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TYPES OF WORK AVAILABLE
The majority of Asian immigrants are engaged on manual work in factories, most
of them being semi-skilled or unskilled. Many of these are employed in food factories,
others work for London Transport or are self-employed in various forms of trade mainly
within their own community. A few are employed in office work. The industrialization
of the Southall area may not be apparent to the passing traveller as it consists of
smaller type factories, mainly away from main roads and in the area immediately
south of the railway. It is true to say that many of the unskilled and labouring jobs
taken by Asian immigrants would not otherwise be filled by the indigenous population.
A small proportion have found employment of a higher grade, in the post office, at
London Airport or as school teachers, but nevertheless a large number of welleducated
immigrants are doing manual work in factories and are frustrated by this
fact. A proportion of the female population also goes out to work but no statistics
are available as to the percentage involved.
LANGUAGE PROBLEMS
The majority of Indian immigrants come to this country with no knowledge
of the English language. Fortunately, however, there is usually one person, often
the landlord of a multi-occupied house, who can speak English and this is useful in
making contact. The staff of the health department includes the full time equivalent
of VA Indian interpreters, an Indian health visitor, and a Kenyan public health
inspector. In addition we have an English medical officer, a health visitor and clerk
who speak various Indian dialects. These officers between them enable us to
communicate in Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu and Gujrati.
As the language most commonly spoken is Punjabi, a course of lectures given
by a member of the teaching staff of Ealing Technical College was arranged and
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