asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the average number of vacancies for employment in Scotland in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what were the comparable figures for the previous 10 years.

The information is as follows:

UNFILLED VACANCIES
(January to December)(annual average)
	Notified to Employment Offices	Thousands Notified to Careers Offices
1968	18·2
1969	19·3
1970	16·1
1971	9·4
1972	9·5
1973	22·9
1974	19·3	6·6
1975	16·9	2·6
1976	14·4	1·5
1977	16·4	1·1
1978	20·5	1·1

These figures represent only the numbers of vacancies notified to employment offices and, from 1974, careers offices by employers and remaining unfilled on the day of the count. The figures do not purport to represent the total outstanding requirements of all employers. From 1974, because of possible duplication, the two series should not be added together.