.
§ Mr. LeeThe table shows the number of unemployed claimants in the parliamentary constituency of Basildon in524W January of each year since 1984. The comparison is affected by the change in the compilation of the unemployment statistics in March 1986.
January 1984 6,834 1985 7,273 1986 6,793 1987 6,437 1988 4,726
§ 38. Mr. DuffyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the percentage change in unemployment for the Sheffield travel-to-work area over the past 12 months, and what has been the comparable position for Yorkshire and Humberside as a whole.
§ Mr. LeeOn 14 January 1988, the number of unemployed claimants in the Sheffield travel-to-work area was 40,539, a fall of 14.6 per cent., since January 1987. The comparable figure for the Yorkshire and Humberside region as a whole was 266,031, a fall of 15.9 per cent.
§ Mr. ParryTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the recent unemployment figures.
§ 68. Mr. LathamTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the current level of unemployment.
§ Mr. LeeThe seasonally adjusted level of adult unemployment fell by 50,800 between December and January, to 2,563,100, the lowest figure on a consistent basis since April 1982. The figure has now fallen by 647,000 since July 1986, the largest sustained fall on record.
§ 44. Mr. Anthony CoombsTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what were the levels of unemployment and advertised jobs vacancies in Wyre Forest in 1986 and 1987; and what plans he has to improve training links between education institutions and industry in the area.
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§ Mr. LeeThe table shows the annual average number of unemployed claimants in the Wyre Forest local authority area and the annual average number of unfilled vacancies (excluding community programme vacancies) at jobcentres1 which cover an area most closely corresponding to the Wyre Forest local authority area for 1986 and 1987. Total numbers of advertised job vacancies are not available, but it is estimated that nationally about one third of vacancies are notified to jobcentres.
The Government support collaboration between education institutions and employers in developing training to meet local needs. The MSC is, for example, providing funding for such a local collaborative project in Kidderminster which is addressing the training implications of new technology in the carpet industry.
Wyre Forest local authority area Annual Average Unemployed Claimants Unfilled Vacancies 1986 5,324 408 1987 4,469 403 1 Kidderminster and Stourport jobcentres.
§ 43. Sir Fergus MontgomeryTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the number of job vacancies registered with jobcentres in the north-west of England.
§ Mr. LeeOn 8 January 1988, the number of unfilled vacancies, excluding vacancies on the community programme, registered at jobcentres in the north-west region was 20,167. This represents an increase of 2 per cent. since January 1987.
§ 47. Mr. PatnickTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the number of job vacancies registered with jobcentres in Yorkshire.
§ Mr. LeeOn 8 January 1988 the number of unfilled vacancies, excluding vacancies on the community programme, registered at jobcentres in south Yorkshire, north Yorkshire and west Yorkshire was 12,185. This represents an increase of 12.5 per cent. since 1987.
§ 52. Mr. KnoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were out of work in the Staffordshire, Moorlands parliamentary constituency at the most recent count; and what the figure was two years ago.
§ Mr. LeeOn 14 January 1988 the number of unemployed claimants in the Staffordshire, Moorlands parliamentary constituency was 2,798. The corresponding figure for January 1986 was 3,768. The comparison is affected by the change in the compilation of the unemployment statistics in March 1986.
§ 58. Mrs. WiddecombeTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the numbers of job vacancies registered with jobcentres in the northern region of England.
§ Mr. LeeOn 8 January 1988, the number of unfilled vacancies, excluding vacancies in the community programme, registered at jobcentres in the northern region was 10,180. This represents a decrease of 1.2 per cent. since January 1987.
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§ 61. Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were in full-time employment in Britain in May 1979; and how many people are in full-time employment today.
§ Mr. LeeIn June 1979 (there are no estimates for May) there were 19,950,000 full-time people in the employed labour force in Great Britain. In September 1978, the latest date for which figures are available the figure was 18,765,000. The employed labour force is the sum of employees in employment, the self-employed and HM forces.
§ 66. Mr. PaiceTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the number of people currently in full-time and part-time employment.
