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COLLEG: JI . - - UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR BULLETIN OF THE WOMEN'S BUREAU, NO. 54 ~ - CHANGING JOBS , - A STUDY MADE BY STUDENTS IN THE ECONOMICS COURSE AT THE BRYN MAWR SUMMER SCHOOL UNDER THE DIRECTION OF PROF. AMY HEWES ./ https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR JAMES J. DAVIS, SECRETARY WOMEN'S BUREAU MARY ANDERSON, Director BULLETIN OF THE WOMEN'S BUREAU, NO. 54 CHANGING JOBS A STUDY MADE BY STUDENTS IN THE ECONOMICS COURSE AT THE BRYN MAWR SUMMER SCHOOL UNDER THE DIRECTION OF PROF. AMY HEWES WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1926 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis ADDITIONAL COPIE S O-r THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE PROCURED FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS O OVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON, D. C. AT :5 CENTS PER COPY n https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis CONTENTS Letter of transmittaL___ ____ _ __ _ __ _ _ __ __ _ __ _ __ ___ _ __ _ _ ___ __ __ _ __ _ __ The group studied____ ___________ ________ ____ ______________________ Average duration of jobs held___________ ____ _____ ____ _________ ______ Jobs held more than a month_____________ __________________ ______ __ Jobs of less than a month's duration_____________ ____ ___ _____ ________ Jobs of not more than a week's duration___ __ __ __ __ _____ _____ ___ __ ___ Causes for change of job________________ ____ ____ ____ ___ ______ ______ Conclusion___________________________ __ __ __________ ______ ________ Pae• 1v 2 5 7 .8 9 10 11 TABLES P&ee TABLE 1. Nativity, by country of birth_____________________________ 2. Week's. wages received in first job in industry, by age at beginning work ________________________ ___ ______________ 3. Distribution of women by number of industries in which they r eported having had employment and by trade-union membership_____________________ __________ ___________ 4. Distribution of women by industry at time of study and by trade-union membership_______________________ _________ 5. Weekly wage rate at time of study, by years of experience in industrY--- - -------------------------------- , --------6. Average duration of job, by years of experience in industry__ 7. Average duration of job, by extent of schooling before entering industry_____________________________________ _________ 8. Average duration of job, by industry at time of study_______ 9. Week's wages at time of study, by average duration of job____ 10. Number of jobs held for one month or more, by years of experience in industry _ _ __ __ _ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ ___ _ __ __ __ _ __ _ __ 11. Employment of women on jobs of less than one month's duration, by industry at time of study_ __________________ 12. Employment of women on jobs of not more than one week's duration, by industry at time of study __ ________________ 13. Cause of changing job, by industry at time of change (97 women reporting)_____________________________________ m https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 2 3 3 4 4 5 6 6 7 7 9 9 11 , https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis I LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL . UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, WOMEN'S BUREAU, Washington, March 17, 19S8. Srn: I have the honor to transmit a report on change of job among women workers. This study was made under the direction of Prof. Amy Hewes and is the history of the combined industrial experience of 97 women who were students of economics in the Summer School for Women Workers in Industry at Bryn Mawr College, in 1925. MARY ANDERSON, Hon. Director. JAMES J. DAvis, Secretary of Labor. V https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis CHANGING JOBS The worker's relation to his job has been profoundly changed with the new organization of industry. His approach is now rarely made by way of a long period of apprenticeship, and his tenure is often a short one. A generation ago, on the contrary, a worker looked forward to his whole life spent in a single trade and did not expect to change his job often. With the disintegration of the crafts an increasingly large number of workers fail to identify themselv~s permanently with one trade. Change from job to job and even from industry to industry is easy, for the work is specialized and, in general, can be learned quickly. It often seems to the worker that he must change in order to reap what advantage the situation holds for him. A considerable amount of research has been devoted to the rate of labor turnover. Employers have come to regard its reduction as one of the major opportunities for eliminating waste and reducing costs. Less is known regarding the significance