HC Deb 03 May 1988 vol 132 cc351-5W
15. Mr. Maples

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are currently employed and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Lee

The latest estimates show that the employed labour force in Great Britain numbered 24,654,000 in December 1987. The employed labour force has now risen for 19 successive quarters, and by more than half a million in the last year alone.

19. Mr. Canavan

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the percentage increase in unemployment since May 1979.

Mr. Lee

Between May 1979 and March 1988 the seasonally adjusted level of adult unemployment increased by 117 per cent. on a consistent basis. However, since July 1986 unemployment has been falling. It is now 2,504,800 the lowest figure since December 1981.

21. Mr. Hayward

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the change in employment levels in the south-west since 1983.

Mr. Nicholls

The latest estimates show that the civilian employed labour force in the south-west region increased by 121,000 between December 1983 and December 1987.

22. Mr. Dalyell

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the most recent percentage unemployment figure in the European Economic Community.

Mr. Lee

The unemployment rate in the European Community was 10.4 per cent. seasonally adjusted, in February 1988.

28. Mr. Yeo

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many more people are employed in East Anglia currently than in 1983.

Mr. Lee

By December 1987, the latest date for which figures are available, the civilian employed labour force in East Anglia had increased by 159,000 compared with December 1983. The civilian employed labour force is the sum of employees in employment and the self-employed.

32. Mr. Boswell

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the disparities between male and female unemployment in various parliamentary constituencies, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Daventry of 11 March,Official Report, column 371.

Mr. Lee

The level of both male and female unemployment varies with local labour market conditions, but the variations tend to be more marked among men than among women. Therefore, there are local variations in the ratios of female to male unemployment.

36. Mr. Roger King

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the present level of unemployment in the west midlands, and what was the figure 12 months ago.

38. Mr. John M. Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on levels of unemployment in the west midlands.

Mr. Lee

On 10 March 1988, the number of unemployed claimants in the west midlands region, seasonally adjusted and excluding school leavers, was 254,800. This is a fall of 61,300 since March 1987 when the comparable figure was 316,000, nearly 20 per cent. lower.

40. Mr. Knapman

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the comparable current unemployment levels in the United Kingdom and other Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation countries; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Lee

Following is the information for all the Organisation for Economic Development and Co-operation countries for which standardised unemployment rates are available.

International unemployment rates1, seasonally adjusted
per cent. Latest month
Australia 7.4 February
Belgium 10.4 February
Canada 7.8 February
Denmark2 5.7 February
Finland 5.1 February
France 10.6 February
Germany 6.5 January
Greece2 7.4 April 1987
Ireland2 19.0 February
Italy2 11.3 February
Japan 2.7 January
Luxembourg2 3.0 February
Netherlands 9.6 February
Norway 2.2 November
Portugal 6.8 August
Spain 19.6 November
Sweden 1.6 February
United States 5.6 February
United Kingdom 9.0 February
1 OECD standardised unemployment rates except where otherwise stated.
2 Harmonised unemployment rates published by the Statistical Office of the European Community.

43. Mr. Skinner

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the latest figures for unemployment throughout the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Lee

On 10 March 1988 seasonally adjusted adult unemployment in the United Kingdom was 2,504,800—a fall of 27,800 since February and the lowest figure, on a consistent basis, since December 1981.

46. Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the ratio of unemployed claimants to unfilled vacancies in jobcentres, using current measurement criteria, in(a) May 1979 and (b) the latest date for which figures are available.

Mr. Lee

Vacancy figures are not available, on a consistent basis, for May 1979. The earliest available figures, January 1980 are given in the table, together with the March 1988 figures. The figures are on a consistent basis with current definitions. It is not meaningful to calculate a ratio of unemployment claimants to unfilled vacancies at jobcentres, since only about a third of all vacancies in the economy are notified to jobcentres.

United Kingdom
January 1980 March 1988
Unfilled Vacancies (seasonally adjusted) 193,400 245,500
Unemployment Claimants (seasonally adjusted excluding school-leavers) 1,141,200 2,504,800

47. Mr. Leighton

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what measures he intends to take to promote equal opportunities for the deaf in the new adult training programme.

Mr. Nicholls

All training agents and training managers in employment training will be required to have an effective equal opportunities policy. The individual assessment available to everyone in employment training will help to identify whether any additional help is needed for people who have hearing difficulties to enable them to participate fully in the programme. Depending on identified needs, extra assistance could include a communicator service, the loan of special equipment, and the possibility of a supplementary grant for training managers for higher cost training.

51. Mrs. Peacock

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the rate of the fall in unemployment in the last 12 months in Yorkshire and Humberside.

58. Mr. Waller

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the number of persons unemployed in Yorkshire and Humberside; and how this figure compares with the position 12 months ago.

Mr. Lee

In March 1988 seasonally adjusted adult unemployment in the Yorkshire and Humberside region was 243,400; a fall of 50,100, over 17 per cent. lower than a year ago.

56. Mr. Summerson

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the number of people currently in employment in the United Kingdom.

67. Mr. Cran

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on current trends in employment levels in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Lee

In December 1987, the latest date for which figures are available, the employed labour force in the United Kingdom was 25,200,000. This is an increase of 501,000 since December 1986. The employed labour force is the sum of employees in employment, the self-employed and Her Majesty's forces. The figures have been adjusted for the effects of seasonal variations.

61. Mr. Holt

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are currently employed in the north-east region of England; what were the comparable figures 12 months ago; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Lee

The latest available information is taken from the September 1984 census of employment. There were then 882,700 employees in employment, excluding self-employed people and members of Her Majesty's forces, in the north-east region of England. More comprehensive and up-to-date employment statistics can be provided for the standard economic regions. These show that in December 1987, the civilian employed labour force in the northern region was 1,209,000. The figure for 1986 was 1,193,000. The civilian employed labour force is the sum of employees in employment and the self-employed.

63. Mr. Patnick

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the current levels of unemployment in south Yorkshire.

Mr. Lee

In March 1988, the number of unemployed claimants in the county of South Yorkshire was 88,220, a fall of 13,930 or 13.6 per cent. since March 1987.

66. Mr. Oppenheim

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many long-term unemployed people there were in June 1983 and in March 1988; and what assessment he has made of their employment prospects for the next year.

Mr. Lee

Unemployment figures are analysed only by duration quarterly. On 14 January 1988 (the latest available date) the number of unemployed claimants who had been unemployed for one year or more in the United Kingdom was 1,100,615. The figure for July 1983 was 1,050,431. The comparison is affected by changes in the coverage of the count. Long-term unemployment has fallen by 234,000 over the last 12 months, the largest fall on record.

69. Mr. Sumberg

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current level of unemployment in the north-west; what was the comparable level 12 months ago; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Lee

In March 1988, the level of seasonally-adjusted adult unemployment in the north-west region was 347,800, compared with 413,000 in March 1987, a fall of almost 16 per cent. over the last 12 months.

75. Mr. Hardy

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will state the number of jobs lost in the Rotherham-Mexborough travel-to-work area during the last six months; what specifically is the number of jobs lost in the last few days at the Swinton glassworks; and what is the number of full-time vacancies at the present time.

Mr. John Lee

The information on jobs lost in the Rotherham and Mexborough travel-to-work area, for the period requested, is not available.

Information given to the Department under the redundancy provisions of the Employment Protection Act 1975 and the redundancy provisions of the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978 is given in confidence and remains confidential until made public by the company concerned. On 4 March 1988 the number of full-time unfilled vacancies at jobcentres covering an area closely corresponding to the Rotherham and Mexborough travel-to-work area was 325.