Statistics of the Ministry of Labour and National Service

Abstract

THE standing Interdepartmental Committee on Social and Economic Research was appointed in January 1947 to survey and advise upon research work in Government departments and in particular to bring to the notice of departments the potential value for research purposes of the material which they collect, and to suggest new methods and areas of collection. It has also to advise on how there could be made available to research workers information gathered for their own purposes by the departments which has potential value as material for research. The Committee has selected as the first major department for survey (London : H.M. Stationery Office. 9d. net) the Ministry of Labour and National Service, which has a tradition of co-operation with research workers. The first results of this survey have been published as a booklet which describes the development of the Ministry of Labour‘s Statistical Service and the information at present collected by the Ministry on employment and unemployment, wages, earnings, hours and industrial relations, retail prices and family budgets, the changes which have occurred in the form of collection and the effect upon the comparability of successive statistics. In addition to a list of published sources of information, there is included a subject index to published sources of Ministry of Labour statistics. The booklet is experimental in form ; but it is hoped that it will prove of value to teachers and students in the universities as well as to other research workers, and criticism and suggestions for improvement will be welcomed by the Committee.