of the rapid change of jobs for the individual worker. Although a few plants have begun to keep records of reasons for leaving, it is not possible to say of any one industry, without careful investigation, for instance, to what extent the terminations of employment are voluntary and to what extent they are forced upon the worker. Nor can the individual worker be assured to-day that he will improve his skill and his pay by holding on to his job, although a little while ago it was possible to do so. In a good many processes, the worker's maximum efficiency may be attained after only a brief period of work. Two factors sometimes operate to make a change of job a positive advantage to the worker. , The first is psychological. The standardized job and the unvaried routine of the shop may make a change of employment the only means of relieving monotony which has become unendurable. The second is the econo~ic incentive of a higher wage paid in another plant, industry, or locality because of a temporary shortage of labor. , It may well be assumed that a better understanding of the whole social and economic effect of the new rate of change and the shorter average employment is needed at the present time. Women, together with men, change jobs for reasons which have not been measured and with results which are not known. On this account it occurred to a group of students at the Bryn Mawr Summer School 1 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 2 CHANGING JOBS for Women Workers in Industry in the summer of 1925 to make use of a unique opportunity to study this question as it was presented in the combined industrial experience of the assembled students. Accordingly, the cooperation of the 97 students who composed the school was enlisted. They were interviewed concerning the circumstances of all the changes of jobs which they had ever made. The present study is the analysis of the data secured in this way. THE GROUP STUDIED The group studied, although small in number, was widely representative. The students came directly from jobs in 18 different States, 4icluding not only the great industrial States of New York, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts, which together sent more than half, but also those of the Pacific coast, New England, and the South. In a few instances their industrial experience had begun in foreign cquntries. The foreign born numbered 36, or nearly two-fifths of the total 97 women reporting. These came from eight different countries with an outstandingly large group from Russia. Of the 61 native born, 22 were of foreign-born fathers. The foreign born, therefore, together with the children of foreign-born fathers, made up threefifths of the whole number. TABLE 1.-Nativity, by country of birth N ativity Total ... ---------------------------N ative born ______________ ________________ _ Number of women Nativity 97 Foreign born _____________________________ _ 61 Austria-Hungary ___ . _________________ _ Canada. _____________________________ _ Of native-born father. __ ____________ ___ Of foreign-born father, by count ry of birth of father_ ___________ _______ ___ _ 39 22 Italy -- ---- -- -- --- -- ---- - - - - - - - -- -- - - -_ Poland _______________________________ Austria-Hungary _________________ _ Canada.-------------------------England and Wales ______________ _ Germany ___ ----------------------_ Ireland ___________________________ Italy _____________________________ _ Poland ___________________________ _ :Scotland _________________________ _ Sweden. _________________________ _ 4 Rumania ____ ------------------------Russia _______________ . _______________ _ 2 :~~fa~d= ============================= Number of women 36 2 1 1 4 2 5 1 20 4 5 2 2 1 1 1 One-half of the 97 students were less than 26 years of age, the largest group being in their twenty-third year in the summer of 1925. A large majority (over three-quarters) had completed a grammar school education. More than a third had gone to work before they were 15 and nearly three-fifths (56) before they were 16. About four-fifths of the women had earned less than $10 weekly in their .first industrial job, and only a little more than 8 per cent had received a weekly rate of as much as $14. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 3 CHANGING .JOBS TABLE 2.