7 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY- <^/f Statistical Analysis BY PAUL FREDERICK BRISSENDEN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR IN COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY AND EMIL FRANKEL FORMERLY SPECIAL AGENT OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 1922 All rights reserved 'PRINT. ED IN THE UNITED STATES OP AMEEICA -8* COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY Set up and eloctrotyped. Published, October, 1922 Press of J. J. Little & Ives Company New York TO THE UNITED STATES BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS 494 PREFACE THE figures which constitute the basis for the statistical analysis presented in these pages were collected for the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics by the authors and other members of the Bureau's staff. A large part of the material thus collected already has been utilized in various articles pub- lished in the Bureau's Monthly Labor Review. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, however, is responsible neither for the opinions herein expressed by the authors nor for the statistical treatment its original figures have received at their hands. The authors desire to express their appreciation of the help they have received from Dr. Royal Meeker, formerly Com- missioner of Labor Statistics and now editor of the International Labour Review, and from Mr. Lucian W. Chaney, of the star! of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Mr. Ethelbert Stewart, now Commissioner of Labor Statistics, was in general charge of the field work of the Bureau's investigation of labor turnover. Working with the authors under his direction were Messrs. Boris Emmet, William F. Kirk, and Irving Winslow. To them and to Mr. Stewart the authors are very much indebted and they wish to take this opportunity to express their appreciation. Although they are too numerous to mention by name, the authors desire to express their deep sense of obligation to the hundreds of employment managers, factory superintendents, and business executives who cheerfully put themselves to great inconvenience in order to furnish the necessary information. The authors earnestly hope that this analysis of the figures they so kindly furnished may be of use to some of them. To the Academy of Political Science at Columbia University, the Ronald Press Company, and the University of Chicago Press, the authors desire to extend thanks for permission to reprint material originally published in the Political Science Quarterly, Administration , and the Journal of Political Economy. vii CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. INTRODUCTION 1-6 1 i. Nature and significance of labor mobility. 2. Scope and limitations of the basic data. II. DEFINITION AND MEASUREMENT OF LABOR MOBILITY 7-28 . i. The base in "turnover" computation. (a) The pay roll as base. (b) Average daily work force (c) Labor hours. a. Labor change rates. 3. The definition of terms, (a) The variables. (6) The base or standard of measurement. 4. The method of computation. 5. Relation between different methods of computation. III. PERSONNEL POLICY AND LABOR STABILITY .... 29-33 IV. GENERAL EXTENT OF LABOR MOBILITY .... 34-60 1. Labor mobility and industrial conditions. 2. Extent of mobility in the zo-year period ending Dec. 31, 1919. 3. Probable amount of labor shifting in the United States. 4. Necessary and unnecessary labor changes. 5. Labor mobility in certain localities. 6. Labor mobility in different industry groups. 7. Relation between size of establishment and labor mobility. 8. Analysis of accessions. ; V. LABOR MOBILITY IN INDIVIDUAL PLANTS AND IN SPECIAL GROUPS WITHIN THE WORK FORCE . . . . 6l~77 1. Labor mobility in individual establishments. 2. Mobility of male and female employees. 3. Day and night force. 4. Skilled and unskilled employees. 5. Occupational incidence of labor mobility. is CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE VI. TYPES OF SEPARATION AND CAUSES OF TURNOVER 78-102 1. Types of separation. 2. Industry groups and type of separation. 3. Relation between skill and type of separation. 4. Type of separation and size of establishment. & 5. Some causes for instability. VII. SEASONAL INFLUENCES ON LABOR SHIFTING . . . 103-114 1. Seasonal fluctuations in individual establishments. 2. Seasonal changes in different occupations. 3. Normal seasonal changes in stability. \ VIII. LENGTH OF SERVICE AS A FACTOR IN LABOR MOBILITY 115-141 1. Job tenure in different industry groups. 2. Comparative service stability of males and females. 3. Length of service of skilled and unskilled employees. 4. Length of service of casual laborers. 5. Length of service in different plant departments. 6. Average weekly service rates. 7. Length of service and type of separation. IX. STABLE AND UNSTABLE EMPLOYEES 142-153 1. "Active employees" with service records of less than one year (unstable employees) and over one year (stable employees). 2. Responsibility for labor mobility of the unstable employees. 3. The labor flux of unstable working forces in individual estab- lishments. 4. Labor mobility of the unstable work force compared with the total work force. X. RELATIVE RESPONSIBILITY FOR INSTABILITY OF DIF- FERENT LENGTH OF SERVICE GROUPS . . . 154-162 1. Analysis based on allocation of labor hours to length of service groups. 2. Frequency of job replacement in different length of service groups. XL EMPLOYMENT RECORDS 163-169 1. Labor mobility records. 2. Records of labor absenteeism. APPENDIX. BASIC TABLES 172-211 JND.EX. .,.,.,,,,,.,... 213-215 INDEX OF TABLES CHAPTER H. THE DEFINITION AND MEASUREMENT OF LABOR MOBILITY TABLE i. Difference between pay-roll numbers and number of equivalent full-time workers 10 TABLE 2. Trend of labor flux, accession, classified separation, and replace- ment rates in a metal-products manufacturing plant (No. 42- . 182) by months, from 1912 to 1919. (Charts A and E) . 16-17 TABLE 3. Labor mobility in an automobile manufacturing plant (No. 48- 194), showing flux, accession, separation, replacement, and labor increase and decrease rates for 1917 and 1919 ... 25 TABLE 4. Comparison of three methods of measuring labor mobility . . 26 CHAPTER III. PERSONNEL POLICY AND LABOR STABILITY TABLE 5. Labor flux rates in 10 selected establishments, by years from 1913- 19, inclusive 32-33 TABLE 6. Comparison of labor mobility in 10 selected establishments with its mobility in all other establishments reporting for the years 1913-19, inclusive. (Chart B) 32-33 CHAPTER IV. GENERAL EXTENT OF LABOR MOBILITY TABLE 7. Labor mobility by years, 1910-19. (Chart C) 36 TABLE 8. Necessary and unnecessary labor changes, by years, 1910-19, inclusive 44~45 TABLE 9. Labor mobility in specified cities, 1913-14 and 1917-18 ... 47 TABLE 10. Labor mobility in specified industry groups, 1913-14 and 1917-18. (Chart D) . 50-53 TABLE n. Relation between size of establishment and labor stability, 1913- 14 and 1917-18 55 TABLE 12. Number of employees leaving service within 12 months of when they are hired, by industry groups, year ending May 31, 1918. 56 TABLE 13. Number of employees hired by same establishment specified number of tunes 58 TABLE 14. Number of employees on pay roll of three establishments who had been hired specified number of times, classified according to the length of time within which the hirings and rehirings took place, 1915 59 CHAPTER V. LABOR MOBILITY IN INDIVIDUAL PLANTS AND IN SPECIAL GROUPS WITHIN THE WORK FORCE TABLE 15. Number and per cent distribution of establishments having classi- fied labor mobility rates, 1913-14 and 1917-18 63 TABLE 16. Labor mobility of 20 identical establishments reporting in 1913- 14 and 1917-18 64-65 xi xu INDEX OF TABLES PAGE TABLE 17. Labor mobility by sex and industry groups, 1917-18 . . . 66-69 TABLE 18. Labor mobility of day and night forces in a machine-tool manu- facturing establishment (No. 35-144), by years, 1916-19 . 71 TABLE 19. Labor mobility of skilled and unskilled workers, 1913-15 and ................ 73 TABLE 20. Labor mobility in a car-building plant (Establishment No. 102) by occupations, for year ending May 31, 1918 .... 76-7: CHAPTER VI. TYPES OF SEPARATION AND CAUSES OF TURNOVER TABLE 21. Type of separation (discharge, lay-off or voluntary quitting) of employees leaving, by years from 1910 to 1915, inclusive, and for the i2-month period ending May 31, 1918 . . . . 80-8 1 TABLE 22. Number of establishments in which classified proportions of the total separations are attributable, respectively, to discharge, lay-off, entry into military service and voluntary quitting, 1913-14 and 1917-18 ............ 85 TABLE 23. Type of separation (discharge, lay-off or voluntary quitting) of employees leaving, by industry groups, 1913-14 and 1917-18 86-89 TABLE 24. Comparison of separation rates of skilled and unskilled employees leaving voluntarily, discharged and laid off, 1913-15 ... 91 TABLE 25. Relation between size of establishment and type of separation (discharge, lay-off, entry into military service and voluntary quitting), 1913-14 and 1917-18 ........ 92-93 TABLE 26. Reasons advanced for voluntary separation from service of 8140 employees and causes for discharge of 1439 employees, in six metal-trades establishments ....... ... 