BRITISH WORKERS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21925, 21 January 1946, Page 4

BRITISH WORKERS

RISE IN INDUSTRY

FIRST FOR TWO YEARS

MANY WOMEN REMAIN

(Special Correspondent.)

LONDON, Jan. 18.

By the end of November, 1,377,000 more workers were engaged in civilian employment m Britain than during the summer months and, for the first time since 1943. Britain’s industrial workers have increased in number, it was announced by the Ministry of Labour.

The retirement from industry of elderly men and married women decreased in November. The number of women in work was then 5,828,000, which was 100,000 greater than the Ministry of Labour experts had forecast. >

Tlie men released from the forces since the middie of the year number 846,000, of whom 550,000 were then still on paid leave. Three reasons are suggested for the decisions of 100,000 women to remain at work. Many have no homes of heir own and prefer to continue working either to minimise the time they spend in shared homes or to increase their savings for buying their own furniture when supplies and houses become available. The wages are needed to augment the earnings of husbands whose earnings are lower now because of the reduced overtime. Some women prefer the industrial life to domestic work. Unemployment Increases Since the end of the war more than 2,430,000 workers have been declared redundant from the war factories, of whom 1,370,000 have gone into peacetime industries. War workers who are continuing to work and ex-service-men who have taken jobs have been engaged by many industries. More than 700,000 stayed in shipbuilding, engineering, motor car and aircraft manufacture and chemical works. More than 300,000 have gone into the food, textiles, clothing, footwear, . building materials, pottery and glass industries. Only 1000 have gone into the farming, fishing, mining, utilities and transport group.

Nearly 140.000 entered building, out only 80,000 entered the shops’ distributive trades and 40,000 into commerce and finance, personal and professional services, entertainment, catering ana laundries.

Unemployment has increased again, though not as rapidly as in the autumn and not as quickly as the Ministry expected. By December 10 there were 284,756 out of work, which was 19,000 more than in November, but 15,000 fewer than expected The- Ministry had forecast an unemployed total oi 300,000 by the end of the year. Only in London did unemployment fall. It rose in all other regions most disturbingly in the four traditional “black spots.” Four areas account for two-thirds of all the unemployed in the country. They are Wales (63,613 unemployed), Scotland (54,754), the northwest (41,892), and northern (Northumberland and Durham, 39,689). London had 19,126 out of work.