Evening star., 1937-02-14
BY the Associated Press.

The makings Of shortage Of skilled
workers was found today by the La
Dor Department in an analysis Of en-
ployment trends.
The study was made by the Division
Of Standards and Research. 1t COW
cred the work the employment serv-
Ice has done In the last two years.
The analysis, by DR.. w. H. Stead, COW
cred more than $4,000 applications
filed and 100000 jobs filled. About
half of the jobs filled were work re-
lief places.
Scores Of charts, statistical tables
and many pages of analytical matter
helped to make the study one OF the
most nearly complete that has been
made since the depression began.
OF future employment problems, 1t
said:
las the volume Of business activity
increases and the number of unem-
ployed persons decreases. labor Short
ages will inevitably occur, creating a
major problem Of adjustment In the
labor supply.
During periods Of depression. such
as the last few years, the abundance
Of qualified, experienced workers in
all skilled trades and occupations
serves to discourage the training of
new workers to replace the normal
losses in any occupation. Conse-
quently. with the loss of certain
percentage Of older skilled workers
each year. business may pick up to
only rs per cent or 80 per cent of its
former volume Of employment before
encountering evidences of labor Short
age in certain trades.
Rate Of Recovery.
Moreover. the rate Of business re-
covery is quite likely to be more rapid
than existing training facilities can
supply needed workers once q shortage
develops.
These shortages show up first in
the more highly skilled occupations
in scattered local areas and gradually
spread as unemployment declines.
In large part the solution of this
problem lies in training apprentices
and new workers in the occupations in
question. Training Is not an employ
ment service function, but there are
at least three ways in which the en-
ployment service can play an impor-
tant part in relieving these labor
shortage conditions"
These three ways were described rs
providing information with respect to
the available labor supply. indicating
the skill and experience Of these po-
tential workers. and indicating en-
ployment trends among the various
occupations.
The study covered four major types
Of work seekers; self-sustaining nom
relief applicants; a small section of
employed. non-relief applicants who
are not satisfied with present jobs; all
persons certified for relief who are
working on relief projects: most Of
those certified for relief who are not
working. 1t covered 100000 who
were registered in December. 1885, and
$500 900 who we're registered in July,
1895.
1t took better than six months to
work out the analysis of the material.
With allowance for a per cent drop
in the number of registrants it is ap-
plicable now just as 1t was at the end
Of last July. There were 100000
men and women seeking jobs then;
there are 6,273.000 now.
AZ Per Can't in Over.lls
The men who wear overalls make
up the largest group. Forty-five per
cent Of all applicants were In this
class. The flve white-collar occupa-
tions made up IS per cent of the total:
the five skilled occupations, per cent.
One grouping Of applicants and the
jobs they came from showed: Agricul-
ture and allied industries. 1.745, 900;
building construction. public and pri-
vate. 95l 900; public utilities trans
portation, 44l,000; manufacturing,
l.724,000; distribution, wholesale and
retail, 5000; governmental. 10000;
commercial, finance and professional,
345,000: domestic and personal serv-
ice. l.315.000: no industrial back
ground, 2,452,000.
Almost fourth, 236 per cent. had
no industrial background. They either
had no work experience. or had been
unemployed for four years or more.