96 TABLE 27. Reasons advanced for voluntary separation from service of 13,664 employees and causes for discharge of 2849 employees, during 1917, in a mail-order house (Establishment No. 27-109) . . 99 TABLE 28. Number, per cent distribution and rate per full-year worker of employees hired and rehired and of those leaving for specified reasons. A department store (Establishment No. 271) . . 101 CHAPTER VII. SEASONAL INFLUENCES ON LABOR SHIFTING TABLE 29. Labor flux rates by months from January, 1910, to December, 1919, inclusive. (Chart F) ........... 104 TABLE 30. Labor flux rates of day and night forces of a machine-tool manu- facturing plant (Establishment ^.35-144), by months, 1916-19 107 TABLE 31. Labor flux rates for each month in selected occupations in a car- building plant (Establishment No. 102), for the year ending May 31, 1918 ............. 108-109 TABLE 32. Monthly trend in labor mobility. (Chart G) ...... in TABLE 33. Extent of labor mobility in the four seasons of the year ... 113 CHAPTER VIII. LENGTH OF SERVICE AS A FACTOR IN LABOR MOBILITY TABLE 34. Length of service distribution of "active employees" (i.e., those on pay roll at end of year) and of employees who left during the year ("separating employees"), 1913-14 and 1917-18 . . 117 INDEX OF TABLES TABLE 35. TABLE 36. TABLE 37. TABLE 38. TABLE 39. xm PAGE Length of service distribution of "active employees" (i.e., those on pay roll at end of year) and of employees who left during the year ("separating employees"), by industry groups, 1913- 14 and 1917-18 (percentage distribution) ..... 118-121 Length of service distribution of "active employees" (i.e., those on pay roll at end of year) and of employees who left during the year ("separating employees"), classified according to sex, 1917-18. (Chart H) ....... ..... 124 Length of service distribution of "active employees" (i.e., those on pay roll at end of year) classified according to sex, 1913-14 and 1917-18 ............... 126 Length of service distribution of "active employees" (i.e., those on pay roll at end of year) and of employees who left during the year ("separating employees"), by sex and industry group, 1917-18. (Percentage distribution) ...... 128-131 Length of service distribution of "active employees" (i.e., those on pay roll at end of year) and of employees who left during the year ("separating employees"), classified according to skill, 132 TABLE 40. TABLE 41. Length of service records of 78 unskilled male laborers hired on or since July i, 1918, but not on pay roll October, 1918, in a printing and publishing concern. (Establishment No. 151) 135-136 Length of service distribution of "active employees" (i.e., those on pay roll at end of year), and of employees who left during the year ("separating employees"), in a men's clothing manu- facturing plant. (Establishment No. 103), 1917-18 . TABLE 42. Number, per cent distribution, and corrected separation rates of employees quitting, laid off, and discharged during one year . 137 140 CHAPTER IX. STABLE AND UNSTABLE EMPLOYEES TABLE 43. Number and per cent distributions of "active employees" who had served one year or less and over one year, respectively, in specified industry groups, 1917-18. (Chart I) 143 TABLE 44. Comparison of labor mobility rates based on the total working force with rates based on the unstable part of the working force in specified industry groups, year ending May 31, 1918. (Chart J) 146-147 TABLE 45. Number of establishments having classified labor flux rates based, (i) on the whole working force, and (2) on the unstable part of working force, year ending May 31, 1918 150 TABLE 46. Comparison of labor mobility rates based on the total working force with rates based on the unstable part of the working force, classified according to the relative size of the unstable part of the working force, 1917-18 152-153 CHAPTER X. RELATIVE RESPONSIBILITY FOR INSTABILITY OF DIFFERENT LENGTH OF SERVICE GROUPS TABLE 47. Separation rates in specified length of service groups. (Based on allocation of the total labor hours among the different length of service groups), 1913-14 and 1917-18 155 TABLE 48. Separation rates in specified industry groups, classified according to length of service. (Based on allocation of the total labor hours among the different length of service groups), 1917-18 156-15 7 XIV INDEX OF TABLES AND CHARTS TABLE 49. Separation rates in specified length of service groups of skilled and unskilled workers. (Based on allocation of the total labor hours among the different length of service groups), 1913-15 . 158 TABLE 50. Relative frequency of job replacement in specified length of service groups, 1917-18 159 APPENDIX TABLE A. Labor mobility in individual establishments and specified cities, 1913-14 and 1917-18 172-187 TABLE B. Type of separation (discharge, lay-off, entry into military service or quitting) in individual establishments and specified cities, 1913-14 and 1917-18 190-203 TABLE C. Number and per cent of employees in the unstable part of the working force, number in continuous service over one year, and number of accessions and separations, in individual establish- ments and specified cities, 1917-18 204-207 TABLE D. Labor mobility by months, from January, 1910, to December, 1919, inclusive. (Chart F) 208-211 INDEX OF CHARTS CHART A. Trend of labor change rates in a metal-products manufacturing plant (Establishment No. 42-182), 1912-19 (Table 2) . . 19 CHART B. Comparison of the trend of labor mobility in 10 selected estab- lishments with the mobility in all other establishments report- ing, 1913-19, inclusive. (Table 6) 31 CHART C. Labor mobility rates, by years, 1910-19. (Table 7) .... 39 CHART D. Labor flux rates in specified industry groups, 1913-14 and 1917- 18. (Table 10) 49 CHART E. Trend of classified separation rates from January, 1912, to April, 1919; annual totals plotted by overlapping 12 -month periods (a metal-products manufacturing plant. Establishment No. 42-182). (Table 2) 83 CHART F. Fluctuations in labor mobility by months, from January, 1910, to December, 1919. (Table 29; Table D) 105 CHART G. Monthly trend in labor mobility, identical months, 1910-19, combined. (Table 32) 112 CHART H. Length of service distribution of "active employees" (i.e., those on pay roll at end of year) and of employees who left during the year ("separating employees"), classified according to sex, 1917-18. (Table 36) 125 CHART I. Per cent of "active employees" who had served one year or less, and over one year, respectively, in specified industry groups. (Table 43) 144 CHART J. Comparison of labor flux rates based on the total working force with rates based on the unstable part of the working force in specified industry groups, 1917-18. (Table 44) .... 148 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION NATURE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF LABOR MOBILITY THE difficulty of maintaining a stable work force in industrial establishments has directed attention to the problem of labor instability, a phenomenon observable in a particularly inten- sified form in times of prosperity, but found in only slightly less serious form even in periods of depression. Labor instability is regarded by all those who have given any serious consideration to the problem as one of the maladjustments of our industrial life, wasteful and destructive of the potential man-power of the nation and a serious obstacle to the complete utilization of the country's productive forces. In tackling this problem it should be recognized at the outset that within certain limits establish- ment labor mobility is a normal and necessary thing. A certain amount of shifting from shop to shop and city to city is quite normal and even desirable; part of this necessary movement of labor is an entirely natural ebb and flow resulting from the normal expansion and contraction of industrial activity. Interest in the N question of labor mobility is centered, therefore, not only upon its general extent but more specifically upon whatever part of it may be considered abnormal and unnecessary. When it is considered from this standpoint it is essential to know (i) the nature and extent of labor instability, (2) the various factors which are likely to increase or diminish its volume, and (3) whether any employment methods have been or can be devised which will make it possible to reduce labor instability to such an extent that maximum production may be attained at minimum cost and to the mutual advantage of employer and employee. 