View report page

STATE OF EMPLOYMENT
Finchley is largely a residential district containing comparatively little industry or
commerce and is mainly a "white collar" area, the majority of workers travelling to
the City or West End. More manual workers are now settling in the district but again
most of the skilled workers travel to the more industrialised areas of Wembley,
Colindale, Wood Green, etc.
The percentage of unemployed workers to the employed population is not known,
but it is believed to be well below the national percentage.
Unemployment usually reaches its lowest point in June of each year, normally
rising again after Christmas and then starting to decrease in March. Figures for
Finchley are not available, but the following table shows the number of unemployed
adult persons, i.e., aged 18 and over, for the Finchley and Friern Barnet areas:—
1960 1961 1962
June December June December June December
Men 142 151 102 182 184 281
Women 22 19 5 23 47 52
Total 164 170 107 205 231 333
The registers in December, 1962, have considerably increased in comparison with
previous years, but this has been general in most parts of the country, and the rise has
not been so marked in this district as in many other areas.
In 1962 the children who represent the peak of the "Bulge" in Finchley and
Friern Barnet reached the statutory school leaving age. Because of the increased
tendency to stay at school voluntarily beyond this age, however, the number of actual
leavers was no greater than in 1961.
As in other years, many boys and girls looked to neighbouring suburban areas
and Central London for employment but in all these areas as well as locally there was a
marked reduction in the number of vacancies available, and the rate at which school
leavers were absorbed into employment was slower than in 1961. On the 10th September,
21 July school leavers were still registered as unemployed, and 8 on the 15th
October.
The employment situation for the boys who left school at Christmas was more
difficult than it had been for some years. The number of Christmas school leavers
was 124 (64 boys and 60 girls). The girls all obtained jobs quite quickly but 4 boys
were still unemployed almost 8 weeks after leaving school.
On the dates nearest to the end of the year on which counts were made, the total
number of young people registered as unemployed was 48 (34 boys and 14 girls), and
there were 116 unfilled vacancies (55 for boys and 61 for girls).
19