-Week's wages received in first job in i ndustry, by age at beginni ng work . ~ Number of women whose wages in the first job wereNu~ber Age at beginning work i- - - - , - -- - , - - - - - - - - , - - ----,-- - , - - - - - - - , - - - - -. - - - - - - - women Under $2 and $4 and $6 and $8 and $10 and $12 and $l 4 an d $2 u$1er u$ier u$ier u$rir u$1ier u$r4er over reporting - - - - - - - - -1--- - 1 - - - - 1 - - - - -- - -- - - - - - - - -- - - TotaL ____ __ _______ _ 97 20 23 15 12 7 8 Under 12 years _____ __ ____ _ 12 years _________ _____ ____ __ 13 years _____ ______ ________ _ 14 years _____ __ ___ __ _______ _ 15 years ________ ________ __ _ 16 years _________ _______ ___ _ 17 years ________ __ _________ _ 18 years ____ ______ _____ _____ 19 years ________ __ _________ _ 20 years ___________________ _ 21 years ___ . __ __ _________ __ Over 21 ye:1rs ___ __________ _ 1 1 ------ -- -- - ----- ---- - --- - ------- - ------- - - -- ---- -------- 2 7 2 ---- ---- -------- -------- -------- - - --- --- -------- ----- -- 1 1 5 -------- -- - ----- - ----- -- -------- --- - ---24 2 JO 5 5 2 ---- -- -- - -- ----- -------22 1 l 8 4 1 3 3 1 17 ,- - --- - -5 - - -----4 6 1 1 --- - ---- 1! 1~;;;~~; ====/ ====/ ====/ ::::::~: ::::::l:==== / t t !======== ======== ---- ---i ======== -- -- --~- === ===== ======== ----- --i Almost one-half of the workers had held jobs in three or more industries. The union workers were more scattered than the nonunion workers; that is, only two-fifths of the latter as compared with almost three-fifths of the union workers had held jobs in three or more industries. TABLE 3.- Di stributi on of women by number of i n dustries i n whi ch they reported having had employment and by trade-uni on membership Number of women who wereNumber 1- - --,-----ofwomen reporting Members mr~t ers of_ a of a umon union Number of industries - - - -- -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1-- - - - - - - - Total_ ___________________ __ _________ __ _____ __________________ ____ ___ 97 42 55 } _____________________________________ ____ _____ __ . _____________ ______ _____ 24 2--- -- ------- - - - - - --------- --- ----- - - - ----- ------- -- - - ·--- - ---- - ---- . ______ 2.5 IO 14 6 19 3 _ _ _______________________________________________________________________ 4 ___ --- --- -- -- --- - - _-- ---- --- -- ___- --- ----- - - --- - - - - - - - --- - - - -- -- ----- ---- 18 14 9 10 6 _ _ --- - - -- ----- - ---- - - --- -- - ---- ------ - - --- - -- -- _- - - --- __ -- __ - ·· ---- -- - - - - 7 ___ - ---------------- --- -- _-- ---- - -- ---- _--- - - - _-- ------ ___ -- __ _-- - - ------ 4 3 1 1 5 ___ - - - -- --- -- -- ______ _____ ___ __ ___________________ -- -- ___________________ 7 4 9 4 3 3 2. g_ --------------------- ------------ - - ---- - - -- - - ----- - -- -- - - - ·-· ·- ---------- --- - -----·- -- - ---- -- - --- ----- -!!_ ------------___ -- -------------- - -- ___________ -- - - -- -- - ---__- _____ ----- ___ - - - -___ - - ____ - - -----10 -and over_- -_____ __ ____--________ ___ _____ ____ - -- - -----2 --- -- - - --1- - -- -- -----1 J · Since, however, the large m ajority of the trade-unionists belonged to garment makiii.g and millinery industries, more subj'ect to seasonal employment than the others, this difference in the proportions of . union and nonunion workers who had had jobs in three or more industries should be attributed rather to the character of the industries than to trade-union membership. The garment workers and textile workers together, classified according to their employment at the time of the study, comprised one-half of the group. The other half were scattered among 22 industries. 4265°- 26t- -2 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 4 CHANGING JOBS TABLE 4.-Distribution of women by industry at time of study and by trade-union membership · Number of women who wereN umber of women Not reporting Members members of a of a union union Industry - - - - -- - - - - -- - - -- -- - -- - ---- -- - - -- - - -T otal_ ____ _______ ___ __________ - --- -__ - --- - ---- -- -- -- -- -- --- --- --- - -97 42 55 -----Ga rment ___ __ ___ ______ _______ ____ __ ____ ___ __ ___ ____ _____________ ___ _____ _ - - 32 23 9 Textile ______ ___ _______ ______ ____ __ _____ ____ ____ ____ ___ _______ ___________ _ 16 l 15 Millinery __ _______ __ ____________ ____ ______ _______ ___ ______ _______ ___ ___ ___ 7 2 5 6 6 Tobacco ------- - -- ---______ --------- -------- --___ ---___ ---__--_____ -- --------- --- -_ Printing___ _________ _________ ____--____ ____- ______ __ __ _______ 5 2 3 Telephone __ ________ ___ _______ __ _____ ____ _____ ______ ___ ______ __ ___ _______ _ 5 2 3 Laundry ____ ___________ ___ __ __________ ___ ____________ ______ ________ ______ _ 1 4 3 Men 's hats __ ____ ________ _____ __________ ____ ______ ___ ________ _________ ___ _ 3 3 Shoe ________ ____ _______ _______ ___ __ ________ _____ _____ _____ ____________ __ . 