2 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY In order to give really adequate consideration to the various problems involved in labor instability as it affects different in- dustries in the United States, and more particularly to devise methods for its reduction, it will be necessary to have more detailed and extensive data than hitherto have been available. Fortunately, during the last decade a number of progressive firms have given rather close study to the whole problem of labor instability. These concerns have made extensive experi- ments in labor management with a view to stabilizing the work force and have achieved a measure of success. It is these firms, especially, that have accumulated records sufficiently extensive to show both the magnitude and the intricacies of the problem. These records, moreover, will permit of a test of the effective- ness of certain labor policies and methods of employment. It is upon data from such establishments that this study is very largely based. Labor instability is generally the consequence of (i) seasonal, cyclical, and other fluctuations in industrial activity which result in varying amounts of employment available to the job seeker; 2) individual or collective dissatisfaction with the conditions of employment; and (3) the dissatisfaction of employers with the services of some employees. In its relation to employer and em- ployee this problem of labor instability becomes a more or less personal one and presents itself essentially in two aspects, depend- ing upon whether it is the employee or employer who is concerned, (i) To the individual workman job changing may mean either gain or loss. In prosperous times, when there are more numerous and attractive job opportunities, the change of jobs may repre- sent an actual gain to the worker. Even if there is nothing gained, it could scarcely involve a loss, because in a rising labor market jobs are likely to be actually awaiting the separating employee, and even at the worst, the period of unemployment between jobs is likely to be relatively short. In periods of depres- sion the establishment labor mobility problem is, for the indi- vidual employee, a problem of unemployment and irregular '<' INTRODUCTION 3 employment, the employee becoming the unwilling sufferer from the instability and less commonly the willing cause of iy (2) The individual employer, however, is chiefly interested in the maintenance of a stable working force and regards excessively numerous terminations of employment and, especially, voluntary and more or less avoidable separations as a serious obstacle to efficient and continuous operation. He is also very much con- cerned with the enormous expense to which he is put because of the excessive labor replacement (or, to use a phrase which has gained currency in industrial circles, the labor turnover) re- quired for the maintenance of his normal work force. In the following pages the problem of labor instability is con- sidered primarily from the standpoint of the individual establish- ment. This is done, not because labor mobility from the indi- vidual workman's standpoint is less deserving of consideration, but solely because, as has been explained, the data necessary to the study of this subject were readily available only from me records of those establishments which have made serious attempts to cope with the problem of instability. Looked at from the standpoint of the individual employer it becomes a matter of the first importance to consider the question: How are we to know when an establishment's labor instability becomes excessive? In other words, how are we to know where to draw the line be- tween abnormal and avoidable labor changes and those changes which are due to purely external causes inherent in the industrial situation, causes over which the employer cannot exercise any effective control? Labor instability may be regarded as excessive and as pointing to maladjustment or mismanagement when its volume is in any considerable excess over its volume in the more progressive concerns which have considerably reduced it, and more especially when its volume is in excess of that com- mon to its particular industry in the same locality at any given tune. Conversely, those firms which have a considerably higher stability record than commonly prevails in the industry are generally those which have successfully worked out certain 4 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY definite labor and employment policies, as is indicated by figures presented in a later chapter. As already intimated, a degree of instability which is common and perhaps quite normal and necessary for one industry would be excessive for another. However, if two establishments in the same locality, of about equal size, employing about the same type of worker and engaged in turning out the same product, differ widely in the extent of their labor instability during identical periods of time, this difference usually indicates that the concern whose labor turnover is normal or more nearly normal is either pursuing a more advanced labor policy or that labor conditions (wages, hours, living conditions, etc.) are better than at the other establishment, or even that the more unstable plant is less favorably situated in respect to both of these particulars. Exces- sive labor instability, in other words, is very likely to be the result of labor mismanagement, low wages, insanitary working conditions, inferior or inadequate housing and transportation facilities, etc., or, what amounts to the same thing, it is the result of the heavy loss of employees to competitors whose labor policies are more enlightened, who pay higher wages, and who provide more attractive working conditions. The frequency of the labor changes, then, is a valuable index to the extent of labor unrest in an industrial establishment and a valuable measure of the effec- tiveness of the establishment's labor and employment policy. SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE BASIC DATA The statistical matter presented in the following pages is based primarily upon information secured by the authors and other representatives of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics in the course of two extensive field investigations of the subject. The first of these was a pre-war inquiry made in 1915 and 1916 and reporting in a general way the extent of the turnover during the five-year period 1910-1915, and in more detail for the years 1913 and 1914 both the extent of it and the efforts made to re- duce it. The second was a war-time investigation made in 1918, INTRODUCTION and resulting in an intensive report on the labor mobility situa- tion for the year ending May 31, 1918. By the use of material secured by correspondence some of the data from these field in- vestigations have been brought down to the end of 1919. Re- turns from the two inquiries cover upwards of 260 establishments employing over 500,000 workers in seventeen of the most impor- tant industrial States. 1 It is not claimed that the figures presented are necessarily and in all cases representative of American industry as a whole. It is realized that because of the relatively small number of establishments used in this study the various mobility rates shown must be regarded as being merely indicative of the general 1 The following special articles, dealing with the labor turnover situation in different cities and in particular plants and industry groups as revealed in these investigations, have been published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Monthly Labor Review: Brissenden, P. F. "Labor turnover in the San Francisco Bay region" (February, 1919). "Labor policies and labor turnover in the California oil-refining industry" (April, 1919). "Labor turnover, among employees of a California copper min- ing and smelting company" (May, 1919). "Employment policy and labor stability in a Pacific Coast de- partment store" (November, 1919). "Employment policies and labor mobility in a California sugar refinery" (December, 1919). and Frankel, Emil. " The mobility of labor in American indus- tries" (June, 1920). An official summary of the results of the Bureau's labor turnover investigations. Emmet, Boris. "Labor survey of the Cleveland cloak industry" (August, 1918). On labor turnover and length of service, pp. 225-228. "Labor turnove* and employment policies of a large motor- vehicle manufacturing establishment" (October, 1918). "Labor turnover in Cleveland and Detroit" (January, 1918). Frankel, Emil. "Freight handlers on passenger-freight steamers on the Great Lakes" (April, 1918). "Labor turnover of seamen on the Great Lakes" (June, 1918). "Labor turnover in Cincinnati" (March, 1919). "Labor turnover in Chicago" (September, 1919). Kirk, William F. "Labor turnover in Milwaukee" (April, 1919). 