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the fact that at the end of 1962 there were only 302 vacancies notified
as outstanding for men compared with 531 at the same time last
year. The majority of these were for workers with a high degree of
skill or specialised experience. It was some little consolation
to know that in the case of women demands were higher towards the
end of the year, and from September onwards there were more vacancies
available for women than for men.
It is not surprising in view of the fewer employment
opportunities for men that considerably fewer were found work during
the year. The Exchange placed 3,188 men in local work and 127 in
work in other Exchange areas, The higher demands for women enabled
1,076 to be found work locally and 80 in other districts, representing
an increase of 41 over the figures for 1961, Of all those placed 12
men and 53 women were persons already in employment who were, for a
number of reasons, seeking a change, while 204 men and 49 women were
disabled.
Most of these placings were in jobs within daily travelling
distance of Kingston but two of the men were applicants on Local
Authority Housing Lists for whom it was possible to find work in new
and expanded towns. In the absence of suitably qualified persons on
housing lists four vacancies in new or expanded towns were filled by
the submission of other registrants.
As part of the employment service 26 key workers employed
by a Surbiton firmg, some of whom lived in Kingston, were assisted
under the Ministry's Transfer of Labour Schemes to move their households
to Plymouth where they were required to train local labour at
the Company' s new factory.
The number of ex-Regular service men who sought help in their
resettlement into civilian employment was 40 in 1962 compared with 34
in 1961. Of these 15 were placed and 4 were accepted for courses of
vocational training to fit them for specific occupations in civilian
life.
The disappointing downward trend in employment during 1962
appeared to be felt in most manufacturing industries and was due to
a variety of causes, There was a general tendency to caution as a
result of the Common Market negotiations and many firms reported a
reduction in orders, In general the workers discharged were in the
semi-skilled and unskilled categories and were more difficult to place
in other work because of their lack of skill and qualifications.
Where redundancies occurred arrangements were made wherever possible
to register workers before they were discharged so that efforts to
place them in alternative employment could be made without delay and
before their notices expired. In most cases workers received severance
payments based on length of service which helped in some degree
to mitigate hardship where unemployment ensued.