EMPLOYMENT PROSPECTS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 250, 22 October 1945, Page 4

EMPLOYMENT PROSPECTS

j A CCORDING to the Controller of Manpower, fears that demobilisation, plus the release of many men from munition factories, will result ,:in a large surplus of male labour are unlikely to be realised. On 15 last district manpower officers could have found employment for more than 6000 men, and there were many thousands more •;vacancies which had not been notified to the State authorities, but were being advertised, and some of them filled, through the normal channels. This picture does not accord with many people's observations, but both can be correct. It is quite possible for shortages in some fields to be accompanied by surpluses in others. At present, the shortages are of skilled and experienced men: more than half of the vacancies notified to the manpower' officers are in this class. The position is different with female workers. Of 4737 vacancies, only about one-quarter required experience. Considering the large number of men already demobilised, the general position must be thought satisfactory, even though, as the Controller points out, the manpower office registrations do not cover the whole field. What.has to be remembered is that there are still 70,000 ..or 80,000 men, abroad and.at home, to be demobilised, and that a 'number of others are enjoying their demobilisation leave and have not yet looked for employment. The employment situation next jyear will ,depend largely on the speed with which the men still abroad ..are returned and demobilised, and this in turn will be governed by "the availability of shipping. It is an ironical fact that if shipping were :.suddenly made available to bring the whole of the servicemen home at "one time the employment problem, at least temporarily, would be magnified., • So far it appears that the speed of demobilisation is less than the absorptive capacity of industry. This capacity is itself reduced by shortages of materials necessary for the expansion of many industries . and trades. These shortages are. caused by a diversity of factors, and a vigorous and skilful effort will.*e needed to overcome them. If the House of Representatives used a week in examining, this situation and in discovering and removing some of the obstacles to the reorganisation and expansion of industries it would give better service to the country than by discussing the distribution of the income of industry, or the country quota. . . ;:.. "'".