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Mr. Strang
asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the percentage increases in total unemployment in the United Kingdom from April to April and from January to January in each of the last five years.
Mr. Alison
Between January 1978 and January 1979 and between April 1978 and April 1979 there were decreases of 6·0 per cent. and 7·7 per cent. respectively. The percentage increases for the remaining four years were as follows:
| Percentage increase | |
| 1977–78 | |
| January-January | 6·9 |
| April-April | 4·3 |
| 1979–80 | |
| January-January | 1·1 |
| April-April | 13·6 |
| 1980–81 | |
| January-January | 64·5 |
| April-April | 65·8 |
| Males | Females | |||||||
| Duration in weeks | Under 25 | 25–54 | 55 and over | All ages | Under 25 | 25–54 | 55 and over | All ages |
| 2 or less | 447 | 265 | 64 | 176 | 336 | 147 | 15 | 498 |
| Over 2 and up to 4 weeks | 291 | 243 | 55 | 589 | 221 | 154 | 12 | 387 |
| Over 4 and up to 8 weeks | 404 | 464 | 136 | 1,004 | 331 | 292 | 21 | 644 |
| Over 8 and up to 13 weeks | 416 | 474 | 116 | 1,006 | 352 | 315 | 24 | 691 |
| Over 13 and up to 26 weeks | 876 | 1,290 | 425 | 2,591 | 782 | 721 | 61 | 1,564 |
| Over 26 and up to 52 weeks | 1,265 | 1,644 | 827 | 3,736 | 1,107 | 955 | 104 | 2,166 |
| Over 52 and up to 104 weeks | 888 | 1,554 | 974 | 3,416 | 532 | 623 | 117 | 1,272 |
| Over 104 and up to 156 weeks | 189 | 494 | 218 | 901 | 121 | 159 | 56 | 336 |
| Over 156 weeks | 44 | 394 | 349 | 787 | 35 | 138 | 73 | 246 |
| Total | 4,820 | 6,822 | 3,164 | 14,806 | 3,817 | 3,504 | 483 | 7,804 |