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proportion is one more required for approximately every five employed. The Department's industrial workers' camp at Petone has enabled some measure of assistance to be given to certain industries of key importance, but the over-all shortage is too great to be influenced appreciably by such steps, however much they may. help the few particular undertakings affected. Male notified vacancies increased from 1,207 at Ist April, 1946, to 1,679, at 31st March, 1947. An increased demand for skilled workers, and tradesmen is indicated by a rise in skilled vacancies in the past twelve months from 583 to 715 at 31st March, 1947. Female notified vacancies showed only a small over-all increase from 584 at Ist April, 1946, to 659 at 31st March, 1947. The demand for female juvenile workers rose from 1 at Ist April, 1946, to 79 at 31st March, 1947, while vacancies for skilled female workers dropped from 104 to 99. The placement of persons enrolling for employment has presented few difficulties. Immediate placements have been effected in most instances, enabling the numbers of those remaining enrolled at the end of each month to be kept at very low levels. At 31st March, 1947, there were no male or females enrollees on the register seeking employment. Male vacancies in the engineering and metal-working industries (including Railway Workshops) have mounted rapidly in the past twelve months, rising from 475 at Ist April, 1946, to 912 at 31st March, 1947, at which date they accounted for more than half of all male vacancies notified in this district. Of the current vacancies the Hutt Railway Workshops accounted for 738 (350 vacancies for skilled workers and 383 for unskilled men), and there are little immediate prospects of filling these vacancies. General engineering vacancies for males at 31st March, 1947, totalled 59, while those in motor assembly plants accounted for a further 106 (23 skilled and 83 unskilled). With a take-up in employment in motor-assembly plants and steadily increasing activity in other engineering and allied shops, the demand for engineering tradesmen and unskilled workers appears likely to continue at a high level. In building and construction the demand for labour has fluctuated with the position regarding supplies. Thus between April and June, 1946, vacancies fell from 424 to 143. By the end of March, 1947, they had again risen to 269, including 214 for skilled men. Part of this increase is attributed to the commencement of several new businesses. Other vacancies for unskilled labour have also been much beyond the labour available. Local authorities are requiring 100 men, while brickworks and other industries employing unskilled labour are also short. Vacancies for female labour remained particularly high in tobacco-manufacturing, where 172 were recorded on 31st March, 1947. Footwear-factories reported 104 vacancies, woollen-mills 62, clothing-factories 44, other textiles 40, hospitals 34, soapfactories 32, and rubber manufacture 27. Wellington District (Estimated male labour force, 38,700) 128. The overall shortage both of male and female labour in this district has continued undiminished over the past year. To-day larger numbers of vacancies than twelve months earlier exist for all categories of workers in practically all industiial undertakings operating in this area. Little immediate prospect of any easing of the present position is foreseen. In this connection a considerable measure of relief has, however, been afforded to undertakings of special importance during the past year through the various hostels and industrial workers' camps provided by the Department (see Section IV of Part I of this report). Despite the provision of this facility, which enabled a limited flow of workers from other centres to be encouraged, vacancies for both male and female labour have continued to mount steadily in the past year. Consequently, all persons enrolling with the Department have been afforded ample opportunities of employment and placements were effected with the minimum possible delay. No males or females remained enrolled with the Department at 31st March, 1947. 129. Male notified vacancies have risen from a total of 1,323 at Ist April, 1946, to 2,372 at 31st March, 1947. Demands for skilled male workers have increased from 667 to 937 over the same period. Vacancies for unskilled male labour have more than doubled from 474- at Ist April, 1946, to 994 at 31st March, 1947, while those seeking male juveniles rose from 182 to 441 in the twelve months. Female notified vacancies have almost doubled from 1,675 at Ist April, 1946, to 3,247 at 31st March, 1947. Skilled vacancies at Ist April, 1946, totalled 569 and at 31st March, .1947, 1,367, while those for unskilled workers rose from 567 to 1,379 in the same period. Vacancies for female juvenile workers, however, fell slightly from 539 at Ist April, 1946, to 501 at 31st March, 1947. 2—H 11A

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