Chapter 6
The Labour Market
Working Population
87. Estimates of the working population as a whole are available only for years in which a census of population is conducted. The most recent figures relate to 1971 and these are shown in Table 33, together with those for 1961, analysed by industry. From this, it will be seen that nearly half the working population is engaged in manufacturing and that wholesale and retail trade (including restaurants and hotels) and community, social and personal services together account for about 30%. Employment in the financing, insurance, real estate and busi- ness sector grew more rapidly than that for any other in the period 1961 to 1971, but the absolute
increase in employment in this period was by far the greatest in the manufacturing sector. The remainder of this chapter is concerned mainly with this latter sector.
Manufacturing Employment
88. Employment in manufacturing industry is shown in Table 34 for the period September 1968 to September 1973. The figures understate total manufacturing employment because they exclude establishments neither registered nor recorded with the Labour Department. None- theless, it is thought that the figures provide a reasonably reliable indication of employment trends in manufacturing industry.
Working Population by Industry, 1961–1971
Table 33
1961
1971
Industry
Number of
persons
% of Number of total
% of
persons
total
Agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing
87,581
7.3
62,975
4.0
Mining and quarrying
8,869
0.7
4,518
0.3
Manufacturing
512,438
43.0
755,534
47.7
Electricity, gas and water
12,617
1.1
8,870
0.6
Construction
58,209
4.9
83,158
5.3
Wholesale and retail trade and restaurants and
hotels
171,206
14.4
253,925
16.0
Transport, storage and communication
86,740
7.3
114,722
7.2
Financing, insurance, real estate and business
services
19,164
1.6
41,072
2.6
Community, social and personal services
217,647
18.3
233,359
14.7
Activities not adequately defined
16,628
1.4
24,716
1.6
Total working population
1,191,099
100.0
1,582,849
100.0
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