Employment Trends Change

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31922, 25 February 1969, Page 21

Employment Trends Change

Employment trends changed during the six months ended October, 1968, from the depressed levels of the previous year, says the February issue of the Labour and Employment Gazette, which gives the main movements for the surveyed labour force.

The main movements were: Although the labour force in all surveyed industries, including seasonal, was lower in October, 1968, than in April, 1968, it was apparent that the downward trends between April, 1967, and April, 1968, were arrested and reversed during the six months to October, 1968, in a substantial segment of industry. Non-seasonal industries showed partial recovery in the labour force. The increase of 5846 workers in surveyed industries was more than accounted for by increases in the non-seasonal manufacturing sectors—the greatest improvement being in textiles, clothing and leather industries, followed by engineering and metal-working and building materials and furnishings.

Employment was also up by 14 per cent in forestry, log-

ging, mining and quarrying industries. This was due mainly to the winter inflow of registered unemployed men on necessary afforestation work for the New Zealand Forest Service. In three of the four servicing sectors there were small decreases. Upward trends were reported by 46 of the 67 non-sea-sonal industries during the six months, but in the four seasonal industries there was the customary sharp drop by some 11,300 employees between April and October, 1968. There was, however, a fur-

ther upsurge in the seasonal processing industries —meat processing, fruit and vegetable preserving and dairy factories—where employment has been rising steadily for some years. During the 196768 season the meat-producing industry accounted for most of the rise, reflecting increased fabrication and boning of carcases and quarters for the export market. Part-time employees rose by 6 per cent to a record total of nearly 71,000. Women and girls accounted for the major part of the increase. Reported vacancies and labour shortages in October, 1968, were more than double what they were six months before. Male labour turnover remained unchanged, while female labour turnover eased a little.