BRITAIN’S LACK OF MANPOWER
“ACUTE SHORTAGE” IN 1947 / PROGRESSIVE DECLINE FORECAST (Rec. 7 p.m.) LONDON, January 9. “The shortage of manpower will continue in Britain for some very considerable time,” said Mr Godfrey Ince, Permanent Secretary to the Minister of Labour, addressing the Institute of Motor Industry. “Our manpower has been running down since 1943. It is going to continue to run down this year because the birthrate fell some years ago.” He was not in a position to disclose the 1947 manpower budget, but he could say that 1947 was going to be a period of acute shortage of manpower. “We had in 1939 417,000 young men reaching the age of 18,” he said. “The number in 1946 was 335,000, and the number in 1950 will be 295,000. That is a very serious matter.” Moreover, with the raising of the school leaving age, industry in 10 years’ time would have only half the juveniles it had to-day. There was no solution to the present difficulties except through increased production, but he was not a pessimist and believed Britain would get through quicker than many people believed possible.
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Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25080, 11 January 1947, Page 7
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188BRITAIN’S LACK OF MANPOWER Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25080, 11 January 1947, Page 7
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