Mr. PowellTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list in theOfficial Report the estimate for the number of people in work in Great Britain for March in each year since 1970.
§ Mr. NichollsEstimates of the self-employed are based on the census of population and the labour force surveys. Prior to 1971 this information was obtained from the Department of Health and Social Security's sample of national insurance cards. The current surveys of work force in employment, including the self-employed, are therefore not comparable with data before 1971.
The available information is as follows:
Workforce in employment Great Britain Seasonally adjusted (Thousands) March 1971 23,944 1972 23,935 1973 24,505 1974 24,507 1975 24,509 1976 24,286 1977 24,285