§ Mr. Frank FieldTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the(a) change and (b) percentage change was in full-time permanent jobs in Birkenhead from 1997 to 31 December 2003; [166305]
(2) how many new jobs have been created in Birkenhead since 1997. [166306]
§ Ruth KellyThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Frank Field, dated 19 April 2004:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about full time jobs, and jobs created in Birkenhead. (166305, 166306)
While statistics on the number of new jobs created are not available explicitly, statistics from surveys enable comparisons to be made of net changes in the total number of jobs, from year to year.
The following table shows the information requested, relating to all jobs and full-time jobs, for 1997 and 2002, the latest year for which figures are available. No information is available about whether the jobs were permanent.
Number of full-time employees and total number of employees1 in Birkenhead Parliamentary Constituency: 1997 and 2002 Number, per cent Full-Time Total Number of employees 1997 22,000 33,900 2002 22,400 35,100 Change from 1997 to 2002 Absolute 400 1,200 Percentage 2.0 3.7 1 Employee jobs only, not self-employed jobs Source: 1997; Annual Employment Survey, rescaled 2002; Annual Business Inquiry (ABI)
§ Mr. Frank FieldTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were employed in tourism-related jobs in Birkenhead on the latest date for which figures are available. [166307]
§ Ruth KellyThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
377WLetter from Len Cook to Mr. Frank Field, dated 19 April 2004:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about tourism-related jobs in Birkenhead. (166307)
The latest available data, from the 2002 Annual Business Inquiry, shows that the total number of jobs in tourism related industries in Birkenhead was 2,100. This total is obtained by combining figures for those working in the following industries, as identified by the Standard Industrial Classification 2003:
- hotels
- restaurants
- bars
- activities of travel agencies
- library, archives museums etc
- sporting activities
- other recreational activities.
§ Mr. Frank FieldTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many job vacancies there were in Birkenhead in(a) 1997 and (b) 2003. [166308]
§ Mr. BoatengThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr Frank Field, dated 19 April 2004:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question concerning job vacancies in Birkenhead. (166308)
According to Jobcenter Plus administrative records, the number of unfilled vacancies in Birkenhead was 898 on average during 1997. This represents only a proportion of all the vacancies available, as not all vacancies are notified to Jobcenters.
Jobcenter vacancy statistics were withdrawn from National Statistics in September 2001 as a result of distortions to the data which occurred following the introduction of new administrative procedures by Jobcenter Plus. Comparable figures for vacancies in 2003 are therefore unavailable.
The ONS Vacancy Survey was introduced from April 2001, but does not provide information below national level.
§ Mr. Ben ChapmanTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many job vacancies there were in(a) 1997 and (b) 2003. [166638]
§ Mr. BoatengThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Ben Chapman, dated 19 April 2004:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question concerning job vacancies. (166638)
There were 600,800 job vacancies in the UK on average during 2003 according to results of the ONS Vacancy Survey. As the survey started in April 2001, there are no comparable statistics for 1997. Since the series shows seasonal fluctuations, the longest available like-for-like comparison with the past, using the latest provisional estimate of 632,400 vacancies for February 2004, is with the estimate of 622,000 for February 2002, an increase of 10,400 vacancies over the two- year period.
Previous vacancy statistics from Jobcenter Plus administrative records were withdrawn from National Statistics in September 2001 as a result of distortions to the data following the introduction of new administrative procedures by Jobcenter Plus.
378W
§ Mr. Frank FieldTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of unemployment in Birkenhead was in each year since 1997. [166312]
§ Ruth KellyThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Frank Field dated 19 April 2004:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about unemployment.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) following International Labour Organisation definitions. However, the LFS sample size is too small to give reliable estimates of unemployment in the Birkenhead Parliamentary Constituency.
ONS also compiles statistics of those claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for local areas including parliamentary constituencies.
The table below gives the annual average number of JSA claimants for the Birkenhead constituency for each year since 1997.
Year Average number of claimants 1997 4,730 1998 4,025 1999 3,829 2000 3,418 2001 3,026 2002 2,744 2003 2,540