Evening star., 1941-01-14
Employment Service
Pictured as Hope in
Battle Of Production
Closue, in Forum, Urges
Cooperation With U. 5.
To Conserve Labor
Continued From Page B-l4)

dustry. Women employed in the
iron ana steel industries went from
about 3 per cent of the total en-
ployment in 1914 to 912 per cent in
1slS-n the airplane industry from
per cent to almost l9 per cent.
After the war, women continued to
hold their own in several indus
tries-notably the manufacture of
metal products. Today-in the pres
ent emergency-women are again
finding new opportunities for en-
ployment and they constitute an
other important labor reserve.
Negroes Being Trained.
There is another group of workers
whose skillS and abilities do not ma
terially differ from those of workers
As 4 whole, but who, under condi-
tions prevailing in the past, are
usually the first to be fired and the
last to be hired These are our
Negro workers. Among them are
many with training and skills that
mt them for important jobs in our
defense industries. At present con-
siderable numbers of them are un-
employed and available for work,
and they constitute reserve Of
competent. qualified workers from
which employers might well draw
the men they need to meet the ever
expanding quotas of production.
During the past eight years the
United States Employment Service
has placed more than thirty-two
million persons in jobs in private
industry and Government work prof.
ects. That was during a time when
there were many more workers than
there were jobs-when men sought
jobs and rarely did job seek man.
At one time we had about nine mil
lion job seekers registered in the
offices of our State-operated en-
ployment services. Now the active
file is less than four and one-half
million. These four and one-half
million registered workers, not yet
employed, represent the countrys
Immediately available labor reserve.
That is a large number, but it is not
enough. The situation calls for the
mobilization of all available labor.
Most of these registered unem-
ployed are unskilled. Those with
skill and training are being absorbed
by industry. Placements are run
ming into huge figures-from 100000
to 1000 a month since last Octo-
Der. Yet, in some parts of the coun-
try, there are occupations in which
there are many more jobs than there
are applicants to fill them. Machin-
ists-tool and die makerS-skilled
metal workers-skilled craftsmen for
the shipbuilding and aircraft manu-
featuring industries-these are some
OF the occupations in which there is
rising demand for workers, de-
mand exceeding the supply. 1t is
becoming increasingly obvious that
we must have full registration of
available workers, complete moblll-
Zation of the Nations industrial man
power, and We must use our man
power efficiently and without waste.
The Government agency desig-
mated to do this labor recruiting job
is the United States Employment
Service. This service functions
through more than $500 full time
and 5000 part-time free employ
ment Offices which are operated by
the States and given national CO.
ordination by the United States En-
ployment Service in Washington and
its field offices. To further this CO.
ordination we have established 13
regional clearance Offices covering
the country. These Offices make it
possible for a manufacturer to OBJ
tain workers from outside his local
area wherever they may be. For
example, plant manufacturing
certain defense material recently
needed 500 additional workers OF