UNEMPLOYMENT IN SYDNEY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 18601, 31 December 1920, Page 6

UNEMPLOYMENT IN SYDNEY.

BUILDING TRADE BUSY. Unemployment is increasing in the Sydney metropolitan,area, according to the November report of the Labour Exchanges. “ During tin; month 3710 persons were sent to employment by the exchanges, as compared with 3128 during the previous month.” writes tho director. “ Included in this number Mere 602 women workers. The number of applications lor employment was 4067, as compared with 3992 during October; 4435 positions wero made available by employers, as against 4120 made during the previous, month. “included in those registered for employment were 745 returned soldiers, compared with 701. Of this■ number, 14 per cent stated that they tvere Inst employed in other States, 3 per cent were discharged from the A.T.F. during tho month, 5 per cent left their employment on account of illness, 60 per cent were discharged through slackness of trade, 14 per cent were com]>e]!od to leave owing to war disabilities, and 4 pei' cent stated that they were recently discharged from hospital, or were awaiting land or other repatriation benefits.

“ In the metropolitan area about 9000 persons are unemployed, as coinpared with 5000 unemployed at tho end of the previous month. This increaso is due principally to slackness of trade in various industries, and to the completion of some works controlled by the Public Works and Railway Departments. There was a large number of workmen in country districts awaiting employment at harvesting, and it was not necessary to draw froni the _ metropolitan area as is usual at this time of the year, to meet the demands of tho farmers. Further, there is a large number of workers, particularly on the waterfront, in part-time employment, but these have not been included in the estimate abovo given. “in the building trades, tho exchanges were unable to meet 50 per cent of the demands made upon them, owing to the shortage of workers, including bricklayers, carpenters, painters and plumbers. Trade union returns showed that there was no unemployment amongst hriaklnyera, plumbers, stonemasons, tile-layers, and marble and slate workers; that of a membership of nearly 8000 carpenters, only 115 were hot in"employment at the end of the month; and that very few plasterers and stonemasons were idle.

“ Unemployment existed amongst slaughtermen, butchers, meat-packers and' cold storago employees. In the meat industries there are 1000 fewer workers employed than in normal times, and included in these are 250 slaughtermen, who have not been able to obtain employment at their trades, and the balance is composed of labourers of all de- ; 6criptions employed at the slaughterhouses.

. “In the meat-packing industry tho shrinkage in employment is more pronounced, and about 1500 persons in this industry are unemployed, though they obtain casual work in other industries. The trade union returns in tho meatpacking industry indicated that more than 1000 of the members bad been unable to secure re-employment. “ In the cold storage industry unemployment is acute, and big numbers of boot and shoe makers were thrown' idle during the month owing to the slackness in this trade. In the domestic and personal services group 840 employers’ applications for women workers were made, and of these the exchanges placed 522. “ In the jam-malting and preserving factories there is also slackness.”