The Employed and the Unemployed
This country will not have reached its maximum war effort until all employable men and women have been absorbed into war work of some kind, either in the fighting Services or in industry. The unemployment figures have now fallen below the million, to 972,695 (on April 5th), a figure which would he highly satisfactory in peace-time, but not after eight months and more of war with at least two millions in the Forces. The number of unemployed is fewer by 148,000 than at the March count, but how much of this is simply due to military recruitment? More emphasis ought to be put on the numbers employed than the numbers unemployed. No doubt with only 538,570 men wholly unemployed we are reaching the reserves of the older men and of the younger men of the less employable grade. But these, too, will be needed as more and more men are absorbed in the forces, and as war industry is expanded by dilution of labour. The absorption of women is slow. There are still 278,000 on the unemployed list, only 49,000 fewer than a year ago. When the industrial war-effort reaches its maximum not only will most of the unemployed women have been taken into it, but also other hundreds of thousands who are not on the register. It is to be hoped that we shall hear no more of the specious argument that most of the unemployed are on their way from one job to another. If in war-time there is a constant number of men temporarily out of work, there is that number not in industry. When war activity is at its utmost intensity no such apology will be needed.
Previous page
