lI.—IIA

The above figures include men employed under Scheme No. 13 who are automatically registered with the State Placement Service with a view to ensuring that they are transferred to private employment as opportunities arise. Many of the persons registered are at present in employment and were registered with the Service merely for the purpose of obtaining more suitable employment. An indication of the number of enrolments of persons with the Service effected throughout the year as against those current as at 31st March, 1942, is given by the information that 29,134 males and 4,397 females sought the assistance of the Service at some time or another during the period under review. During the twelve months ended 31st March, 1942, 43,108 vacancies for male and 6,4-53 for female workers were notified to the Placement Service by employers. The corresponding numbers of vacancies for the year ended 31st March, 1941, were 46,370 and 7,702. During the year ended 31st March, 1942, the Placement Service filled 30,331 private positions with male enrolees and 3,474 with female enrolees, while a further 2,024 vacancies with State Departments were filled by male enrolees. According to Placement Service statistical practice the figures below relating to placements refer to positions filled and not to individuals placed. (N.B. —One person may enrol and be placed on several occasions in the same year)

Table of Male Placements—i.e., Private Positions filled.

SHORTAGE OF SKILLED LABOUR. The shortage of skilled labour in industry has continued to be felt to an increasing extent during the period under review. The special measures adopted last year by the Dominion Auxiliary Workers' Training Council in association with the Placement Service for the training, by means of short courses, of auxiliary workers in certain trades have continued to be operated during the twelve months ended 31st March, 1942. These courses have applied to boot and shoe clickers, makers-up and finishers, as well as to other tradesmen in the boot and shoe manufacturing industry, and to fitters and turners and welders in the engineering industry, while a trade school for the speedy training of carpenters was recently opened at Miramar, Wellington. Each of these measures has contributed only to the amelioration of the adverse labour position in the industries concerned. Figures relating to numbers of workers trained by means of each of the auxiliary training schemes will be provided by the Labour Department, to which Department the Secretariat of the Dominion Auxiliary Workers' Training Council is attached. Apart from the trades and occupations in which emergency training facilities have been available, there continues to be evident a shortage of skilled and semi-skilled manufacturing operatives. The woollen and clothing manufacturing industries could absorb considerably more workers, and particular attention is given to meeting the requirements of these important war industries. Again the newlylaunched linen-flax industry has felt the need of numbers of suitable men who could be trained for the skilled and semi-skilled factory processes involved. The Service has been of considerable assistance to the various factory managements in this respect, but here again the absorptive capacity of the industry has not been fully reached. Other industries, such as tannery-works and lime-quarries, have particularly felt the pinch for labour during the last twelve months, and the Service has encountered the greatest of difficulty in referring men to either industry. The bushfelling and sawmilling industry remains short of a number of experienced workers, particularly bushmen, the shortage of whom constitutes a serious bottle-neck in the production of timber for defence, housing, and other constructional purposes. PROVISION OF RURAL LABOUR. The widespread shortage of farm labour commented upon in previous annual reports has continued to be felt in even an increasing degree during the last twelve months. The contraction of the number of workers available, either single or married, has compelled the launching of a Women's Land Corps as a measure designed to offset the withdrawal of male labour for military purposes. What male labour has remained available for engagement has, to an increasing extent, comprised married farm workers with two, three, or more children, and for them accommodation has generally been unavailable. During the period 30th June, 1941, to 31st March, 1942 (approximating to the farming season), the State Placement Service has filled 2,339 farm vacancies with male enrolees. This figure is considerably short of the 5,265 placements of male workers effected during the period Ist July, 1940, to 31st March, 1941. The explanation of this is, of course, easily discernible in the shrinking numbers of male workers available, and to an extent also in the tendency of farmers to rationalize farm-management, in an attempt to offset the shortage of hired labour. During the period - ended 31st March, 1942, 2,206 of the 2,339 placements effected were in respect of experienced workers, and of this number 549 only related to married farm workers. Thus the bulk of the placements made relates to experienced single farm workers. As at the 31st March, 1942, vacancies for farm workers current with the Service totalled 584 ; 560 were for experienced workers, and of this number 446 related to single experienced youths or men.

2—H. 11a.

5

1936: 1937: 1938: 1939: 1940 : 1941 : 1942: Nature of Placement. January January January January January January T , to to to to to to to J-otai. December. December. December. December. December. December. March. Permanent(of three months' 9,530 17,650 12,885 11,370 10,827 12,303 3,386 77,951 duration or more) Temporary (of more than 5,384- 12,051 9,416 8,569 9,224 9,207 2,056 55,907 one week's duration but less than three months) Casual (up to one week's 4,329 17,092 17,354 12,879 11,262 10,293 1,561 74,770 duration) Totals .. .. 19,243 46,793 39,655 32,818 31,313 31,803 7,003 208,628