§ Mr. LeeIn September 1987, the latest date for which figures are available there were 18,765,000 full-time and 5,741,000 part-time people in the employed labour force in Great Britain. The employed labour force is the sum of employees in employment, the self-employed and HM forces.
§ 71. Mr. DykesTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the figures for registered unemployed persons in all the Greater London travel-to-work areas for(a) the latest available date and (b) the end of December 1987, 1986 and 1985, in actual figures and as percentages.
§ Mr. LeeThe numbers of unemployed claimants in absolute terms and as a percentage of employees in employment plus the unemployed in the Greater London travel-to-work areas at the latest available date, 14 January 1988, and the closest date to the end of December of each of the years requested are as follows:
London TTW A Heathrow TTW A Unemployed claimants Per cent. Unemployed claimants Per cent. 14 January 1988 302,073 8.7 37,123 5.5 8 January 1987 369,066 10.6 49,463 7.3 9 January 1986 382,156 10.9 52,676 7.7 The comparison is affected by changes in the compilation of the unemployment statistics in March 1986.
§ 74. Mr. SackvilleTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the fall in unemployment over the last 12 months.
§ Mr. LeeOn 14 January 1988, the number of unemployed claimants in the United Kingdom, seasonally adjusted excluding school leavers, was 2,563,100, a fall of 549,100 over the last 12 months.
§ 77. Mr. Brandon-BravoTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the number of job vacancies registered with jobcentres in England and Wales.
§ Mr. LeeOn 8 January 1988, the number of unfilled vacancies, excluding vacancies on the community programme, registered at jobcentres in England and Wales was 206,360. This represents an increase of 20 per cent. since January 1987.
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§ 79. Mr. Roger KingTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the number of young people aged between 18 and 24 years currently in employment and in January 1987.
§ Mr. LeeEstimates of the age composition of the employed labour force are available only for June of each year. In June 1987, the estimated number of those in the employed labour force aged 18 to 24 years inclusive in Great Britain was 4,455,000 compared with 4,299,000 in June 1986.
§ 82. Mr. HaywardTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the number of job vacancies registered with jobcentres in the southwest of England.
§ Mr. LeeOn 8 January, the number of unfilled vacancies, excluding vacancies on the community programme, registered at jobcentres in the south-west region was 16,544. This represents an increase of 13.8 per cent. since January 1987.
§ 87. Mr. BatisteTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the changes in unemployment in the Yorkshire region since 1983.
§ Mr. LeeThe numbers of unemployed claimants, seasonally adjusted excluding school leavers, in the Yorkshire and Humberside region in January of each year since 1983 on a consistent basis were as follows:
Number January 1983 258,700 January 1984 267,500 January 1985 283,600 January 1986 298,200 January 1987 295,300 January 1988 248,700
§ 88. Mr. Patrick ThompsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the number of job vacancies registered with jobcentres in East Anglia.
§ Mr. LeeOn 8 January 1988 the number of unfilled vacancies excluding vacancies on the community programme, registered at jobcentres in the East Anglia region was 7,813. This represents an increase of 32.1 per cent. since January 1987.
§ Mr. LofthouseTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the percentage change in unemployment for the Castleford travel-to-work area over the last 12 months; and what has been the comparable change for Yorkshire and Humberside.
§ Mr. LeeThe following information is in the Library. On 14 January 1988, the number of unemployed claimants in the Castleford and Pontefract travel-to-work area was 8,071, a fall of 11.5 per cent., since January 1987. The comparable figure for the Yorkshire and Humberside region as a whole was 266,031, a fall of 15.9 per cent.
§ Mr. LofthouseTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the latest figures for those people registered as unemployed in the constituency of Pontefract and Castleford and for the same date in each of the last four years.
§ Mr. LeeThe following information is in the Library. The table shows the number of unemployed claimants in528W the parliamentary constituency of Pontefract arid Castleford in January of each year since 1984. The comparison is affected by the change in the compilation of the unemployment statistics in March 1986.
Number January 1984 5,487 January 1985 5,683 January 1986 6,236 January 1987 6,222 January 1988 5,508