§ Mr. SarwarTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the trends in respect of long-term unemployment in Scotland. [22749]
§ Mr. WilsonThe Office for National Statistics (ONS) produces two measures of unemployment. The first is derived from the quarterly Labour Force Survey, and is defined on a consistent and internationally recognized 679W basis set out by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and counts as unemployed people who are: (a) without a paid job; (b) available to start work within the next two weeks and (c) have either looked for work in the last four weeks or are waiting to start a job already obtained.
ONS also publishes figures on the number of people who are claiming Jobseeker's Allowance or National Insurance Credits. This is published monthly and known as the Claimant Count.
Defining long term unemployment as those who have been unemployed for 12 months or more, the data requested are shown in the table.
Number of people in Scotland ILO unemployed for 12 months or more Summer 1992 to Summer 1997 (not seasonally adjusted) Number Summer 1992 96,000 Summer 1993 102,000 Summer 1994 92,000 Summer 1995 92,000 Summer 1996 75,000 Summer 1997 70,000 Source:
Office for National Statistics, Labour Force Survey.