6 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY turnover situation at any given time. But whatever may be the limitations of the figures for the measurement of the amount of labor mobility at any particular time, it is believed that they vmay be used with entire confidence in gauging the trend in mobility from season to season and from year to year. CHAPTER II THE DEFINITION AND MEASUREMENT or LABOR MOBILITY 1 ANY adequate comparison of establishment experience in dealing with labor instability as well as any clear presentation of the relative extent of that instability in different plants make a uniform use of terms and a uniform standard of measurement absolutely necessary. The complex problem of labor instability cannot adequately be discussed or clearly presented by use of a phrase of such necessarily narrow and specialized connotation as "labor turnover," which has, hitherto, been loosely used in reference to establishment labor instability generally. The use of the word " turnover' 7 in any exact sense necessitates the assignment to that word of a precise and definite meaning. This has, so far, never been done. Indeed, the different ways in which the phrase "labor turnover" is interpreted and applied are distressingly numerous. The phrase should obviously be identi- fied with whichever one of the current interpretations appears to have the greatest practical utility. On these grounds it would seem that the term "labor turnover" oufiht to be used in ojie sense, and one only, and that strictly in reference to the extent of shift and, replacement necessary for the maintenance of the, workjojge. This aspect of the matter is the one with which employers of labor are most intimately concerned. For use in reference to the Ifirgfr aspect of the flow of lab n r int n nnd-^H^-^f- mdustrial establishments, of which, labor jturnover orjabor ie=. placement is only one phase, a more inclusive term needsjtoJbe- used. It seems that the ptirasc "labor mobility" best serves this more general purpose and it is accordingly so used in these * Parts of this chapter originally appeared in somewhat different form in an on '''The Measurement of Labor Mobility," $8 Journ. Polit. Econ. 441;- 476 (Jura, 1920). 8 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY pages. This book is given the title " Labor Turnover " because it deals chiefly with the shifting and replacement involved in force maintainance, and because, on the whole, that expression seems less unsatisfactory than "labor replacement." * ACCESSIONS, SEPARATIONS AND REPLACEMENTS To make it easier to understand the method of measuring labor change in this study, it may be well to clear the ground by briefly referring to three aspects of labor mobility with which the phrase " labor turnover" has been hitherto closely identified. These are: (i) the number of employees hired (accessions), (2). the number leaving (serjarations), and (3) the numbeToLreplace- ments 2 required to keep up the work force. The United State* Bureau of Labor Statistics originally used the replacements as "turnover." 3 Later on it identified separations with " turnover *' and followed that method for a time. 4 Among private organiza- tions each of the three concepts has its advocates. It is evident that neither accessions, separations, nor replacemejits,wheri usgd y interpret^ the whole labor mobility nor can they when used alone adequately take into account the constantly varying factors inherent in the industrial situation. 1 Other expressions roughly synonymous with " labor mobility " are " labor change " and " labor shifting." (See p. 12.) 2 That is to say, the number of separating employees who have to be (and actually are) replaced. 3 Street-railway employment in the United States, Bureau of Labor Statistics Bulletin 204, pp. 193-203. 4 See articles on labor turnover in the Monthly Labor Review for October, 1918, and January, February, and March, 1919. The separations method is the one which has been used most commonly. It has been authoritatively expressed in the formula adopted by the National Association of Employment Managers, which later changed its name to the Industrial Relations Association of America, and which has now become the National Personnel Association. (Standard definition of labor turnover and method of computing percentage "labor turnover" formu- lated by a special committee at the Rochester Conference of Employment Man- agers, Rochester, N. Y., May, 1918. This "standard definition" is given in full in the Monthly Labor Review of the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for June, 1918, pp. 172-173-) DEFINITION AND MEASUREMENT 9 | -THE BASE IN " TURNOVER" COMPUTATION In regard to the base upon which the amount of labor insta bility is to be computed the situation also leaves much to be desired. The number-on-pay-roll basis which has been most commonly used is patently defective because of the varying numbers of "dead" employees included, that is, employees, absent at first, who eventually separate from service but who are likely to be carried on the pay roll for varying periods of time after they have, ceased to be active employees. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, in its first investigation, took the average of the weekly, fortnightly, or monthly mimher^nn thp pay roll as repre- senting the standard working force,. This is a padded "stand- ard," as will soon be made evident. The Rochester Conference proposed that the average numbej^ac^ufbtiy^orking from da> day be considered the "standard" working force. This, it is believed, comes nearer to a genuine standard base than any other - proposal theretofore advanced. The trouble with both these methods is that they are not standards at all in any proper sense of the word. (They, may, indeed, constitute a fairly accurate base for determining the rate of labor flow in any particular establishment, but they do not constitute a common base for different establishlnentsy The_Pay RolT as' Base. The statistical evidence available indicates quite conclusively that the average pay-roll number is an inflated and inconstant standard, and therefore a very ii accurate base for use in measuring labor mobility. Some appre- ciation of the amount of this inflation, due to dead and brokert- time names on the pay roll, may be had from an examination c the records of a few establishments which kept their records in such a way that it was possible to compaje the actual amount of employment as measured by the labor hours worked with the apparent amount of employment shown by pay-roll figures which latter figures, of course, show the aggregate number who had been in service for any length of time during the pay period. 10 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY In Table i there are shown for five establishments the number of equivalent full-time workers for a given period of time and the average number of employees on the pay roll for the same period. TABLE 1 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PAY-ROLL NUMBERS AND NUMBER OF EQUIVALENT FULL-TIME WORKERS V PER CENT EX- CHARACTER OF ESTAB- LISHMENT AGGREGATE NUMBER OF ONE-MAN DAYS WORKED NUMBER OF FULL-TIME WORKERS AVERAGE NUM- BER OF EM- PLOYEES ON PAY ROLL CESS OF PAY- ROLL NUMBER OVER EQUIVA- LENT NUMBER OF FULL-TIME WORKERS Copper mine l . . . Smelter 1 .... 82,oi6 v 130,467 gjU 298 21 29 Electro-zinc plant 1 45,949 133 if 34 Machine Tool Mfg. 2 . 3 3,855* 4,046 5 Metal Products Mfg. 6 . 3 10 Obviously, the margin of excess of the pay-roll number over the number of equivalent full-time workers indicates the extent to which the pay-roll records are " loaded" with names of em- ployees who may have worked only a day or two of__the_pay period jind who, therefore, do not reBreseiit-employment but merely^more or less padded pay roll.. The use of the pay-roll number, even though it exaggerates the amount of employment. (which is the true basis of computation), might still do fairly well as a base in computing mobility if only the margin of inflation vygre fairly uniform t Unfortunately it is not at all uniform. There are at once apparent wide variations between different plants, the least exaggeration of pay roll appearing in the machine tool manufacturing plant where the excess is only 5 per cent and the greatest in the electro-zinc plant where the excess is 34 per cent. The fluctuations in this margin of inflation are even-adder between different ar^rjolL^ejiQ^^ 1 Year ending May 31, 1918. 2 Year ending June 30, 1915. 3 No report 4 Average daily work force. 6 Calendar year 1915. DEFINITION AND MEASUREMENT i Thus, in the smelting plant shown in the above table the margin of pay-roll inflation ranges from 7 per cent in February to 52 per cent in April. These figures indicate that the true active working complement is unquestionably considerably smaller than the apparent complement indicated on the face of the 'pay-roll records. This margin is due to the counting of the names of those employees who served only a part of the pay period but whose t names, nevertheless, were not dropped from the gay roll until after the end of the pay period* It is obvious that the pay-roll figures must be discounted for this "broken- time" margin. The n^^si>yJ;nj^jTTgjnrig surh a. Hfsroiint nLtbgj^Jj[j^ the conclusion that the true base in labor mobility rate calcula_- tion must be expressed in some standard unit, say, 3000 hours - time roughly equivalent to the time put in by one employee working one year. , Average Daily Work Force. A base subsequently recom- mended and one which more clearly approaches a true standard is the average dryly work forne j based upon attendance records. But it was found that even the use of the average daily working force a? r base was hardly adequate for comparative purposes bec? 1 "^ the widely-Varying length ot the work-day in different establish- ments, industries, and cities makes such figures inadequate. The average daily attendance plan was proposed very largely because it approximates more closely the average number of full-year workers. (Since the amount of "turnover" is measured by the ratio between thenumber of replacements made and the average^ rmmber_of workers^who are continuousl; employecL throughout the period,/! L is evident that the requisite standard is to be arrived at by somehow pruning down the pay-roll figures tP the equivalent number of full-year workers, as defined abov. ^ r/ :^. Tt v r ; Bested that this pruning can be done y effect! way most conducive to standard- , ion by usin^ umber of hoi failing a re- the number of days) icr fVu n 12 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY V LABOR CHANGE RATES Just as "turnover" is a misleading term for use in general reference to the phenomenon of labor instability, so the term "percentage" is equally confusing for use in measuring the extent of this phenomenon. We know exactly the extent of the replace- ment necessary to maintain the normal work force when we know, let us say, that replacements took place in any given concern at the rate of 2 for each full-year worker in the normal work force. In other words, the phrase "rate of replacement" accu- rately designates what l ' pprren tapp .of farn m/pr ' ' has been loosely used to express.