STEADY GROWTH OF N.Z. LABOUR FORCE PREDICTED

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 82, 14 August 1950, Page 5

STEADY GROWTH OF N.Z. LABOUR FORCE PREDICTED

Increases in the number of New Zealand’s employable people are predicted for some years to come by the Department of Labour and Employment in its half-yearly survey of employment. Surveying the trend in the 12 months beginning last April, the department says the labour force is expected to expand through thecombined effects of natural increase and immigration. Natural increase will, however, be less than last year. Though the number of boys and girls reaching working age each year has passed the minimum level and is expected to increase each year from now on, the number of persons reaching retiring age is also increasing.

Next year the increase in retirements is expected to be greater than in the past year, and it will be greater than the increase in persons reaching workings age. Inflow will continue to exceed outflow, but the margin will probably be less in the year ending April, 1951, than last year. This decreasing rate will probably be only temporary. For some years after 1951 the number of persons reaching working age can be expected to exceed at a steadily increasing rate the numbers reaching retirement age. The effect of the Government’s policy to increase immigration to 10,000 a year will not be apparent immediately, and in the current 12 months actual additions to v the total labour force are expected to be 12,500. The total estimated labour force last April was 735,900. During the last few years it has been expanding at an increasing rate. The increase in 1948 was only 8400. More immigration and an apparent lengthening of the working life of men and women in industry have accounted for the growing increments to a greater extent than has natural increase.