WINTER EMPLOYMENT

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 209, 29 May 1920, Page 8

WINTER EMPLOYMENT

PROSPECTS VERY GOOD

FOR ALL CLASSES OF LABOUR

Til pre-war years the prospects of employment in the winter time were often ji matter of eonccni to many men, particularly unskilled workers, but the position is entirely different to-day._ This winter thero is plenty of work offering. At the present time, practically no applicants for employment aro on tho books of the various Labour Department bureaux throughout the country. "Every man v.'lio comes along to us is placed with little delay," remarked an oflicial of the Labour Department to a DOMINION reporter yesterday, "and wo do not sec any reason to doubt that this state of affairs should not continue. Unskilled workers, especially those employed in the building trade, aro well off. Highs throughout the Dominion tliero is plenty of demand for building trade workers. Tho reporter Was informed that tho position was similar in nil other classes of work. Tho process of absorption on the labour market was so rapid that the employment bureaux were not troubled very much by inquiries, and that was regarded as a very good sign. That neither tho unskilled worker nor tho tradesman havo anything to fear this winter was evidenced by the fact that all descriptions of employment could bo readily obtained. For women workers, also, it appeared that the demand was keen, especially as regards domestic duties. Women coming out from the Old Country would not havo the slightest difficulty in getting work if they applied to tho employment branches of tho Department. In respect to immigrants, a curious, yet satisfactory, fact had 'been noted. Every month tho Department received 20 or 30 letters from prospective new arrivals asking that positions be found for them to take up when they reached New Zealand. The actual number of such people who called on tho Depart* ment subsequently, however, was invariably found to bo very small, and apparently the others had obtained situations by their own endeavours. In April only one immigrant applied to tlio Department for assistance, and he was placed right away.