1 3 2 Restaura n t __ ____ ______ __ ___________ ___ _____ _________ _______ _____ ____ ____ _ 2 2 Other ____ ____ _____ ___ ___ _______ _________ ____________ ______ ____________ __ __ 14 13 1 About one-half of the workers had been in industry 10 years or m ore, and only about 14 per cent had had ind ustrial jobs for less than 6 years. At the time of the study one-half had a weekly wage rate of $24 or more as compared with approximately 12 per cent whose wage rate was less than $16. Five women reported a weekly rate of $40 and over. Long industrial experience was not in all cases rewarded by a high wage rate . For example, of the 46 women who had had 10 years or more of experience only about one-half were receiving $24 or more per week, whereas 11 of the 13 women ith 4 and under 6 years of experience reported such weekly rates. Moreover, of the 9 workers with a record of 18 years or over in industry, 5 received less than $20 per week. · T A BLE 5.-Weekly wage rate at time of study, by years of experience in industry Weekly wage rate ~e~~f I Number of women whose years of experience in industry were1 1 wom en 2 and 4 and 6 and 8 and 10 an d 12 and 14 and 16 and 18 and reportJ under under under under under under under under under mg 4 6 8 10 I 12 14 16 18 20 20 1md over - - - - - -- ·1-- 'fotal ____ ______ _ Under $14 ______ __ ___ __ $14 and under $16 ___ • • $16 and under $18 ____ _ $18 and under $20 ____ _ $20 and under $22___ __ $22 an d under $24 __ __ _ $24 and under $26 ____ _ $26 and under $28 ____ _ $28 and under $30 __ __ _ $30 and under $32 ____ _ $32 and under $34 ____ _ $34 and under $36 __ ___ S36 and under $38 ____ _ $38 and under $40 ____ _ $40 and over __ __ _____ _ 97 13 17 20 ! 19 2 9 7 3 6 - --------- - - - - - -- - -1 6 _______ ______ _ 1 3 1 ______________ I___ ___ _ _______ https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis ~ ------+------ _____ 1_ ------- -----i- ~ 2 ~ - ----- - 9 1 ------15 1 8 -- ----- - - ----15 4 7 2 32 1 4 l 2 4 1 2 2 ------- ----- ;- - I---- --5 1 2 1 1 1 2 2 • 1 ·--- ---- t ~ 1 i 1 ------____ _________ _ ----- - - --- ---_____ _• 1 - - - - -- 1 ------- -----2- -----~- -----i- ---- -i-1_____ ~-'== ===== ======= 1 1;:;;=;: =====:= :=::::: =====:r ;;;;;l ;;:;; '. '. '.'.; ··;· ;;;;;;; ===== = 5 CHANGING JOBS AVERAGE DURATION OF JOBS HELD The average duration of the jobs held may be taken as an indication of the rate of change. Since the jobs held less than a week are often terminated for wholly different considerations than are longer ones, the ·averages enluding these very short jobs will first be considered. Nearly three-fifths of the group studied (57) had held their jobs on the average less than 2 years. More than a quarter (28) had jobs of average duration of less than a year, and for 6 of these the average was less than 6 months. The short jobs appear to have been less characteristic of those workers who had been in industry 10 years or more, than of those whose experience was shorter. Not quite one-half of the former (21 out of 46) as compared with seven-tenths of the workers (36 of the 51) who had been in industry less than 10 years showed an average duration of less than 2 years at their jobs. Eleven of the workers reported an average duration of 5 or · more years at their jobs, and four as much as 10 years. TABLE 6.-Average duration of job, by years of experience in industry N umber of women whose years of experience in industry were- - - - - - -- j - -- TotaL _______ -Under 1 year_________ 1 and under 2 years___ _ 2 and under 3 years___ 3 and under 4 years_ __ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -97 13 28 __ _____ 6 29 1 3 22 __ _____ 3 3 _____ __ _____ __ 17 20 -- - - 19 8 7 2 1 I 1 I 1 1 1 4 7 7 1 1 j 3 1 1 2 2 6 ______ _ 3 2 1 3 3 ________________ _____ ___________________________ _ i!~I ~~ilitJ~lil _ _ JllI)rn(lill::j ~i/~ ~Ill }[\ =I~ll ~~~~} ·10 years and over_____ 4 -------1-------------- ------- 2 -------j 2 - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - -1 !Jobs held Jess than one week are not included. The number of years of school training did not have any apparent relation to tenure of job. For example, 61 per ·cent of those who had reached high school before entering industry showed an average duration of less than two years as contrasted with about 56 per cent of those who had gone to work from the grades. Also 6 of the 10 who had completed high school averaged less than one year at their jobs. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 6 CHANGIN G .JOBS TABLE 7.-Average duration of job, by extent of schooli ng before entering inaustry A verago duration of job 1 Number of women who had reachedNum- 1 - -- , - - -- - - - - - - - - - , - - - - - , - - - - , - - - - - - - - - , - - - ber of Below women SevFirst Second Third Fourth report- fifth Fifth Sixth en th Eighth year year year year mg grade grade grade grade grade s~l~~l s~l~1 s~~~~l -~l~~l I I I _ __ _ _ _ _ 1_ _ _ , _ _ T otal. _____ _________ 2 96 I 1 I 14 36 2 5 · ~ - -9- - -3- 10 1 Under 1 year______________ l an dunder2 years __ ____ _ 2andundor3years __ ____ _ 2 ! :~~ ~~~:~ l ~::~~=== ==== 27 ______________ 1 29 1 22 2 _______ : 31 6 5 1 2 7 5 3 2 ~ ~ ______ i_l__ ___ ~_ -------i 16 1 == ===== =====J====== ======= 4• 2 6 2 _____ _________ _ 1 ____ __ _ 3 t~rn~ill§[[I\ _ _ )_ II\ \\\\f\iit/r;;;: i dr::IHI)\~l l 1 Jobs held 2 For eight less than one week are n '.lt included. of these the average was less than six months. The garment workers appear conspicuous as a group of short-job"' workers. Only one of the 32 workers on garments showed an average duration of as much as three years, and 13 had an average of less than a year. They form a contrast with the textile workers, of whom nearly half had an average duration of three years or more. TABLE 8.