View source for Secretary of State for Employment

{{Use British English|date=August 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}{{Short description|Former position in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom}}
The '''secretary of state for employment''' was a position in the [[Cabinet of the United Kingdom]].  In 1995, it was merged with '''[[secretary of state for education]]''' to make the '''secretary of state for education and employment'''.  In 2001, the employment functions were hived off and transferred to the '''secretary of state for social security''' to form the '''[[secretary of state for work and pensions]]'''.

== Minister of Labour (1916–1940) ==
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan=2|Name
! Portrait
! colspan=2|Term of office
! Political Party
! colspan=2|Prime Minister
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}"|
| width=130|[[John Hodge (politician)|John Hodge]]
| [[File:John Hodge.JPG|60px]]
| width=120|10 December 1916
| width=120|17 August 1917
| [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| rowspan=4 style="background-color: {{party color|Liberal Party (UK)}}"|
| width=150 rowspan=4|[[David Lloyd George]]<br /><small>([[Lloyd George ministry|Coalition]])</small>
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}"|
| [[George Henry Roberts]]
| [[File:G H Roberts.JPG|60px]]
| 17 August 1917
| 10 January 1919
| [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Scottish Unionist Party}}"|
| [[Sir Robert Horne]]
| [[File:Robert Horne cropped.jpg|60px]]
| 10 January 1919
| 19 March 1920
| [[Unionist Party (Scotland)|Unionist]]
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Liberal Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Thomas James Macnamara]]
| [[File:TJ Macnamara 1901.jpg|60px]]
| 19 March 1920
| 19 October 1922
| [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]]
|-
! rowspan=2 style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| rowspan=2|[[Sir Anderson Montague-Barlow, 1st Baronet|Sir Anderson Montague-Barlow]]
| rowspan=2| [[File:Anderson Montague-Barlow.jpg|60px]]
| rowspan=2|31 October 1922
| rowspan=2|22 January 1924
| rowspan=2|[[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Bonar Law]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Stanley Baldwin]]
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Tom Shaw (politician)|Tom Shaw]]
| [[File:Tom_Shaw_-_politician.jpg|60px]]
| 22 January 1924
| 3 November 1924
| [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Ramsay MacDonald]]
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Sir Arthur Steel-Maitland, 1st Baronet|Sir Arthur Steel-Maitland, Bt]]
| [[File:Arthur Steel-Maitland.jpg|60px]]
| 6 November 1924
| 4 June 1929
| [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Stanley Baldwin]]
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Margaret Bondfield]]
| [[File:Margaret Bondfield 1919.jpg|60px]]
| 7 June 1929
| 24 August 1931<br />(lost seat [[1931 United Kingdom general election|1931]])
| [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Ramsay MacDonald]]
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Henry Betterton, 1st Baron Rushcliffe|Sir Henry Betterton, Bt]]
|
| 25 August 1931
| 29 June 1934
| [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
| rowspan=2 style="background-color: {{party color|National Labour Organisation}}"|
| rowspan=2|[[Ramsay MacDonald]]<br /><small>([[First National ministry|1st]] & [[Second National ministry|2nd National Min.]])</small>
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Oliver Stanley]]
| [[File:Oliver Stanley MP.jpg|60px]]
| 29 June 1934
| 7 June 1935
| Conservative
|-
! rowspan=2 style="background-color: {{party color|National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)}}" |
| rowspan=2|[[Ernest Brown (MP)|Ernest Brown]]
| rowspan=2|[[File:BrownErnest.jpg|60px]]
| rowspan=2|7 June 1935
| rowspan=2|13 May 1940
| rowspan=2|[[National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)|Liberal National]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
| [[Stanley Baldwin]]<br /><small>([[Third National ministry|3rd National Min.]])</small>
|-
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
| [[Neville Chamberlain]]<br /><small>([[Fourth National ministry|4th Nat.Min.]]; [[Chamberlain war ministry|War Coalition]])</small>
|}

