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N—Nom. *—Oficial;—Quoted.—Reuter, and diverse, but none is more worthy of note or productive of greater satisfaction than the changed trend in the Canadian em-the Royal Bank of Canada. average for the first four months of the year, employment conditions during 1940 were considerably better even than in 1929 with the number of wage-earners at work establishing a new record for Canada.
Excluding all enlisted men, 2,338,- 000 were employed on average in 1940 against 2,296,000 in the 1929 period.
No Scarcity The higher level of employment now reported has as yet caused no general scarcity of labour, but many industries report a serious shortage of skilled artisans, Should the same momentum of increase be maintained during the next few months, Canada will rapidly reach a condition of full employment, states "The Christian Science Monitor."
Many factories and technical schools are now actually engaged' in training apprentices in order to overcome shortages in specialized workers. Meanwhile those presently employed are working longer hours, a condition which may continue for some time in spite of increases in trained apprentices, due to the rapid acceleration of Canada's industrial war effort and the withdrawal of men from industry for training under the National Resources Mobilization Act.
The increase in the number of employed wage-earners between March and April this year was 49,000. A rise in employment is usual at that time of year as a result of seasonal influences, and although the increase this year was about the same as in 1938 and considerably less than in 1937, it was almost double that which occurred in 1939 and well above the average for the past ten years.
The official index of employment in Canada for the first six months -of 1940 was 1152, a record for the period. Previous high points were 113.3 in 1929 and 11145 in 1930. The 1939 average was 107.6. The index for each of the frst four months of the current year constituted a new record for the month, but those for May and June at 114.3 and 1209 were respectively 1.6 and 1.1 per cent. below the levels reported in 1929.
Good Increase The increase in employment as at June 1, 1940, over the previous month, as indicated by the index, substantially exceeded the average re ported for that date since 1920, but "was somewhat smaller than the advance shown at the beginning of June last year. The unusually large gain at that time was due in part to an exceptionally late spring; this delayed the resumption of work in a number of industries at the normal time, th the result that the May expan-ion in 1939 was considerably less than average and that of June above normal. This year's increase was also smaller than at June 1. 1937, but at that time the index itself was 5.8 per cent. lower.
Improvement in industrial employment has been general throughout the country with all provinces reporting gains. All branches of industry have participated in the expansion with the exception of construction, in which a decline was reported due to the curtailment of work on highways. The greatest gains were in Ontario and Quebec, where the war supply industries are largely concentrated, The trend in manufacturing employment in June during the last 20 years has almost invariably been upward. The index this year advanced from 125.7 as at May 1 to 1292 for June 1, the highest on record for that date, The index for the first six months of the current year was 1233 against 107.4 for the same period last year.
Gains Widespread Gains this year have been widespread throughout all branches of the industry, with the iron and steel group making the greatest advance. On June 1 there were 28 per cent. more workers employed by these establishments than at the same date in 1999. During May alone, iron and steel plants absorbed more than 5,400 additional workers; this raised the index for the group to a level exceeded during the past 20 years only by that reported for the first six months of 1929. The index for the first half of 1940 was 118.0 as compared with 95.1 for the same period in 1999.
The index of employment in textile and clothing factories was 144.6, 21.1 per cent. higher than on June 1, 1939. A high of 1449 was attained on May l, 1940, the decline which followed being due wholly to seasonal causes and was substantially less than usual.
Other branches of manufacturing which reported exceptional increases in personnel on June 1 as compared with the same date last year were chemicals and allied products—up 18.3 per cent; automobile plants—172 per cent; and nonferrous metal products =16.1 per cent higher. Electrical apparatus factories employed 141 per cent. more workers than at June 1, 1939, and the lumber products group reported an increase of 10.4 per cent.
Of the non-manufacturing industries, building made the largest gain during the year ended June 1, 1940, with employment 27.1 per cent. greater. Work of this nature employed considerably more labour than in any other June since 1931.
Mining Increases With mining activity at new high levels, employment in June was 38 per cent, greater than last year. The index for the first half of 1940 was 166.0 against 159.3 in 1939. The trend of employment in transportation is definitely upward, greater activity is reported in shipping, railway operations, local transport and storage plants. Service and trade groups showed gains of 34 of 1 per cent. and 3 per cent, respectively.
On the basis of the six months' period, the index for all industries at 115.2 was substantially higher than the average of 107.6 for the same period in 1939.
Increased employment was reported for all groups with the exception of wholesale trade and construction. The increase in employment general through Canada in recent months has resulted in a material reduction in the number of persons on relief and during the current fiscal year the decline in relief expenditures should be considerable.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.