Employment and Unemployment Issues in the 1970s

Introduction This monograph examines developments in the British labour market during the 1970s and in particular the impact of the unusual combination of high inflation and high unemployment that characterised the period. The reasons for the current high rates of unemployment are examined, and government attempts to ameliorate the problem reviewed. A growing labour force will make the Government's task more difficult and the main trends in labour supply during the seventies are described; changes in differentials and in the dispersion of earnings are evaluated and the effects of inflation and incomes policies assesed. Finally we analyse perhaps the most important area for policy‐makers, developments in the collective bargaining structure and in the role of trade unions.