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SECTION lI.—PROBLEMS ARISING FROM LABOUR SHORTAGE 81. On 15th October, 1946, there were 14,745 vacancies for males and 14,060 vacancies for females in units covered by the Department's October survey of employment, according to half-yearly returns submitted by employers. The distribution of these 28,805 vacancies over industry and the percentage of vacancies to pay-roll strengths in each industry are shown in the table below :

82. The addition of nearly 29,000 vacancies to the present labour force of 718,000 (including Armed Forces) gives a potential total of 747,000 jobs. The recorded vacancies are the stated requirements of individual employers. There may, therefore, be some overestimate, because individual employers are apt to make insufficient allowance for a decrease in the pressure of demand on them as the other units in the industry are able to increase staffs and production. It is also probable that duplicate orders are in many cases being placed to-day in the hope that one or another of the sources approached will be able to fulfil the order. 83. Against this, however, it must be remembered that the survey does not cover all industries or all employers, and that vacancies in some fields are reduced because of labour shortages in other fields and consequent supply difficulties. Taking all factors into consideration the figure of 747,000 is probably a good estimate of the number of workers necessary to fill all existing labour requirements. 84. Thus, since 1939, the growth of industrial labour requirements has outstripped the expansion of the labour force by about 40,000, inclusive of 12,000 unemployed absorbed into industry. On the demand side the main contributing factors have been the rapid expansion of New Zealand's secondary industries and the fairly marked development in tertiary services. On the supply side there has been a smaller inflow of juveniles into the labour force, while the raising of the school-leaving age and the retirement of workers at a younger age as a result of more liberal age and superannuation benefits have shortened the average working-life. The excesses of arrivals in New

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Males. Females. Industry. Number of Vacancies. Percentage of Payroll Strength. Number of "Vacancies. Percentage of Payroll Strength. Primary Industry (other than farming) 855 6-0 7 2-6 Secondary Industry— Food, drink, and tobacco (other than seasonal) Textiles, clothing, and leather Building materials and furnishings Engineering and metal working.. Miscellaneous manufacturing Power and water Building and construction 237 988 942 3,786 726 233 1,910 2-8 8-1 61 9-9 5-4 30 6-0 796 6,763 79 515 1,236 12 17-8 33-2 7-8 14-3 21-1 2-2 Total, secondary industry 8,822 6-9 9,401 25-7 Tertiary Industry— Transport and communication (not waterside work) Distribution and finance Hotels and personal services Administration and professional 2,872 877 252 1,067 6-5 1-7 2-8 3-0 187 1,185 960 2,320 3-3 4-0 7-6 7-4 Total, tertiary industry 5,068 3-6 4,652 5-9 Total, all units covered 14,745 5-2 14,060 12-1