Unemployment Statistics

In respect of this very large sample of the total of employed persons there have been available, since 1921, unemployment statistics of great and increasing trustworthiness. Weekly throughout this period have been published the numbers of men, boys, women and girls "on the registers of employment exchanges" and monthly, in the Ministry of Labour Gazette, have been given the numbers of insured persons in the different industries and the numbers and percentages of such persons unemployed.

Numbers Registered at Employment Exchanges.—The weekly figures represent the numbers of persons registered at employment exchanges as seeking employment on the first day of the week. It should be understood that the figures include workpeople suspended or temporarily "stood-off" and persons working short time, provided they were unemployed and registered on the dates to which the returns relate. The figures also include some persons who were in employment or otherwise occupied but had registered with a view to obtaining other work, but the number of these is not material except perhaps in the case of juveniles. Table VII. on p. 695 gives the Great Britain figures for dates from Jan. 1921 to December 1928.

The figures of persons registered for employment given in table VII. are not limited to persons insured against unemployment. They include unemployed domestic servants, agricultural workers and juveniles under 16 years of age in so far as these were regis tered for employment. The size of "field" from which they are drawn cannot be estimated, and consequently percentages of un employment cannot be computed from them except for special and limited purposes.

For trustworthy percentages one must turn to the unemploy ment insurance statistics published each month in the Ministry of Labour Gazette.

Insured Workpeople Unemployed.

Every person insured under the Unemployment Insurance Acts is given an unemploy ment book, and the number of persons insured is estimated annually when old books are exchanged for new books in the summer of each year. When an insured person comes out of work and makes a claim to unemployment benefit the unemploy ment book must be "lodged" at an employment exchange. It is therefore possible to obtain from a count of the lodged books a record of unemployment among insured persons ; and by relat ing this to the total of insured persons the percentage of unem ployed among insured workpeople can be calculated. Table III. on p. 694 gives the percentages for Great Britain for dates near the end of each month from Jan. 1921 to December 1928.

It should be understood that the figures of "books lodged" are not confined to persons in receipt of unemployment benefit. Over

and above these, they include all persons, whether recipients of or claimants to benefit or not, whose books are lodged and who are known to be unemployed ; and in the case of persons whose books remain lodged, indicating that they are not working in stoppages" include those persons recorded as unemployed on the date of the return who were either on short time or were other wise stood off or suspended on the definite understanding that they were to return to their former employment within a period of six weeks from the date of suspension. In cases where there was no definite prospect of return within six weeks the individuals have been included in the statistics as "wholly unemployed." Table IV. gives in summary form the British figures (excluding North ern Ireland) for males and females separately and the figures for those wholly unemployed and those temporarily suspended from employment from 1926 to and inclusive of August, 1928.

an insured industry, but whose employment condition or continued existence is not known by reason of their having ceased to main tain registration, such persons are counted as unemployed for two months of ter their last attendance at the exchange. Further, the statistics are not confined to persons definitely without a job. Those who were not at work on the day of the count because they were "stood off" or on short time, and whose unemployment books are lodged at exchanges, are counted in the statistics as "unemployed." It should be noted that insured persons who are disqualified for the receipt of benefit under the trade dispute disqualification are not included among the numbers unemployed unless they have registered for other work.

The official figures have from the beginning distinguished be tween men, boys, women and girls; and since the beginning of 1926 a distinction has also been made between persons wholly unemployed (in the sense that they are definitely without a job) and those who are temporarily stopped or suspended from the service of an employer. The figures under the heading "temporary Unemployment in Various Industries.—On every insured person's unemployment book is recorded the industry in which he is engaged. The analysis by industries in the Ministry of La bour Gazette for Aug. 1928 reveals wide differences in the in tensity of unemployment in the various groups ranging from 30% in the linen industry, 28% in coal mining, and 23% in iron and steel, at the one extreme, down to less than 3% in commerce, in tramway and omnibus service, and scientific instrument making, and less than 5% in 13 of the i oo groups.