-Average duration of job, by industry at time of study Number of women reporting the average duration of job 1 Num1ndUstry at I-U-n___ \ la n_d_1_2_a_n_d-,--3_a_n_d-:j- 4_a_n_d-:-5-a_n_d-,1_6_a_n_d-:-7-a_n_d--,-8_a_n_d--,--9_a_n_d__l_Otime of study report- der 1 under under under under under under under under under years r I 2 i 3 ing 4 I 5 6 7 8 !l 10 and yea years I years years years years years years years years over t;:n~~ Total __ _ 91 Garment_ ____ _ Textile ___ ____ _ Millinery ____ _ Tobacco ______ _ Printing _____ _ Telephone ___ _ Laundry _____ _ Men's bats __ __ Shoe _______ __ _ Restaurant. __ _ Other __ ______ _ 32 16 1 I 7 6 5 5 4 3 3 2 14 2s 13 1 3 2 1 2 2 1 1 2 I 20 I 22 31 4 2 2 2 1 _______ 4 I :::::t:::(I'.li=/t}[::~:}t/i~j :::::!: 61 2 1 1· 1 1 !-------;------+------ ---- ---1 1 Jobs held less than one week are not included. From the experience of the 97 workers studied, it was not possible to make a case for the favorable effect on wage of mere length of tenure of job. About one-half of the workers (49) were paid at a weekly rate of less than $24 at the time of the interview, the remaining 48 being paid at rates of $24 or more a week. A larger proportion of the lower-paid group had held their jobs on an average · of two years, or more than was the case with the higher-paid group (51 per cent of the former as compared with 31 per cent of the latter). https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 7 CHANGING JOBS TABLE 9.-Week's wages at time of study, by average duration of job Week's wages at time of study Number of women reporting the average duration of job 1 wasNum• i- - - - - - - - - - , - - - - -- -- - -- - -- -- - ~~ I women 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 and 7 and 8 and 9 and 10 report• Under under under under under under under under under under years ing 1 year 2 I 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11nd years years years years years years years years years over I I Total............. 29 1 22 3 • 2· 2 2 1 ....•. • f----+---+------t---+---+--1----+----+---t----i---- Under $14............... $14 and under $16.. ••••• $16 and under $18 .• _____ $18 and under $20. ______ $20 and under $22. ....•• $22 and under $24 •• ·---$24 and under $26....... $26 and under $28. • • . • . • $28 and under $30. •••••• $30 and under $32.. ••••• $32 and under $34.. •• •• • $34 and under $36....... $36 and under $38.. .•.•• $38 and under $40....... $40 and over............ 1 Jobs 97 28 6 6 5 2 1 1 2 3 2 15 2 2 3 3 3 3 9 8 15 7 3 6 5 3 1 3 5 1 ............ ·-···· ······ ............ ······ 1 1 1 ·-···· .•.•.. ······ .................. ····-1 •··•·· ..•... •.•... 1 ··•·•· ...... ·•··•· ····-3 1 1 1 •..... ······ ............••..•• 5 2 1 ••••.. ...•.. 1 ··•••• 1 1 ••.... ·•·•·• ·-···· . 1 ···•·· ...... .....• 1 3 1 1 ••••...•••.. . ..................•.••• 2 ••..•• ·····- .•••.• ••••.• 1 .•••.•.•.••• ····-1 •••... ...... .•••.. ...... 1 ·•·•·• ...... ···--2 1 ------ ---------------1 1 1 1 •...•••.•••. ·•·•·· •...••.•.••..•..•..••....••....••••. 1 7 3 1 1 3 2 2 1 2 2 1 ------ ------ ------ ------ 2 ·----- -·-··· ···-·· -····· -----· ···-·- ····-· ···--- held less than one week are not included. JOBS HELD MORE THAN A MONTH The considerable nuinber of jobs held by one worker often meant many different contacts for her and a wide range in locality and character of work place and. process. More than half of the workers had held six or more jobs lasting a month or longer, and of this group approximately four-fifths had worke~ in industry for eight years and more. TABLE 10.-Number of jobs held for one month or more, by years of experience in industry Number of women whose years of experience in industry wereNumNumber of jobs held ber of i-----,--- - - - , - - - , - - - - - - - , - - - , - - - - , - - - - - - - , - - - - - , - - - for one month or more women 2 and 4 and 6 and 8 and 10 and 12 and Hand 16 and 18 and 20 report• under under under under under under under under under and mg 4 6 8 10 12 H 16 18 20 over - - - - - - - - 1 - - - ---1---/.---1----+---l--- - - - - - - - - - - - T otal. .....•••.. 13 17 1·-······-·····-··-··· 2-·-···········-·-···· 6 14 1 3 3 3 __••••••••••••••••••• 10 2 3 4- --········-········· .5 _-··············-···· 6--···-···-·········-· 11 6 7 2 3 1 1 3 7- ------ · --·---·--··-8-- -·-·-----·----·-··· 9__ ·-················10 ...