FEMALE LABOUR SHORTAGE

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24741, 5 December 1945, Page 8

FEMALE LABOUR SHORTAGE

* “LIKELY TO CONTINUE FOR TEN YEARS”

SURVEY OP EMPLOYMENT PROSPECTS

The opinion that the shortage of female labour ih' industry was likely to continue for perhaps the next Hi years was expressed at a recent'meeting of the Rehabilitation Board. Members were discussing the re-establish-ment of former servicemen and women, and the Director of Rehabilitation (Mr F, W. Baker) commented that the immediate employment position was not difficult. He said that recent figures from the National.Service Department showed that there were, more than . 11,000 vacancies for men and women in the Dominion, a large proportion of these being in skilled occupations. There was a noticeable shortage of young women in the 15-10 years age group, said Mr S. W. Caspar. In his opinion there would be a shortage of female labour for 10 years. This would make it necessary for more male labour to be utilised. Female labour was used because it was cheaper, said Mr C. L. Batten, but on examination this did not always prove to be the case. Regarding rehabilitation generally, he thought that with the change in the function and the name of the Organisation for National Development, the board might have to rely more on its own resources in forecasting the scope. in an. particular field. “We have the basic machinery to do that," said the director. “In land settlement we have recently completed a comprehensive survey of the position. In, housing we have done as much as any central organisation can do, and we will continue to keep this under review. The employment field is being covered in conjunction with the ,hew Servicemen’s, Employment Division Of the National Service Department. : Already the board is making investigations into the engineering an>. other fields, and this will continue."

Provided the board was kept supplied with results of investigations in the various fields in which it was interested, he Lit that it would be in a position to ensure that the scheme for the rehabilitation of former servicemen could continue on a practical and realistic basis.

BRITISH FLEET AIRMEN VISIT CHRISTCHURCH.—Forty-nine officers and men from;the aircraft-earner Indefatigable arrived by ajr at Wigram yesterday afternoon on a one-day visit to ChristcnurGb. Thirty-two officers and men flew from the Indefatigable at sea in Seafire and Firefly fighters and Avenger torpedo-bombers. ABOVE: Seafire fighters drawn up on the airfield at Wigram. BELOW: ~ . . Some of the pilots and navigators in front of a Seafire.