*^ Other items in the labor flow, and, indeed, its whole volume or flux, may be "rated" in a similar fashion. The rate at which employees leave may be called the separation rate, and the rate at which they are hired, the accession rate ^Whichever of these two rates is the lowerjqay, for all practical purposes, Be^usfid as the_ieplafifflflent rate. When_the accession^ rate ayreeds the separation rate T the difference between the two measures the V^bor increase rate. When the^ separation rate exceeds the acce/ ior v ate, their difference measures the labor decrease rate. If the separation and accession rates are equal, either one may, of course, be used as the replacement rate and there is naturally neither increase or decrease, the concern in question being neither expanding nor curtailing operations. The rates of increase jmd^ decrease may be considered as marginal raJtesjnjglation to the replacement rates, the increase rate measuring the amount, if any, of inflow over and above replacement inflow a_nd iLc decrease rate measuring the amount, if any, of outflow over and above the , outflow^which hajTtcTbe (and sooner or later is) replaced. , The lf The phrase " percentage of turnover" has also been used tij express "the ratio of the total number of separations ... to the average number of employees on the force report." Standard definition of labor lumber and, method of Computing the percentage of labor turnover, National Confe/ence of Employment Managers, Rochester, New York, May 9 to n, 1918, 6 A'onthly Labor{ Review, 1534-1535 (June, 1918). DEFINITION AND MEASUREMENT 13 accession rate plus the separation rate gives the total rate < change a single rate of labor flux on the basis of which the mobility of labor in one occupation, shop, industry, or locality may be compared with its mobility in any other occupation, shop, industry, or locality. These different types of labor mobility or labor change rates may be classified as follows: i. Accession rate (or hiring rate) quitting rate (leaving voluntarily) discharge rate (" firing" rate) l 6 ^~* lay-off rate 3. Replacement rate (separations minus excess of separations over ac- cessions). This is the "turn-over V rate. 4. Labor increase rate (accession rate minus separation rate) 5. Labor decrease rate (separation rate minus accession rate) 6. Flux rate (accession rate plus separation rate) l v-.vjf there is no excess of separations over accessions, that is to '[. : '".'.SSy, if the separations exactly equal, or are exceeded by, the ":; accessions, the nuniber of separations/ as it stands, represents the number of replacements. It is evident, then, that whichever i number accession or separation is the smaller must repre- ' "sent the number of 'replacements. It should be very carefully observed, however, that serious error may result when the attempts made in this fashion directly to deduce, the number of replacements from the accession and separation figures when these figures represent the aggregate of several establishments or even, in some cases, of several groups (departmental, occupa- tional, etc.) within a single establishment. Thus, for example, in Table 7 it is evident that the 86,179 separations which took place in the 16 plants in 1910, although, as compared with the 90,408 accessions, they would come much nearer to the number l The use of the expressions "labor flux," "labor increase," and "labor de- crease" has been suggested to the writers by Lucian W. Chaney, of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. Mr. Chaney has also suggested the term "in- dustrial rates" for use in general reference to labor mobility rates, accid< (ti etc. The authors wish to take this opportunity to express their indebh ..... Mr. Chaney in the whole subject-matter of this chapter. 14 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY of replacements, are in all probability considerably above it, since it is likely that in some of the 16 establishments the separa- tions exceeded the accessions in other words, contained non- replacement changes. /The only method of obtaining absolute accuracy in regard to replacements is to segregate in a separate column the replacement numbers (whichever is smaller, accessions or separations) for each labor group (whether occupation, depart- ment, sex, plant, or locality) for which figures are shown, add the replacement numbers for each group, and figure the replacement rate independently on the basis of the total thus obtained. It is eyident, of course, that in such a case as that of Table 3, where the work force of a single plant is taken as a unit, the replacement rates may be directly deduced as indicated in the formula. The marginal flow, mentioned above, made up of excess hirjngs or excess separations, as the case may be, is not without impor- tance^ It is not labor replacement, however. Its importance, so far as force maintenance is concerned, is quite secondary. As a contributing or causal factor in unemployment in general, it is of vital importance both to the employing firm and to the community. Consider, for the moment, not merely the labor replacement involved in the establishment's force maintenance, ; but its labor mobility situation as a whole. As already noted, this tota^jtability situation is best represented by th^sum of j the accession and separation rates. This includes not only the accessions and separations which are replaced (and which form the basis of the replacement rate), but also any possible marginal flow (of excess recruits or "quitters" 1 ) expressed in the form of labor increase or decrease rates, as the case may be. This total establishment flow, as already intimated, is perhaps the best single ind^x to thf general labor stability situation in any estab-^ Hshment and to its standing as_compared with other establish- ments. This total flux figure is quite readily ascertainable and it can easily be computed. 1 The word "quitters" is used in these pages in the sense of "terminating" and refers to all employees leaving service, for whatever reason. DEFINITION AND MEASUREMENT 15 From the standpoint of the employee, Ijjborjtnobility means irregular employment ^ndjmenirjlpj^i^nt. In the present work we are not primarily concerned with unemployment as a com- munity problem or as a personal employee problem; we are concerned with it simply as an establishment problem. The primary purpose of this analysis is to gauge the labor flow into and out of the factory, including that part of the labor flow which (necessarily or unnecessarily) is involved in the mainte- nance of the normal work force the phase of labor mobility here referred to as " labor replacement/' "or labor turnover." These terms express the employers' professional interest in un- employment as a phenomenon o~fehe^labor flow into and out of his establishment. Quite naturally, he is more concerned about the number of men it is necessary to hire to keep the es- tablishment going than he is about the number of days unem- ." ployed individuals may be out of work each year. cSUCCESTED CHANGES IN COMPUTATION PRACTICE It is here proposed to make certain definite changes in com- putation practice in regard to all the factors entering into the ^ measurement o"f the labor flow: 1. As to the relatively more variable factor the ebb and flow of industrial labtfr it is suggested that it be measured by (a) maiding use of accessions as well as separations^ (b) from the relation between these two more or less accurately gauging the replacements, and (c) adding accessions to separations, thus sliowinglliejabor flux. "" 2. As to the relatively constant f actor ? or base the normal or standard working force it is proposed to use, instead of the average number on the pay roll, the number of ^poo-honr (pr 300-ten-hour day) workers to which the total hours (or days) put in during_the period are calculated to be qquivalefltj This 1 THe jooo-hour basic year is a more or less arbitrary standard amount of em- \ ployment, taken as being -oughly equivalent to the amount of labor time normally \ put in by the average fully employed industrial employee. It is not meant to dis- ! count j very rel advantages of the eight-hour day. i6 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE 2 TREND OF LABOR FLUX, ACCESSION, CLASSIFIED SEPARATIPN, AND REPLACEMENT RATES IN A METAL-PRODUCTS MANUFACTURING PLANT (ESTABLISHMENT No. 42-182), * BY MONTHS, FROM 1912 TO 1919 YEAR ENDED WITH AVERAGE NUMBER OF FULL- YEAR WORKERS MOVING ANNUAL RATES PER FULL-TEAR WORKER LABOR FLUX (SEPARA- TIONS PLUS AC- CESSIONS' TOTAL ACCES- SIONS J CLASSIFIED SEPARATIONS TOTAL * LEFT VOLUN- TARILY LAID OFF DIS- CHARGED December 31, 1912 . 