Hertfordshire

Mr. Dodsworth

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how the skills and experience of the unemployed in Hertfordshire compare with the available vacancies.

This Department's statistics do not provide comprehensive analyses on a skill basis. However, separate figures for six broad occupational groups are compiled for counties showing the

BROAD SUMMARY OF THE OCCUPATIONAL ANALYSIS OF NUMBERS UNEMPLOYED AND NOTIFIED UNFILLED VACANCIES IN HERTFORDSHIRE AT MARCH 1977
								Numbers unemployed and registered at employment offices	Notified vacancies unfilled at employment offices
Managerial and professional	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	1,402	194
Clerical and related	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	2,275	411
Other non-manual occupations	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	609	222
Craft and similar occupations, including foremen in processing, production, repairing, etc	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	1,706	858
General labourers	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	2,628	82
Other manual occupations	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	3,426	980
Total: all occupations	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	12,046	2,747

Notes:

(a) at any one time some of the unemployed will be under submission to some of the unfilled vacancies;

(b) the vacancy statistics relate only to vacancies notified and are not a measure of total vacancies:

(c) care needs to be taken in comparing the analysis of the unemployed with those for vacancies as the unemployed can frequently fill vacancies in an occupational group different from that under which they are registered. Thus, a considerable number of the unemployed are registered as "general labourers" so as to indicate that they could undertake a variety of different kinds of unskilled work. They will, however, be considered for all suitable jobs notified, some of which may be in other occupations or offer the opportunity for acquiring limited skills.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many of the unemployed in Hertfordshire fall into the categories of being illiterate, innumerate, physically handicapped, skilled and unskilled.

No information is compiled about the numbers of unemployed who may be illiterate or innumerate. At April 1977, 12,703 people were unemployed in Hertfordshire. Of these, 654 were registered disabled persons in addition, 126 unemployed disabled persons were registered for employment but excluded from the count because they were so severely handicapped as to be considered suitable only for employment under sheltered conditions. Some information on skills is provided by the broad occupational analysis of the members unemployed and registered at employment offices which will be given

numbers unemployed and registered at employment offices and the numbers of unfilled vacancies notified to these offices. The following table shows this information for March 1977, the latest date for which such an analysis is available. Comparable information in respect of careers offices is not compiled.

separately in the answer to another question tabled by the hon. Member.

Volume 932: debated on Friday 27 May 1977