{{anchor|Minister of Labour and National Service}}

== Minister of Labour and National Service (1940–1959) ==
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan=2|Name
! Portrait
! colspan=2|Term of office
! Political Party
! colspan=2|Prime Minister
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}"|
| width=130|[[Ernest Bevin]]
| [[File:Ernest Bevin cph.3b17494.jpg|60px]]
| width=120|13 May 1940
| width=120|23 May 1945
| [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| rowspan=2 style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| width=150|[[Winston Churchill]]<br /><small>([[Churchill war ministry|War Coalition]])</small>
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| [[R. A. Butler]]
| [[File:Rab Butler.png|60px]]
| 25 May 1945
| 26 July 1945
| [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
| [[Winston Churchill]]<br /><small>([[Churchill caretaker ministry|Caretaker Min.]])</small>
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}"|
| [[George Isaacs]]
| [[File:No image.svg|60px]]
| 3 August 1945
| 17 January 1951
| [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| rowspan=3 style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}"|
| rowspan=3|[[Clement Attlee]]
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Aneurin Bevan]]
| [[File:Aneurin Bevan (crop).jpg|60px]]
| 17 January 1951
| 23 April 1951<br />(resigned)
| Labour
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Alfred Robens]]
| [[File:Alfred Robens, Baron Robens of Woldingham.jpg|60px]]
| 24 April 1951
| 26 October 1951
| Labour
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| rowspan=2|[[Walter Monckton]]
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|28 October 1951
| rowspan=2|20 December 1955
| rowspan=2|[[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Sir Winston Churchill]]
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| rowspan=2 style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| rowspan=2|[[Sir Anthony Eden]]
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| rowspan=2|[[Iain Macleod]]
| rowspan=2|[[File:The National Archives UK - CO 1069-166-17 Macleod crop.jpg|60px]]
| rowspan=2|20 December 1955
| rowspan=2|14 October 1959
| rowspan=2|Conservative
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| rowspan=2 style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| rowspan=2|[[Harold Macmillan]]
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Edward Heath]]
| [[File:Heathdod.JPG|60px]]
| 14 October 1959
| 12 November 1959
| Conservative
|}

== Minister of Labour (1959–1968) ==
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan=2|Name
! colspan=2|Term of office
! Political Party
! colspan=2|Prime Minister
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| width=200|[[Edward Heath]]
| width=120|12 November 1959
| width=120|27 July 1960
| [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
| rowspan=2 style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| width=150 rowspan=2|[[Harold Macmillan]]
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| [[John Hare, 1st Viscount Blakenham|John Hare]]
| 27 July 1960
| 20 October 1963
| Conservative
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Joseph Godber]]
| 20 October 1963
| 16 October 1964
| Conservative
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Alec Douglas-Home]]
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Ray Gunter]]
| 18 October 1964
| 6 April 1968
| [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Harold Wilson]]
|}

== Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity (1968–1970) ==
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan=2|Name
! Portrait
! colspan=2|Term of office
! Political Party
! colspan=2|Prime Minister
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}"|
| width=130|[[Barbara Castle]]
| [[File:Barbara Castle, 1965 (cropped).jpg|60px]]
| width=120|6 April 1968
| width=120|19 June 1970
| [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}"|
| width=150|[[Harold Wilson]]
|}

== Secretary of State for Employment (1970–1995) ==
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan=2|Name
! colspan=2|Term of office
! Political Party
! colspan=2|Prime Minister
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| width=200|[[Robert Carr]]
| width=120|20 June 1970
| width=120|7 April 1972
| [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
| rowspan=3 style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| width=150 rowspan=3|[[Edward Heath]]
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Maurice Macmillan]]
| 7 April 1972
| 2 December 1973
| Conservative
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| [[William Whitelaw]]
| 2 December 1973
| 4 March 1974
| Conservative
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Michael Foot]]
| 5 March 1974
| 8 April 1976
| [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Harold Wilson]]
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Albert Booth]]
| 8 April 1976
| 4 May 1979
| Labour
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}"|
| [[James Callaghan]]
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| [[James Prior]]
| 5 May 1979
| 14 September 1981
| [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
| rowspan=6 style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| rowspan=6|[[Margaret Thatcher]]
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Norman Tebbit]]
| 14 September 1981
| 16 October 1983
| Conservative
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Tom King, Baron King of Bridgwater|Tom King]]
| 16 October 1983
| 2 September 1985
| Conservative
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| [[David Young, Baron Young of Graffham|The Lord Young of Graffham]]
| 2 September 1985
| 13 June 1987
| Conservative
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Norman Fowler]]
| 13 June 1987
| 3 January 1990
| Conservative
|-
! rowspan=2 style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| rowspan=2|[[Michael Howard]]
| rowspan=2|3 January 1990
| rowspan=2|11 April 1992
| rowspan=2|Conservative
|-
| rowspan=4 style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| rowspan=4|[[John Major]]
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Gillian Shephard]]
| 11 April 1992
| 27 May 1993
| Conservative
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| [[David Hunt, Baron Hunt of Wirral|David Hunt]]
| 27 May 1993
| 20 July 1994
| Conservative
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Michael Portillo]]
| 20 July 1994
| 5 July 1995
| Conservative
|}

== Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1995–2001) ==
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan=2|Name
! colspan=2|Term of office
! Political Party
! colspan=2|Prime Minister
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| width=200|[[Gillian Shephard]]
| width=120|5 July 1995
| width=120|2 May 1997
| [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}"|
| width=150|[[John Major]]
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}"|
| [[David Blunkett]]
| 2 May 1997
| 8 June 2001
| [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}"|
| [[Tony Blair]]
|}

The office was merged with the [[Department of Social Security (United Kingdom)|Department of Social Security]] to form the [[Department for Work and Pensions]] in 2001.

==See also==
*[[Department for Work and Pensions]]

[[Category:British Secretaries of State for Employment|*]]
[[Category:Labour ministers of the United Kingdom|*Employment]]
[[Category:Defunct ministerial offices in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Lists of government ministers of the United Kingdom|Employment]]