1,088 4.10 2.20 1.90* 1.23 43 25 January 31, 1913 . ,114 4.21 2.28 93* 1.28 .40 .26 February 28 ... ,138 4.18 2.22 97* I-3I .41 25 March 30 ... 1,158 4-05 2.14 9i* .24 .42 25 April 30 .... ,174 3-9^ 2.08 .88* .21 .41 2 5 May 31 .... ,185 3.96 2.09 .88* .21 .42 .24 June 30 .... ,214 3.98 2.18 .80* .28 .27 .24 July 31 .... ,241 4-03 2.05 97* .29 44 .24 August 31 ... ,245 4.02 2.04 .98* .27 .46 .24 September 30 ,248 3.98 2.O2 .96* .26 .46 .24 October 31 . ,258 4-03 2.O4 1.99* 24 49 .26 November 30 ,264 3-91 .96 1-95* .21 .48 .26 December 31 . . ,262 3-68 .81* 1.87 .14 47 25 January 31, 1914 . ,259 3-5i 73* 1.78 .07 47 .24 February 28. . . ,262 343 70* i-73 .OI 47 .24 March 30 ... ,267 3.38 1.67* .96 47 24 April 30 .... ,276 '&> 1-57* .86 49 .22 May 31 .... ,277 3.02 53 1.50* 75 53 .22 June 30 .... ,293 2.86 1.36* .64 50 22 July 31 .... 1,299 2.96 49 1.48* .61 .64 .22 August 31 ... 1,293 2.89 39* 1.50 Si 77 .21 September 30 ... 1,279 281 33* 1.49 49 .80 .20 October 31 . . . 1,260 2.68 .26* 1-43 .46 79 .18 November 30 1,252 2.70 .26* 1.44 45 .80 .18 December 31 . . 1,234 2.58 .16* 1.42 .44 .81 .16 January 31, 1915 . 1,217 2-55 17* 39 .42 .81 .16 February 28. 1,197 2.50 .12* 38 .41 .81 *s March 30 ... 1,176 2.40 1.07* 33 .39 .81 .12 April 30 .... 1,152 2.31 I.OI* 30 39 79 .12 May 31 .... 1,136 2.12 .87* .24 39 75 .11 June 30 .... i, 088 I.Q3 .68* .24 36 79 .09 July 31 .... 1,053 1.70 71* 99 38 53 .07 August 31 . . . 1,049 1. 60 73* .87 .42 38 .07 September 30 . . 1,050 1.63 76* ,87 44 36 .07 October 31 . . . 1,050 1.62 76* .6 46 34 .07 November 30 1,047 1.59 73* .80 50 32 05 December 31 . . 1,047 I.QI 1. 00 .91* 54 .31 OS 1 Establishments numbered below 100 are those reported in the prr-war inquiry; those numbered above 100 were covered in the later investigation. Concerns carryiug a double number, therefore, appeared in both investigations. * The replacement rates are marked with an asterisk. . tnff ~ DEFINITION 'AND MEASUREMENT TABLE 2 Continued MOVING ANNUAL RATES PER FULL-TEAR WORKER AVERAGE NUMBER LABOR CLASSIFIED SEPARATIONS YEAR ENDED WITH OF FULL- FLUX TOTAL TEAR (SEPARA- ACCES- WORKERS TIONS PLUS AC- SIONS * TOTAL i LEFT VOLUN- LAID OFF Dis- CHARGED CESSIONS) TARILY January 31, 1916 . 1,062 2-45 I-3I 1.14* 76 32 .07 February 29 . . . 1,091 2-93 1. 60 1.32* .92 .09 March 30 ... I, III 3.36 I. 7 8 1.58* I.I7 30 .11 April 30 .... 1,128 3-97 2.08 1.89* 1.49 .29 .11 May 31 .... 1,152 4.64 2-43 2.21* 1. 80 .29 .12 June 30 .... 1,188 5-02 2.70 2.32* 2.OO .18 .14 July 31 .... 1,225 5.22 2-75 2.47* 2.17 13 .16 August 31 ... 1,249 5-59 2-95 2.65* 2-35 .12 .18 September 30 . . 1,281 5-90 3-09 2.81* 2.52 .10 .19 October 31 . . . 1,314 6.28 3-32 2.97* 2.67 .IO .20 November 30 . . i,35S 6.67 3.08* 2-77 .09 .21 December 31 . . 1,392 6.63 345 3.18* 2.88 .09 .21 January 31, 1917 . 1,406 6.40 3-25 3.15* 2.86 .08 .20 February 28 . . 1,413 6.33 3-20 3.12* 2.85 .08 .20 March 30 ... i,433 6-35 3.25 3.10* 2.83 .07 . .20 April 30 .... 6.27 3-21 3.06* 2-79 .07 .20 May 31 .... 1^63 6.21 3.15 3.06* 2.78 .08 .20 June 30 .... 1,466 6. 20 3-15 3-05* 2.79 .06 .20 July 31 .... 1,489 6.47 3.36 3.11* 2.90 03 .19 August 31 ... I ,5 I 5 6.78 3-55 3.23* 3.02 03 .18 September 30 . . 1,536 7-03 3.69 3-35* 3.13 03 .19 October 31 . . . 1,563 7-05 3.68 3-37* 3-14 .04 .19 November 30 . . 1,588 6.93 3-57 3.36* .04 .20 December 31 . . 1,606 6.83 3-49 3-33* III .06 .20 January 31, 1918 . 1,625 6.73 3-45 3.28* 3-02 .06 .20 February 28 . . 1,634 6.64 3.36 3.28* 3-03 .06 .18 March 30 ... 6.57 3-30 3.27* 3-04 .06 17 April 30 .... 1)636 6.48 3-29 3.19* 2.95 .07 .17 May 31 .... 1,651 6.23 3-13 3.10* 2.87 .07 17 June 30 .... 1,641 6.07 3.02* 3.05 2.83 .07 .16 July 31 .... August 31 ... i,645 1,652 6.04 5-76 3-09 2.90 at 2.73 2.62 .06 .07 .16 17 September 30 . . i,654 5-70 2.86 2.84* 2.60 .07 17 October 3^1 ... 1,642 6.08 2.81* 3.28 2.65 .46 17 November 30 6.42 3-o8* 3.34 2.67 .16 December 31 1)560 6-59 3-26* 3.33 2.67 .49 17 January 31, 1919 . 1,547 6.77 3-40 3-37* 2.70 .49 .19 February 28 . . 6.75 3-34* 2.67 54 .20 March 30 ... 1,512 6.55 3-21* 3-34 2.56 56 .22 April 30 .... i,475 6-39 3.01* 3.38 2.47 .67 .25 1 The replacement rates are marked with an asterisk. i8 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY number may be derived from the labor-time records or, failing such records, the daily attendance records or wages and salary- account records, as explained in another section of this chapter. This standard base will be called for convenience "the equivalent full-year worker" or, more briefly, "the full-year worker." 3. It is then proposed, in place of the rate of gross^separation per 100 in attendance or the rate of gross accession per 100 on the pay roll (both so-called "turnover percentages"), tp^se,^ a dpjjal&^njjgg of the shifting involved in labor maintenance and of the extent, as well, of labor increase and labor curtailment, the^fes^flai^s^^ worker, and as an index to the general stability situation the total labor flux rate per full-year worker, the "full-year worke~r" being a standard unit, the number of which is obtained by divid- ing the total number of hours (or days) worked during the period considered bythejooo_hours (or 300 days) of a standard working year*. (The rate is"arrived at by dividing the number of labor changes ^(ofj^hate^rjkind)_bythe number of "full-year workers.") As will be explained in another ~pa7tToT this' ^chapter, not only these accession and separation rates, but the labor replacement, labor increase, labor decrease, and total labor flux rates each can be computed separately and their general trend and relations to each other readily charted in graphic form. The whole significance of the use of j^placements rather than gross separations as an index of labor flux, as well as the relation between the accession, separation, and replacement rates, is best brought out by the use of data showing the average number of employees and the number hired and leaving by months over a fairly long period. % This will give some notion as to the trend of accessions, separations, and replacements. Such illustrative data are contained in Table $. The figures presented are from a metal products manufacturing establishment in the Middle West. They show for the twelve- DEFINITION AND MEASUREMENT 20 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY month periods indicated the rates of labor change (flux, accession, and classified separation) per full-year worker. They are, in other words, "smoothed" rates derived (by the method of moving averages) from the actual rates for each month, which latter in turn are computed by dividing the actual number of labor changes of each particular kind that occurred during each month (the variable) by the number of full-year workers l employed during that month (the base). Thus, e.g., the figure 2.20 at the top ofl the accessions column is the accession rate for the twelve-month period ending December 31, 1912, and the figure 2.28 is the rate for the twelve-month period ending January 31, 1913, etc. Replacement rates among total separations and accessions are indicated by asterisks., 9 The moving annual laSor change rates given in Table 2 for the overlapping twelve-month periods are, with the exception of the classified separation rates, shown graphically in Chart A. 2 The two curves marked " accessions " and " separations " tell the whole story. There are obviously two main movements. There was a distinct downward movement a movement toward greater stability during the greater part of the four-year period, 1912-1915. The following four years the years of the World War witnessed a movement, quite precipitate at first, toward greater mobility. The accession and separation rates follow a roughly parallel course during the seven-year period. The average number of employees underwent a slight increase. The flux rate curve shows a form roughly corresponding, of course, to the trend of accessions and separations. It was 4.10 per full-year worker in 1912, 1.91 in 1915, and 6.39 in 1919. The replacement curve (marking the trend of the starred figures in Table 2) is shown on the chart by a line drawn parallel to a line 1 That is to say, 3ooo-hour workers, as explained above. 