§ Bill WigginTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many jobs have been lost in(a) manufacturing and (b) agriculture in Wales in each year since 1997. [163166]
§ Mr. TouhigBetween 1997 and 2003, on average 19,000 jobs were lost each year in manufacturing and 14,000 manufacturing jobs created. The decline in the manufacturing sector is more than balanced by a rise in overall employment in Wales which has risen by over 100,000 since 1997. Details for individual years for the manufacturing sector are as follows:
441W
Year Gains (thousands) Losses (thousands) 1997 11.2 10.5 1998 17.2 19.0 1999 10.0 15.0 2000 13.1 17.6 2001 24.9 30.1
Year Gains (thousands) Losses (thousands) 2002 12.8 22.9 2003 9.0 20.0 1997–2003 averages 14 19 Source: Welsh Register of Manufacturing Employment Information for the agriculture sector is not available in the form requested. However, employment trends in agriculture are set out in the table below.
Persons Employed in Agriculture in Wales (thousands) Year 1997 63.3 1998 61.9 1999 59.5 2000 55.7 2001 56.3 2002 56.2 2003 55.6 Source: Digest of Wales Historical Statistics