HC Deb 17 July 2003 vol 409 cc461-2W
Mr. Hoyle

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were employed in the manufacturing sector in(a) 1979, (b) 1997 and (c) 2003; and what percentage of the workforce this represents in each case. [126862]

Dawn Primarolo

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Lindsay Hoyle, dated 17 July 2003: The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question about how many people were employed in the manufacturing sector in (a) 1979, (b) 1997 and (c) 2003; and what percentage of the workforce this represents in each case. (126862) The table below shows the number of workforce jobs in the manufacturing sector in March for the specified years.

UK workforce jobs by industry
Thousand (seasonally adjusted)
Manufacturing (Section D) Percentage of workforce
1979 7,104 26.4
1997 4,456 16.0
2003 3,781 12.8

These estimates are based on the results of regular sample surveys of employers which count the number of employee jobs, Data on self-employment are obtained from the Labour Force Survey.