2 The chart was drawn by Mr. Leon Kirsch, formerly of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. Both the chart and Table 2 are reprinted by per- mission, from an article on "The Measurement of Labor Mobility," by P. F. Brissenden, 28 Journal of Political Economy, 454-455, 457 (June, 1920). The classified separation rates are plotted on Chart E on page 83. DEFINITION AND MEASUREMENT 21 connecting the lower points in the lines showing accessions and separations. It is evident that at the beginning of the period accessions were in excess, so that separations measured replace- ments, whereas at the end of the period the reverse relation held true and accessions consequently measured replacements. In 1912 employees in this particular factory were being re- placed at the rate of 1.90, in 1915 at the rate of 0.91, and in 1919 at the rate of 3.01 per full-year worker. Either the replacement curve or the flux curve would seem to serve quile well as single indices of the labor stability situation. The labor frik rate was cut down 54 per cent during the period from January i, 1912, to December 31, 1915, but between the latter date and April 30, 1919, it underwent an* increase of 235 j^cent. When the accessions are in excess of theeparations, the factory is building up its force, and the extent to which they are in excess measures the amount of recruiting being done. When the separa- tions, on the other hand, exceed the accessions, the factory must becu^tmg_dQwn^its operations and reducing its force, and the rnargin by which the separations are in excess measures the amount of labor decrease* In the chart the dark shaded areas show the extent of labor increase and the light shaded areas the extent of labor decrease. 7?' $ DEFINITION OF TERMS The precise definitions of the different factors which have been discussed in the preceding pages may now be formulated and the method of computation described: The Variably. The whole phenomenon of the movement of labor into and out of industrial establishments is referred to here as f 'labor mobility:" 1 Those hired are referred to as "ac- cessions." Those leaving service, under whatever circumstan'- 1 The term "labor mobility" primarily connotes movement. Fro*- s standpoint, however, it will sometimes be convenient to re* ity, or even to use the word "stability" where that v* appropru- 21 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY r are referred to as "separations." Those of the accessions which are made to fill the vacancies made by separations are replace- ment accessions, or "replacements." Whichever one of the two items, accessions or separations, is the smaller may conveniently be taken as measuring the number of^eglacements./VThe total number of labor changes, that is to say, the^um^n!ie"accessjons and separations, is the '^labor flux." The amount by which the accessions in an expanding business are in excess of the separa- tions is theamount^f_^labpr increase." The amount by which the separarjons in a plant which is curtailing operations exceed the accessions is the amount of "laborjiecrease." Unless other- wise indicated irTthe <;ontext^ the word "turnover," in this book, is used in reference to^te of replacement. 1 The Base or Standard of Measurement. As to the base or nor- mal work force to which the number of labor changes, or the number of replacements, or accessions, etc., must be compared in order to show the frequency or rate of change, use is made t)f the aggregate' number of hours actually worked by all employees for any period. This is a genuine standard base, inasmuch as it accurately represents the volume of employment, or the amount pHndustrial exposure. This base at once eliminates all inflation due to dead and brokerirtinie n?mes.on the payroll, thus put- ting establishments with varying amounts of employment on a par and making the strictest comparability possible. 2 Vj. METHOD OF COMPUTATION The exact method of measuring labor mobility used in this study is as follows: The general extent of labor mobility is statistically determined by comparing the total movement of J The relations between accessions, separations, replacements, and flux may b'j .> seen from the tabular presentation of them all in Table 3. See above,; p^. note 4. a In the earlier studies of labor turnover made by the Bureau of Labor Statis- tics the average daily work force was first used as a base but was later change the full-year of 3ooo-hour worker. Finally, the Bureau decided to use the unit *T hour or some decimal multiple thereof. (10 Mo. Lab. Rev. 1344.) DEFINITION AND MEASUREMENT 23 labor in and 4 X3,ooo the Accession rate ....... . 3M73 X3,ooo 917,703,000 the Separation rate .......... -- * 3 ' 4 7 x 3,000 = 2.01 The rates for any Hj^yj^nta.1, -Qrrnpa.rinna.1 , or other sub- division of the work force can be figured in exactly the same way. Thus, for example, to get the accession rate divide the number hired for the^rjarticular department or occupation during the period covered by Jhe_jmmber^f labor hours worked in tjiat department or occupation_group during the period and multiply by 3000. It at once will be evident that the same results can be obtained in more direct fashion by simply dividing the number ofjabor changes by the number of full-vear workers,. The meaning of all of these different phases of labor mobility and their relation to each other are brought out in a somewhat clearer fashion in Table 3 (presented here merely to throw light on method and terminology), which shows for the years 1917 and 1918 the rate per. full-year worker of flux, accession, separation, replacement, labor increase and decrease, in an automobile; manufacturing plant. It is evident from these figures that in 1917 to maintain a labor force of 35,401. workers^ who put in 106,203,000 labor hours, there were 14,82*7 separations. Of these 6863 represented curtailment labor decreas'e. They were either lay-offs, dis- charges or quits takeli advantage of to reduce the force, and not replaced. To make good the remaining 7964 separations, 7964 new workers were* hired. There were, then, in, that year 22,791 labor changes involved in the maintenance and curtail- ment of a work force of 35,401 persons. In 1918 the plant under- DEFINITION AND MEASUREMENT 25 went expansion, its labor increase rate being .07 per full-year worker. There were 24,349 separations, all of which had to be replaced. In addition, plant extension required a labor increase of 2223, making a total of 26,572 accessions. There were alto- gether in 1918 no less than 50,921 labor changes required to main- tain and enlarge a work force of 31,911 and to get 95,733,000 hours of work done. In other words, in 1917 the accession rate was .23 and in 1918 it was .83 per full-year worker; the separa- tion rate was .42 and. 76 in 1917 and 1918, respectively; the TABLE 3 LABOR MOBILITY IN AN AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURING PLANT _(No. 48-194), SHOWING FLUX, ACCESSION, SEPARATION, REPLACEMENT, AND LABOR INCREASE AND DECREASE RATES FOR 1917 AND 1918 l YEAR AVERAGE DAILY ABSEN- TEES NUMBER OF FULL- YEAR WORKERS ACCES- SIONS PLUS. SEPARA- TIONS (FLUX) ACCES- SIONS SEPARA- TIONS REPLACE- MENTS LABOR IN- CREASE LABOR DE- CREASE 1917 . . 1918 . . . 1917 . - 1918 . . . NUMBER 1,699 1,340* '35,401 3i,9ii 22,791 50,9-21 7,964 26,572 14,8274 24,349' 7,964 24,349 -2,223* ..6,8ft RATE PER FULL-YEAR (aooo-HouR) WORKER 0.05 0.04*. cx64 i. 60 0.23 0.83 0.42 . 0.76 0.23 Q.76 CX07 0.19 replacement rate .23 and .76, and the flux rate .64 and 1.60: In m .a rate 01 .19 (and in 1918 it underwent expansion at a rate of .07) per full-year worker. This means that when the accessions are in excess of the separations the factory is building up its force, and the extent to which they are in excess measures the amount of labor recruit- ing being done. When the separations', on the other hand, exceed the accessions, the factory evidently is cutting down its operations 1 Taken by permission from Article on " Measurement of labor mobility," 28 Jour. Polit. Econ. 444. 1 Based on records for first six months only. 26 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY and reducing its force, and the margin by which the separations are in excess measures the amount of industrial demobilization going on in that factory. RELATION BETWEEN DIFFERENT METHODS OF COMPUTATION The relation between the two principal methods which have been used hitherto in labor turnover computation and the method followed in this .book is shown in Table 4, in which the figures of methods II and III are derived from those of method I which are taken from Table 7. Separation rates in round numbers are given in parentheses: V_ TABLE 4 CMPARISN F THREE METHODS F MEASURING LAB@R MOBILITY PERIOD ACCESSION SEPARATION FLUX 1913-1914 I. RATE PER FULL-YEAR foooo-HouR) WORKER 93 ' 2.07 9P d) 2.01 (2) 1.92 4.08 IQH IQI4 n., RATE PER 10,000 LABOR HOURS 3-07 6.83 3-27 (3-3). 6.63 (6.6) 6-34 13.46 10171018 10131914 ffl. "PERCENTAGE OF TURNOVER" 1 (So-called "Rochester" Method) 99 (100) 201 (200) 19171918 A separation rate of 3.3 per 10,000 labor hours, as the Bureau of Labor Statistics now computes " turnover," 2 or a separation rate (called, Rochester fashion, "percentage of turnover") of 100 per hundred on the work force, as the Bureau formerly figured "turnove^r," are both equivalent to a* separation rate *That is, the rate per 100 full-year workers (or employees on the pay roll). * This is also the Bureau's official method of computing industrial accident rates. 10 Monthly Labor Review, 218-219 (January, 1920). DEFINITION AND MEASUREMENT 2*} per full-year worker of i.oo as used in these pages. 