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Industrial Employment (1914-1919)

Mobilization for the war meant that men were drafted into military service and women stepped onto the factory floor. These figures on industrial employment during the war show that female workers increasingly outnumbered their male counterparts in rates of employment.

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Evolution of the Employment of Adult Workers, 1914-1919
a) Overview


 

In the first two weeks of the months of:

Branch of Trade and Industry

March
1914

Sept.
1914

March 1915

Sept. 1915

March
1916

Sept. 1916

March 1917

Sept. 1917

March 1918

Sept. 1918

March 1919

a) Totals from all firms of all the branches of trade and industry (number of workers times the number of shifts worked)

Total number of days worked by adult workers altogether

 2,228,143

1,634,715

1,912,720

1,945,957

2,043,859

2,153,894

2,475,726

2,627,660

2,681,238

2,721,770

1,979,485

of these:

a) male

1,915,138

 1,386,400

 1,604,763

 1,571,000

1,582,948

 1,612,061

 1,798,057

1,916,770

1,949,042

 2,006,300

 1,670,657

b) female

313,005

248,315

307,957

374,957

460,911

541,833

677,669

710,890

732,196

715,470

308,828

Index Number (March 1914 = 100)

adult workers

100

73.4

85.8

87.3

91.7

96.7

111.1

117.9

120.8

122.2

88.8

of these:

a) male

100

72.4

83.8

82.0

82.7

84.2

93.9

100.1

101.8

104.8

87.2

b) female

100

79.3

98.4

119.8

147.3

173.1

216.5

227.1

233.9

228.6

98.7

For every 100 days of work, the following number of days were worked by female workers:

 

14.0

15.2

16.1

19.3

22.6

25.2

27.4

27.1

27.3

26.3

15.6



b) Evolution of the Employment of Adult Workers in Individual Branches of Trade and Industry

[If one sets a standard of March 1914 = 100 (on the basis of the number of days worked), then the following proportional numbers result:]

  In the last two full weeks of the month
  March 1914 Sept. 1914

March 1915

Sept. 1915 March 1916 Sept. 1916 March 1917 Sept. 1917 March 1918 Sept. 1918

March 1919
  a) for male workers

Group 4. Natural Stone, Gravel, Sand and Concrete Industry

 

100

 

57.2

 

51.0

 

40.8

 

39.8

 

40.2

 

34.1

 

31.9

 

33.8

 

33.7

 

59.6

„ 5. Metal Industry

100

88.3

112.4

117.6

121.6

122.4

136.2

143.3

145.7

145.4

87.7

„ 6. Machine Industry

100

67.1

85.3

83.3

85.6

91.7

110.4

114.2

118.2

127.0

115.0

„ 6.E. Electrical Industry

100

60.7

58.4

53.0

47.5

69.4

72.5

75.6

71.3

69.2

81.9

„ 8. Chemicals

100

61.4

62.8

63.9

64.2

66.4

77.0

95.5

96.1

102.8

94.6

„ 9. Woven Materials

100

75.4

84.1

51.9

39.9

32.0

31.8

32.6

30.5

27.5

43.1

„ 10. Paper

100

53.8

51.6

46.1

47.1

44.5

46.6

46.2

47.2

50.2

62.1

„ 11. Leather and Rubber

100

59.6

42.5

36.2

29.6

25.3

25.8

25.2

24.9

25.6

54.1

„ 12. Wood and Woodcarving

100

74.9

69.8

60.6

54.9

50.6

48.3

48.6

50.5

50.7

74.4

„ 13. Gastronomy/Groceries

100

79.0

82.7

76.8

72.1

68.4

58.8

57.1

56.8

59.8

81.7

„ 14. Textiles

100

61.8

63.6

53.8

56.7

47.8

31.8

28.6

31.8

31.9

50.6

„ 17. Printing

100

66.0

71.8

63.4

61.2

65.3

57.9

56.5

50.7

52.5

78.7

  b) for female workers

Group 4. Natural Stone, Gravel, Sand and Concrete Industry

 

100

 

67.2

 

67.4

 

67.0

 

74.6

 

83.6

 

82.8

 

89.7

 

87.0

 

77.3

 

68.2

„ 5. Metal Industry

100

58.3

117.4

289.5

492.4

596.7

745.5

783.5

846.7

777.0

168.3

„ 6. Machine Industry

100

83.2

309,8

572.7

1414.8

2316.8

3381.7

3308.7

3520.4

3637.9

916.3

„ 6.E. Electrical Industry

100

57.1

102.3

245.4

299.7

665.5

856.4

972.2

813.8

691.4

326.6

„ 8. Chemicals

100

84.9

92.7

112.3

171.8

209.6

314.0

392.2

436.2

467.7

158.5

„ 9. Woven Materials

100

89.0

108.1

85.1

66.9

55.8

66.9

68.5

62.6

59.9

63.3

„ 10. Paper

100

53.8

78.9

90.6

101.3

132.5

136.7

131.1

149.8

159.4

120.1

„ 11. Leather and Rubber

100

67.7

57.3

61.8

57.8

55.8

89.1

112.3

96.8

96.6

60.1

„ 12. Wood and Woodcarving

100

24.6

89.9

110.8

148.5

123.9

109.5

112.2

115.7

124.9

96.3

„ 13. Gastronomy/Groceries

100

139.7

133.2

166.9

155.7

162.5

159.0

153.5

146.5

161.0

104.7

„ 14. Textiles

100

66.3

74.7

95.2

83.4

72.5

58.1

51.6

55.5

54.3

53.8

„ 17. Printing

100

62.7

82.5

83.2

84.9

86.1

82.1

87.1

90.1

96.5

85.4



Source: Reichsarbeitsblatt 18 (1920), p. 62ff.

Reprinted in Ute Daniel, Arbeiterfrauen in der Kriegsgesellschaft: Beruf, Familie und Politik im Ersten Weltkrieg [Women Workers in the War Society: Employment, Family, and Politics in the First World War]. Göttingen, 1989, pp. 46-47.

Translation: Jeffrey Verhey

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