•• ·-· · ·-- · ·-····- 9 7 9 6 12 __ ············-···-· 5 ·····-- -······ 11.................... 3 ---·--- ··----· ...•... •....•. .••••.• -····-· -······ .••••.. 1 1 2 1 20 19 9 1 2 2 -····-3 2 2 1 3 ···-··· -···-·· -······ -······ 2 6 .••••.. -·-···· --····· ·-··-·- -·-···· ···-··· ---···· ....... 1 ....••....•... 3 1 3 2 1 1 1 2 1 ---· --1 1 .•..... -··-·-· 1 1 1 3 -··--·· 1 ·-·· · ·· 1 1 1 1 ••·••·• 2 ··-···· ··-···· 1 ·····-· ....... 1 •••..•. 1 2 ·-····· ....... ··-···· 1 -·-···· -······ --····- -·-···- 1 -······ .••••.. 1 1 1 13 __ ·······-·-······-- ··· · ·-·- ··-··-· ••••••• -·-···· - -····· ······- -···-·· ••••••• ···-··· ···-··· ------· 14·-··-·---····-·-·-·· 2 -······ ··-·--1 1 -··--·· -·-···· ····--· ....... -·····- ··----- 15 and over........... 2 .•••••• ---·-·- ...••••.•••.••...••.. -·----· ---···- 1 ..••••• 1 The accounts of the different jobs gave evidence that the worker frequently made a change for the very purpose of securing v~riety. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 8 CHANGING JOBS For example, one worker, who started in domestic service, changed to a job in a lamp factory. Leaving that she worked successively in a noodle factory, a glass-manufacturing concern, the lamp factory again, and a battery factory. Next she tried domestic service with two different employers, returned to the lamp factory, and left it a third time in order to make linings in a casket factory. In another ease, the worker started as a stock girl in a department store and then worked in a shoe factory, in a men's clothing shop, in a button factory, in a steel plant, in an automobile factory, and in two other clothing shops, one of which manufactured women's clothing. In the last job reported she appeared as a leather worker. A garment worker who made a practice of securing odd jobs during slack periods took jobs which included such varied occupations as waiting at table, clerking in a five-and-ten-cent store, working in a sweater factory, investigating for a charity organization, serving as an invalid's companion, and decoying trade to a Russian tea shop by impersonating a Russian refugee aristocrat. She had held 18 jobs of one week or more and innumerable jobs of less than a week in an industrial life of six years. She estimated the number of these short jobs as at least 100. Some of these changes were within the garment industry itself, and these were mainly for the opportunity seldom possible with one employer--of becoming familiar with numerous processes and with the operation of different machines. JOBS OF LESS THAN A MONTH'S DURATION In only four industries were there women reporting five or more jobs of less than a month's duration; by far the largest proportion of these women (71 per cent) were found in the garment industry. It is true that many of the short jobs which were p9irt of the individual histories of these women were not taken as employment in the garment industry but in other industries during the dull season in the manufacture of clothes. Nevertheless, this was not always the case. It was the experience of more than one worker that the occasional job in her regular industry of garment making during the dull season netted her more than did jobs in other industries so that it was her practice to remain on call for the former kind and not risk missing such a job by taking employment elsewhere. The numbers of women in the other three industries who reported five or more jobs of less than a month's duration are too small to be of significance. Eight of the 10 garment makers with such a record were union members, but the number of nonunion workers comprising the group in this industry was too small to afford a comparison between these two groups. The number of jobs held less than a month was in almost every instance considerably greater than the number of longer jobs held by the same workers. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis CHANGING JOBS TABLE 11.-Employment of women on jobs of less than one month's duration, byindustry at time of study Number of women reporting jobs or less th an one month inNumber 1 - - - , - - - ofwomen Industry reporting t Ind~stry o!