UPWARD TREND

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 67, Issue 116, 26 February 1947, Page 6

UPWARD TREND

WAGE MOVEMENT OVER SIX MONTHS FACTS ABOUT DECENTRALISA TION A half-yearly survey of employment conducted by the National Employment Service, covering the period April 15 to October 15, sboAvs that men employed in industries covered by the survey earned an average ordinary wage (excluding overtime) of £6 18s 9d per Aveek in October, representing an increase of 1.5 per cent over the average wage of £6 16s 8d per week received in May.

The average Avage for Avomen over the same period increased by 2.4 per cent from £3 16s 3d per week in May to £3 18s Id per Aveek in October. There is a noticeable drop in male wages iii August, .while the female average for the same month shows an increase of only Id over the previous month as compared with the increase of Is lOd over the six months’ period. This temporary setback in the upward trend is probably due ,in part to the bleak Aveather conditions in the month of August. The amounts paid each month by Avay of medical benefits give an indication of a strikingly high incidence of sickness during the month of August, 1946, the payments for that month' being over 20 per cent above those for any other month in the period surveyed,- states the report.

Not Altogether Conclusive

“While there is an indication of a significant upward trend in both male and female average wages, it is advisable to keep in mind that only six months are covered, so that the upAvard trend may be due in part to. such temporary but periodic factors as winter conditions, normal busy and slack periods such as preparing for the Christmas trade, and the taperingoff of the annual influx of lower-paid juvenile Avorkers entering industry from school in the early part of the year,” remarks the- survey. “Over all industry surveyed, except building and construction, there were 7256 youths engaged over the six months, into a labour force of 249,338. These figures give an average recruitment rate of 2.91 per cent of the total labour force. For girls, the corresponding rate was 8.2 per cent. “Recent years have seen a marked expansion of activity in secondary industries in NeAv Zealand,” continues the survey. “Though there is no ’available data by Avhich to measure accurately past industrial expansion in particular towns, a review of existing vacancies supports the generally accepted belief that such- expansion has largely occurred in the five main urban areas (Auckland, Wellington, Lower Hutt, Christchurch and Dunedin), and it is here that the unsatisfied demand for labour (particularly female) is at its height.” (Eighty-tAvo per cent of all vacancies at October la last Avere in these five localities).

Decentralisation of Industry

The report continues: “In studying the extent to which decentralisation of industry has taken place in the last two years, several points become evident. Units employing pi’edominantly female labour (which means, in many cases, industries feeling the effects of labour shortages most severely) have so far exploited the possibilities of decentralisation to a much greater extent than those employing male labour. Employers engaged in the manufacture of clothing, footwear and other leather goods have obtained a. very, appreciable start on other manufacturing industries in tapping female labour resources in secondary and smaller towns. Firms which have decentralised include several which are already employing from 50 to 80 workers in the new establishment. “One of the many advantages of collecting employment information at regular half-yearly intervals is, that it has enabled the National Employment Service to assess the scope for decentralisation.”