BRITISH WORKLESS

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 100, 22 January 1940, Page 8

BRITISH WORKLESS

Inaccurate Impressions From Figures (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, January 20. Inadequate .study of Britain's published unemployment returns, which are much more exhaustive than those of any other leading Power, has aroused comment in some countries which is less favourable than the true facts warrant. The “Daily Telegraph” points out that the total of 1,300,000 unemployed includes, for example, a number probably not far short of 250,000 who arc to a' greater extent or a lesser degree unemployable through ill-health or other reasons and who ought not properly to be regarded as being in the labour market at all. They include a further number, estimated by the Prime Minister in his Mansion House speech at 500,000, who form a pool of labour moving at any one time from one job or industry to another. They include about 50,000, notably dockers, whose work is from tlie nature of the case casual. Again, they include nearly .150.000 whose work is temporally laid off, and who are assured of work in six weeks or less. Another group of 100,000 public-spirited war-time volunteers are not ordinarily engaged in work in peace-time. Boys and girls leaving school who may only wait a few weeks before starting'work arc also included. Many persons in these six categories would not 'be listed as unemployed in other countries, and the “Daily Telegraph” advocates the desirability of a revised system of compiling tlie unemployment figures with a view to reflecting the genuine incidence and render readily intelligible to the ordinary observer at home and abroad the distinction between temporary passage from job to job and semi-permanent lack of any job at all.