To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) full and (b) part-time jobs there were in the City of York in each year since 1997. (197132)

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Jil Matheson, dated 31 March 2008:

The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on how many (a) full and (b) part-time jobs there were in the City of York in each year since 1997.1 am replying in her absence. (197132).

The Office for National Statistics compiles employment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) and its predecessor the annual Labour Force Survey (LFS) following International Labour Organisation definitions. This is the preferred source for estimates at the detailed level requested. Employment estimates are distinct from the number of jobs, which come from the Annual Business Inquiry.

Table 1 attached provides estimates based on people aged 16 and over, in full and part-time employment, resident in the City of York.

Estimates based on the most recent parliamentary constituency boundaries are only available from 2001. Figures for 2001-2004 are for the twelve months ending February that year. Figures for 2005-2007 are for the twelve months ending March the same year.

As these estimates are for a subset of the population in a small geographical area, they are based on small sample sizes, and are therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty.

In order to produce estimates for small geographical areas, APS and annual LFS estimates are provided based on survey microdata. These are consistent with the UK population estimates published in February and March 2003, whereas the regional and national estimates published in the Labour Market Statistics First Release are based on more up-to-date population figures, so the two are not directly comparable.