LABOR STATISTICS

Hokitika Guardian, 25 January 1928, Page 1

LABOR STATISTICS

BRITAIN SHOAA’S IMPROVEMENT IN 1927. RUGBY, Jan. 19. Jn its annual survey of employment, wages, cost of living and trade disputes during the past year, the Ministry ol Labour records that despite acute depression in some important industries, the average number of persons actually employed was higher than in any previous year. The number of trade disputes causing stoppages of work was the lowest ever recorded, and the average amount of unemployment among insured persons-,yeas lower than in any year since 1920—ft year before the postwar depression set in—the average annual percentages falling In,mi 17 in 1921 to 9.7 last year.

Tiie aggregate number of working days lost in disputes was tlic lowest ever recorded. There was a slight reduction during 1927 in the average level of rates of wages in industries and services lor which statistics are available. Changes reported during the year resulted in an aggregate net leducti .n of 0389,000 in weekly full time wages of over 1,850,000 work people, and in a net increase of 030,400 in those ol •280,000 work people. The greater part of the net reduction occurred in the actual working industry which accounted for over 70 per cent of the total, and included the textile working and transport industry groups. The improvement in employment last year is greater than is at first apparent, owing to the laet that in the past two years the number of persons m sored for whom official records fo available has increased by 230.000 and now e: ceeeds 12,000,000, A review shows that contemporaneously with the marked improvement in employment, the cost of living lias progressively decreased. At the beginning of the year the index figure stood at 75 per cent above the post-war level. At the end of December it had declined to (>8 per cent.