HC Deb 20 December 1989 vol 164 cc237-8W
Mr. John Evans

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the increase in unemployment, expressed as a percentage and using current counting methods(a) between 1979 and 1989 overall and (b) for each year between 1979 and 1989.

Mr. Nicholls

[holding answer 8 December 1989]: The information is available in the Library. In 1979 the average monthly level of unemployment, seasonally adjusted, for the United Kingdom was 1,075,800 compared with a 10-month average of 1,825,800 for 1989, an increase of 69.7 per cent. The following table shows the percentage changes in the annual averages of the monthly levels of seasonally adjusted unemployment for the United Kingdom for each year between 1979 and 1989.

Unemployment in United Kingdom (seasonally adjusted) percentage change between annual averages
Per cent.
1980 +26.9
1981 +59.2
1982 +17.2
1983 +9.6
1984 +4.7
1985 +3.9
1986 +2.4
1987 -9.2
1988 -18.7
11989 -20.4
1 Ten month average.