~:~e; at time and of survey other industries Industry at time of study -----------------------1---- -------Total_ __________ __________ _________________·__________________________ _ Garment ______ _____ ____ ____________________ _______________________ ___ ___ _ Millinery ______ __ _____ _________________________________ ____ _____________ _ P rinting ______ _____ ___ ___________________ ________________________________ _ 10 Laundry ___ --- --- -------------------------------------------------------- 1 1 9 5 6 j 2 2 1 ---------- 1 1 --- ---- --- Only those workers who had held five or more jobs of less than a month's duration are included. JOBS OF NOT MORE THAN A WEEK'S DURATION Jobs of one week or less were found in the histories of 10 worker& employed at the time of the study in four industries. Again the·g arment workers were conspicuously the holders of the short jobs. Those jobs which lasted but a single day were the most numerous, but because a number of the jobs had been held some years before, it was difficult for the workers to give an accurate account of them. Eight of the 10 workers had held jobs which lasted less than a week. These 8 estimated that together they had held 471 of these jobs lasting less than a week. Four hundred and five of such jobs had been held by 4 garment workers, nearly half of the jobs (201) having been in other industries during slack periods in the garment trade. TABLE 12.-Employment of women on jobs of not more than one week's duration, by industry at time of study Industry at time of study Number of women whose jobs of not more than one week's duration numberedNumber ofwomen ,_ _ _~ - - - - - -- - reporting 5 and 10 and 15 and 20 and under 10 under 15 under 20 over - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - TotaL ________________________________________ _ Garment_ ___ ------------------------- ______ ___ _____ _ ~~~~~~ Laundry ___________________________________________ -== === .================= .============= ======_ https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 56 2 2 1 1 ---------- -------- - 1 -------- - - -------- - - 3 ---------1 ---------1 ---- - ----- ---- ------ . 10 CHANGING JOBS CAUSES FOR CHANGE OF JOB The group of 97 workers reported reasons for 599 changes of jobs which had been made at _different times in their histories, giving only one reason, the most important one, for the change in each case. (See Table 13.) The list shows a great variety, but it is clear that the purely industrial reasons play the greatest part. Of the total 599 reasons, the largest number of changes due to any one cause was the 146 in the wages-and-hours classification. Discharge and "lay off," requiring involuntary changes, accounted for a quarter of the causes for leaving jobs. Dislike of the operation and dislike of management were significantly large factors accounting for 12 per cent of the changes, and such reasons indicate the failure of the work process to make an appeal to the worker. Where union business was given as a cause for changing jobs, there was reference to the practice of securing information needed for union activities through employment in various places. It should be noted, however, that the majority of such instances (38 out of 48) were cases of a single individual acting usually altogether on her own initiative. The "desire to see other cities" and "restlessness" are further indications of the slight attachment of the worker to her job. The usual variety of more purely personal reasons were found among those given as well as the unusual one "to continue education." Twenty-three of the · 24 instances of this reason were cases of workers who gave up their jobs to come to the summer school at Bryn Mawr. Because the numbers of workers from different industries were so unequal, the numbers of reasons for leaving in one industry can not be compared with those in another, but it is possible to get some indication of what were the more important factors making for change in each case. For example, the garment industry was the -only one in which "lay off" was a more frequent cause for change than wages and hours together; in the textile industry "lay off" accounted for exactly the same number of changes as did wages and hours. In the millinery industry 18 of the 47 changes of jobs were due to wages and hours-the largest group in any one classification, the next largest being the 10 due to "lay off." Forty-six reasons were given for leaving laundries, 38 of which came under the classification of union business. Domestic service, printing, restaurants, and the miscellaneous group of industries also showed wages and hours as responsible for the largest numbers of changes due to any one reason. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 11 CHANGING J OBS TABLE 13.-Cause of changing job, by industry at time of change (97 women reporting) Number of times cause specified was reported as the reason for change of job inCause All Gar- Tex- Mil• Laun:ndus- ment tile linery dry tries T otal ...•••••••••••• •. 599 174 65 47 46 Domes• tic ser• vice 36 1- Other To- ' Tele- in• Print- Res• tau· bac- phone dus• ing rant C0 I try 25 18 I sl 8 172 i - - - - t - - - - - i - ~ - 1 - - - - t - - - i - - - - t - - - - - ; - - - t ' - - · - -1 - - Wages and hours ..••••••••. Lay off •••......••..•.•.•••• Union business _··- -····· ··· Dislike of managemenL . . •• Dislike of operation .......