LABOUR FORCE IN BUILDING

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27367, 4 June 1954, Page 7

LABOUR FORCE IN BUILDING

FIGURES GIVEN TO CONFERENCE

« RAPID EXPANSION CONTINUES ” (NetO Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, June 3. The labour force engaged in the building and construction industry continued to expand rapidly, said a Labour Department report presented to the executive committee of the National Housing Council today. The estimated labour force in the industry was 57,100 in April, 1951, 64,000 in October, 1953, and 66,000 by April, 1954. The number of persons engaged in the erection of houses and flats rose by 1,655 between April, 1953, and April, 1954. In April, 1953, vacancies in the industry totalled 1905. They totalled 1999 in October, 1953, and 2490 in April, 1954. Vacancies for carpenters and joiners in April of this year accounted for just over 50 per cent, of the industry’s vacancies. The report also said that apprenticeship contracts in all trades continued to rise and were now at a record level. Last year’s increase of 593 was the largest for several years. Exclusive of Government apprentices, there were now 14,315 apprenticeship contracts. Apprenticeships in the building trades were particularly popular—more than

45 per cent, of all apprenticeship contracts at March 31 of this year were in these trades.

A total of 2322 building tradesmen (irffcluding joiners and electrical tradesmen) had been brought to New Zealand as assisted immigrants since the war.

The Minister of Housing (Mr W. Sullivan) described the figures as definitely encouraging. Tne Minister reported increased activity in the Government house-building field. He said that in the year ended March 31, 1954, the total, including 582 departmental houses, was 3361, compared with 2776 the previous year and 2777 the year before that. A more recent survey by the Labour Department this year led to the conclusion that the proportion engaged in the building industry in New Zealand was now considerably better than in any country for which the position was known, but this conclusion had to be qualified. The department’s survey showed the following break-down of manner of employment in the industry:—Houses and flats (private, State and local authority), 25 per cent.; hospitals, educational, and other Government buildings, 10 per cent.; other local authority building, 3 per cent.; commercial and industrial, 12 per cent.; civil and electrical engineering and bridge construction, 18 per cent; maintenance and small jobbing work, 12 per cent.; working proprietors, surveyors, clerical, etc., 20 per cent.