Evening star., 1945-08-20
10000 Building
WorkersSeen
Needed in Year
Survey Also Predicts
Demand for Realty
| And Insurance Help

Building construction firms in the
District area anticipate they will
need $1,000 additional workers in
the next IL months, in addition to
J. 900 former employees Of the con-
struction industry now in military
service.
This was revealed by a survey re-
Gently conducted BY the Postwar
Planning Committee of the WASH
ington Board Of Trade, which also
disclosed that insurance and real
estate companies are second only
to the construction industry in ex-
pecting a high proportionate in
crease in their postwar working
force.
Summarized by Opinion Research
Corp, Princeton. N. j., the survey
report, soon to be published, points
out the construction industry en-
ployed 25,430 persons in the Wash
ington region in July, 1914, and ex-
poets to need approximately 81 900
workers in the next year.
Insurance, Realty Firms.
Insurance and real estate firms
employed $4,000 persons in July,
1914, according to the Board Of
Trade report, and now estimate
they will need more than $4,000
| postwar workers. Assuming that
1880 former employees of insurance
and real estate firms now in the
armed forces return, 5000 new em-
ployes will be needed.
Eating and drinking establish
ments, however, offer a contrasting
picture. Already greatly increased
during the war, their payrolls are
expected to have room for 21700
persons IN the first year after the
war, as against 81 900 in July, 1914.
Since 5000 former employees of these
firms are in military service, it ap-
peared unlikely, the Board of Trade
statement said, that any additional
new jobs will be created.
(Robert Wilson, executive Sec
retary of the Washington Res
taurant Association, questioned
the Board of Trade figures and
declared that $500 to 5000 work.
| ers would be needed to fill new
| postwar jobs in the restaurants.
| The new jobs, he said, are being
created through the opening OF
new restaurants and enlargement
of old ones. He said he didn't
know of any business in WASH
! ington that planned more post
war expansion that the restau-
! rants hereD
The Board of Trade findings are
part of survey to determine the
number of workers that all private
business firms in this area expect to
need Immediately after the war.
| 1t shows that on the basis of pres
ent expectations, private employers
probably will be able to provide jobs
for $4,000 more workers, in addition
| to replacements.
Called ENCOURAGING.
In announcing partial results Of
the survey today, the Board of Trade
pointed out it is impossible for en-
ployers to estimate exactly how
many employees will be needed at
any time in the future, but that,
based on past employment history
here, present estimates do not seem
unreasonable
Previously, the number employed
by private business has frequently
been double the number of Govern.
ment workers, and today the mum.
ber OF civilian workers in Govern
ment almost exactly matches the
number of persons employed by
private firms
The survey, undertaken by the
Board of Trade as a community
service in an attempt to make some
factual appraisals of the probable
employment situation here after the
war, is highly encouraging, the POST
war Planning Committee says it
believes.
The committee expresses the belief
the danger of a serious postwar un-
employment problem in the District
area is negligible.