IN KEEN DEMAND

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 201, 24 May 1939, Page 10

IN KEEN DEMAND

Shortage Of Female Labour SKILLED WORKERS GET HIGH WAGES Women Imported From Australia Female labour, particularly apprentices and skilled hands, is in very keen demand by factories in Wellington, and some manufacturers have been unable to obtain female assistance of any description. Several reasons were given yesterday by factory managers for the shortage. The principal cause was said to be the expansion of secondary industries. In an endeavour to overcome the difficulty some firms have imported young women from Australia. Others have had to employ unskilled adult workers at high rates of pay and train them. High wages arc being paid to skilled girls in factories, some earning considerably more than £4/5/- a week. Even girls of 17 years of age are being paid as much as £2/10/- a week. “We hardly-know what an apprentice looks like,” said a big employer of female labour. "There are none to be had. It is only occasionally that a skilled girl is to be found seeking a position, and then it is usually because she has had a disagreement with her previous employer.” The -shortage began to make itself apparent about three years ago. and it had been steadily getting worse, he said. There wore more factories operating in Wellington and .more openings for girls today than theie were a few years ago. The minimum wage for a jonrneywoman was £2/10/a week and the minimum wage for an unskilled girl with no experience was £l/16/- a week. In February, 1934, the average wage for tt journey woman was £l/12/6. Girls From Australia. The manufacturer said that he had imported girls from Australia to relieve the shortage, and had several more arriving shortly to take up positions with him. Though it was an expensive method of obtainng staff, he had found it very satisfactory. He did not think it likely that firms would establish factories in smaller centres, though plenty of labour was reported to be available in some provincial towns. Materials would have to be transported from a port to the factory, and the finished article would have to be carried back to headquarters. The management of two factories, one some distance from the other, would be another difficulty. A confectionery manufacturer said that the position was acute. lie had had no scarcity of applicants for work, but most of them were not. suitable. They were older girls and married women who had had no experience ami who would have to be Ptlid a minimum of £2 a week. Because of the scarcity of younger girls he had had to employ that class of labour, though it was much more expensive. Formerly he had not allowed girls to return to work when they married, but of late he had had to permit them to because of the shortage. Expansion Hindered. A clothing manufacturer with, a bigstaff said that he had sufficient girls at present to cope with tlie work offering, but if he wanted to expand he knew he would have difficulty in obtaining girls to operate machines. He could obtain unskilled labour, but there were no apprentices or trained girls available. “At one time when we advertised for an apprentice there would be 20 or 30 girls offering, but now there are none at all,” said another clothing manufacturer. “We are very short of staff.” ■ . . It was very difficult to get girts who would remain, was a view expressed by a manufacturer of stockings. He said that at present he was employing a number of girls from Hastings and Nelson who would leave to go fruit-picking when the season started It was hopeless to advertise for Skilled labour. He also had imported a number of girls from Australia. During the last two years the State Placement Service had had no difficulty in placing girls in suitable employment, said an officer of the service. There was a constant demand for female labour, and it was questionable whether there were sufficient girls registered to meet the demand.