•• Change of residence...•••••• Discharge_.••........•••••• Education .... ·····--······· Sanitation and health ___ .... Starting of regular industry. Strike •. ······ -· __ __ . ___ -·-. Needed at home·--------- -· To see other cities-restlessness .......•.•.•.•..... Own illness·. ... ....••••••... No promotion ..••••••••• ••. Marriage .. · ·-·············· Lockout ....•••••••••••••••• 8%~~birth •••• ···· ·· -:······ ~~i ~~ ~i rn ======= .... ~~- ~ : ~ 1. . . . . ~. i~ 48 6 1 1 38 ····-·· 2 --···· •••••• 38 11 3 6 2 1 3 1 1 34 5 3 1 1 7 2 2 1 32 10 7 2 ••••••• 3 ····-·· 2 --·--· 27 13 1 2 ··---·· 1 1 1 -····· 24 3 9 -····· 1 ·····-· 1 1 2 23 10 ···· -· -····· ···-··· 1 ---·-·· 1 --···· 19 3 1 1 -······ 2 -·--- -· 1 -·-·-16 8 1 2 ·-···-· •••.... 1 ··-·-· ···· ·15 ···- --· 1 1 1 6 1 1 1 --·· · ·- --· - -· ----·-· 10 ·· ·- - -12 3 5 -· - ·--8 ···---· 7 ·-----· 11 - ·· ···11 ·-·--·· 4 ---·-·· 3 13 6 3 ·-· -- -5 1 -·- ·· · ----·-· 2 ·--···· 2 ·-·-·-1 9 8 6 5 3 13 3 .•.... 3 --····· ··-···- ··----· -··-·· ··-··· 1 2 •••••• 1 ••••·•• 1 •••••• •••••• 2 1 -···· - --··-·· ·-·-··· .•.• •• ••••••• ·· ··-· 1 3 ...•.. 1 ·-····· ...••.• -·-··· ··-··· 3 •••••••••••• ••••••• •••••••••••••• - ····· ····· 1 ····-- ····-- -·-···- -·····- ······- ····-· ···· -1 2 2 ···· · · 1 4 2 -·· · ·- CONCLUSION The foregoing picture gives some indication of the prevalence of the short jobs which are filled by women workers. Such short-time jobs have become so numerous as to suggest the replacement of the old-time steady worker by one who is in process of becoming a pure casual. With this change come new problems for both the tradeunion organizer and the employer. Among the industrial factors found conspicuously associated with short jobs are: (1) The seasonal nature of business, (2) the character of management under which production is carried on, and (3) the . monotony and routine of the work itself. The last of these appears to have become permanently established in modern machine industry. On the other hand, changes affecting the first two factors are now taking place. Constant effort is being made to regularize industry, and in many instances dull periods have been shortened and sometimes eliminated. More progress in this direction may be expected as the same aim is found on the programs of the industrial engineer and the trade-union leader. The latter finds the extension of the average period of employment of advantage at almost every stage of collective bargaining. When members of an organization stray off to other industries, even if they go with the intention of returning, the union loses control of them and their interest in the union is likely to weaken. T he point of view of the individual worker may https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 12 CHANGING JOBS be, as in the majority of the cases studied, somewhat different. He sees his immediate gain by the change contemplated and does not consider whether the long-time effect through collective action might bring greater gain. The ultimate aim of unemployment ·insurance, ·recently so important a measure in the policies of the clothing-trade unions, is to lengthen the tenure of the average job and to emphasize the permanent connection of the worker with one trade and even with one establishment. Changes in the field of management also are taking place. A business man of national reputation recently expressed the management problem from his point of view as finding out how much "bossing" the American workman will stand. The worker's restlessness and frequent change of employment were explained as the result of his surrender of the control he formerly exercised through the use of his tools. It was argued that some share of management in the workshop must be given back to him to compensate him for this loss and in order to build up the satisfaction in work necessary for stability of employment. On its side the trade-union has worked out the roles of the shop committee and the shop chairman, and the more radical programs push past the claim for a mere share in management to complete control of industry. It is not to be assumed that without other changes the mere keeping of workers at the same jobs for longer periods is the end to be achieved. The rate of change is, however, one of the most important indications of the existence of conditions which make for instability in a given industry or shop and as such should be carefully measured. If it is found that frequent changes of employment are inevitable under modern industrial organization, then different methods of employment management and different industrial relations and tactics from those now in vogue in many places will have to be worked out. 0 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
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