Millions Are Unemployed and Jobs Empty

Grey River Argus, 29 March 1948, Page 2

Millions Are Unemployed and Jobs Empty

LAKE SUCCESS, March 21

A picture of famine and plenty in the world labour markets has been sketched in a chapter contributed bv the International Labour OrgiyUsation (ILO) to the United Nations economic report.

Industries all over the world cannot hire enough skilled workers and in some countries there is not enough of any kind of labour to go around, but at the same time millions of people in other nations are unemployed. In Europe ,the 'ILO economists say there is an acute shortage of manpower in a good many countries especially those with large-scale reconstruction programmes. For instance, there is a severe shortage of coal miners, which contributes to the scarcity of coal and in turn retards recovery in the key European sector of the world’s economy. Meanwhile, the economists report Italy has 2,000,000 unemployed; more than 500,000 are living without jobs in the displaced' persons camps in Austria, Italy and the British French and United States occupation zones in Germany; and the Netherlands now has a surplus of 40,000 farmers.

The manpower shortage shows up as production bottlenecks in key industries, the report indicates. Among these industries are coal-mining steel, building, engineering and agriculture.

The solution for Europe that is suggested by these economists is to transfer workers from surplus to shortage areas and in training them so that they can then acquire wanted skills.

Manpower shortages exist also In countries relatively untouched by war. Among them are Australia. Canada, Now Zealand and the United States, where most cf the demand ! s for skilled workers and the amount of unemployment has droppafl to very low levels. The United States is shown in the reports as the world’s most important exporting nation. It is enjoying an ail-time high in employment with more than 60 : 000 ; 000 persons now at WGiip

m the heavily populated countries of South-east Asia, China, India and their neighbours, the situation in much different from that in Europe and the other less densely peopled nations.

The problem in South-east Asia results from over populated farm areas and under-developed industries. The result is chronic lack of enough work and grave shortages of trained, technical workers. In parts of the Middle East and certain Latin American coutnries the situation is similar.