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at any particular date will not be sufficient. The significant factors are changes in the numbers employed and the relationship between these changes and the forces producing them. Thus, forecasting involves a full study of wage rates and other inducements and their effect upon the mobility of labour from industry to industry and from locality to locality. It involves also a knowledge of the rate of recruitment of juveniles in industry, of the rate of labour turnover within and between industries, and of other points relevant to the changing employment position. SECTION V.—THE EMPLOYMENT ACT, 1945 518. The acceptance of full employment as a standard for the New Zealand economy, and the determination of the Government to make it effective, necessitated the creation of administrative machinery to carry out the collection and study of employment data, to maintain the various activities directly associated with promoting and maintaining full employment, and to provide the information necessary for the wider application of the full-employment concept through other fields of action. 519. In November, 1945, the Employment Act, 1945, was passed to establish a National Employment Service under the control of the Minister of Employment, for the principal purpose of promoting and maintaining full employment. In amplification of the functions of the Department, the Act provides that the National Employment Service shall — (a) Provide a complete employment service for the purpose of placing workers in employment,, assisting jemployers to secure labour, assisting employers to provide employment, assisting persons in all sections of the community to find better or more suitable employment (whether in professional, technical, supervisory, or any other capacities), and assisting persons who require occupational readjustment or training or other assistance to enable them to continue or resume full-time employment. (b) Make surveys and forecasts of the classes of employment from time to time required or available or likely to be required or available, whether in industry or otherwise, and do all things deemed necessary or expedient for the purpose of placing suitable and qualified persons in such employment on a voluntary basis. (c) Generally do all things deemed necessary or expedient for the purpose of promoting and maintaining full employment, whether by facilitating the better location or availability of employment in relation to the labour available or otherwise howsoever. In particular, the Department is expressly given authority to (a) Establish, maintain, and operate hostels and other residential or boarding establishments for workers. (b) Provide a home-aid service, by making the services of workers employed in the Department available for domestic and other work in cases of emergency and in other special circumstances. 520. The Act makes provision also for the appointment of as many Advisory Councils and Advisory Committees as the Minister thinks necessary for the purpose of assisting in the administration of the Act. 521. Power is given to make such regulations as may be necessary in giving full effect to the Act, including regulations for the purpose of — Obtaining any information or particulars that may be required for the purposes of this Act, whether in relation to labour requirements or retrenchments, movements of labour, subsidies, or otherwise. SECTION VI.—THE EMPLOYMENT (INFORMATION) REGULATIONS 1946 522. Pursuant to the Employment Act, 1945, the Employment (Information) Kegulations were made on the 13th March, 1946. These required the half-yearly return of information (specified in schedules appended to the regulations) by employers in general industries and in the building and construction industry in all cases where two or more workers are employed (inclusive of working proprietors) and the monthly return of information by employers in seasonal industries. The half-yearly returns cover a period of six months, ending on the 15th April or the 15th October in any year, while the monthly returns cover a period ending on the 15th of each month.

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