1 Conversely, a separation rate of 2.00, per full-year worker as used Jiere is equivalent to a separation rate of 6.6 per 10,000 labor hours and to'a " percentage of turnover " (Rochester formula) of 200. The flux rate on the new basis used here would be 2.00, wriich is the same as a flux^ rate of 6.6 per io,opo labor hours. Such a rate indicates that during the period under observation the sum total of the number hirecl and leaving is ecjual to twice the number of full-year workers employed. When jthe'accession and separation rates in any establishment each stand at or. close to i .00, thus giving a flux rate of 2.00, the situation in that plant is one equiva^ lent to a complete overturn of the work force. C(5ut this complete work-force turnover flux rate of 2.00 may actually represent three_distinctlv different industrial situations, the revelation of whick is one of trie, useful functions of accession and separation rates y(i) accessions i.oo7 separation i.oo, a going concern which is neither expanding nor curtailing its operations; (2) accessions 1.50, separations .50, a concern which is undergoing more or less rapid extension of plant; and (3) accessions .50, separations 1.50, a concern which is curtailing activities. One or the other of these three different situations is involved^ in every rate of total labor change, whether it be in a very stable plant with a flux rate of i^oo or a very unstable one with a flux rate of 4.00. . The fact should be emphasized that the primary object in gauging the extent of labor mobility is. to ascertain the number of labor changes involved in the maintenance (and the necessary expansion or reduction) of the labor force. t The number of dif- ferent individuals involved in these changes is of less importance here than the number of repeated transactions. The computation method here used indicates the numjber of changes whichjake_ place, but it obviouslyjnvolves double counting and does not, therefore, furnish a true report of the number of different persons 1 The Bureau's rates (as published, e.g., in the Monthly Labor Review for June, 1920, pp. 36-56) may, therefore, be put upon a comparable footing with those given in this book by multiplying them by .3. 28 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY involved in the labor shiftings. The accession rate reported for a single concern is sure to inrlnrte snrnf>rpp1nyftes hired more than once during the period covered by the figures. The same is true of the separation rate and the flux rate. The figures for a group of establishments may also contain the acces- sions of certain employees whose separations are included, ds they should be, in the separation figures for the same group. * It is important to observe that this double counting does not affect the accuracy of figures designed to show merely repeated trans- actions. Moreover, since the concerns here reporting are widely scattered geographically and well distributed as to industry, there would not be likely to be many employees shifting from job to job within the group of firms reported. That is to say, when a worker left one of these plants the chances would be heavily against his being taken on by one of the other firms in this small group. But if he is so taken on, he is rightly to be counted twice, since he has made two labor changes. 1 1 For more detailed treatment of this widely discussed problem of the measure- ment of labor turnover see: "Computing Labor Turnover: a Questionnaire/ 1 56 Industrial Management, 230-246 (September, 1918); Doten, Carroll W., "Computing Labor Turnover," 56 Industrial Management, 339 (October, 1918); Emmet, Boris, "The Nature and Computation of Labor Turnover," 27 Journal of Political Economy, 105-116 (February, 1919); Crum, F. S., "How to Figure Labor Turnover," 16 Quarterly Publications of the American Statistical Association, 361-373 (June, 1919); Douglas, PaulH., "Note on Methods of Computing Labor Turnover," 9 American Economic Review, 402-405 (June, 1919); Slichter, S. H., "The Scope and Nature of the Labor Turnover Problem," 34 Quarterly Journal of Economics, 329-345 (February, 1920); and Brissenden, P. F., "The Measure- ment of Labor Mobility," 28 Journal of Political Economy t 441-476 (June, 1920). CHAPTER HI PERSONNEL POLICY AND LABOR STABILITY l A VERY effective illustration of the practical usefulness of labor mobility figures is furnished in a comparison of the mobility experience of ten selected establishments with that of all other establishments reporting. The labor flux rates in each of the ten selected plants are shown for the period 1913-1919 in Table 5. For convenience in making comparisons the corresponding flux rates for all establishments reporting are given in the last column. A more complete exhibit of the two groups of concerns com- pared in Table 5 is given in Table 6, which places side by side for each year of the seven-year period the rates of accession, sepa- ration, and flux in (i) the ten selected establishments and (2) all establishments reporting. The labor flux rates of Table 6 are shown graphically in Chart B. - The ten concerns whose recordslire set forth in Tables 5 and 6 were chosen not only because they had dej5.mte_labQr_policjes and centralized employment machinery, but also on account of the fact that they had had considerable success in stabilizing their work forces and keeping their labor mobility rates down to rela- tively low levels.- The figures demonstrate, so far as it is possible 1 For a valuable discussion of different employment methods and their effect upon labor stability, see Sumner H. Slichter, The Turnover of Factory Labor (New York, 1919). See also Kelly, R. W., Hiring the Worker (New York, 1918) and Colvin, F. H., Labor Turnover, Loyally and Output (New York, 1919). The following articles describe in detail the methods used in certain establishments which have successfully applied modern employment practices: "Labor Turnover and Employment Policies of a Large Motor-vehicle Manufacturing Establish- ment," by Boris Emmet, Monthly Labor Review, October, 1918; "Employment Policy and Labor Stability in a Pacific Coast Department Store" and "Employ- ment Policies and Labor Mobility in a California Sugar Refinery," by P. F. Bris- senden, Monthly Labor Review, November and December, 1919. 29 30 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY to demonstrate such things in statistical terms, the definite effectiveness of liberal labor policies and more or less centralized systems of employment^ The curves of Chart B show in striking fashion that the ten selected establishments have brought about a considerable reduction in the extent of their labor shift anoLhave suffered a much slighter decrease in stability during the war period than did the^eneraljurj^of e^stab^lishme^ts^ It appears from the figures of Table 6~that for the whole period, 1913-1919, the 10 selected concerns had an average labor flux rate of 1.53 as compared with a rate of .25 for all other concerns. The selected plants reduced their flux rates from 3.27 in 1913 to 1.68 in 1919, but were forced up to 1.83 in 1918, which was the highest point reached after 1913. Establishments generally began with a rate of 2.61 in 1913, were pushed in 1918 up to 4.08 (over twice the mobility experienced by the selected concerns), and finished in 1919 with a rate of 2.10. (This comparison of achievements, which covers a relatively long period, shows the vital importance from the standpoint of the industrial establishment of studying -this subject of labor mobility, the necessity of exa^ningjjie employment and personnel methods currently practiced by.lhe more far-sighted employers, and the desirability of keeping systematic and continuous employment recordsjr^order to gauge the effect of labor policy upon labor stability. It demonstrates, as well, the urgent need for the more widespread adoption fey employers generally of such labor and employment policies as will be most effective in eliminating from industrial life the evil and the waste of unnecessary hiring and firing. ; Scientific employment, like high wages^ in the long run is an economy. It is less expensive to keep trained, experienced men than it is to hire new and untrained ones. Policies of wholesale lay-off and indiscriminate discharge are very costly. In boom tunes or bad it pays to conserve human as well as material re- sources, to put just as much thought and technique into hiring and utilizing men as is given to the purchase and elaboration of raw materials. ISONNEL POLICY AND LABOR STABILITY 31 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE LABOR FLUX RATES IN TEN By years, from 1913 FLUX RATE PER FULL-YEAR WORKER YEAR 48 (AUTO- MOBILE MANU- FACTUR- ING) 7* (MACHIN- ERY MANU- FACTUR- ING) 35 (MACHINE TOOL MANU- FACTUR- ING) 2Q (VALVES AND FIT- TINGS MANU- FACTUR- ING) 73 (CASH REGISTERS MANU- FACTUR- ING) (MEN'S CLOTHING MANU- FACTUR- ING) 14 (BOOK MANU- FACTUR- ING) 1913 8.40 2.63 2.97 1. 08 2.40 1.32 .66 IQI4 1.05 I.I? 1.74 33 1.02 93 54 I9IS .96 1.05 2.70 54 .90 1-53 33 1916 . 1.02 1.74 3-72 1.83 2.49 1.62 .84 1917- .63 3-03 3-27 i. 80 3-03 2.25 1.17 1918 . . . 1.38 2.76 3-i8 1.89 4.89 2-43 1-95 1919 1.77 1.17 1.83 1.62 3-21 1.77 1.47 I.e. I a aooo-hour worker. TABLE COMPARISON OF LABOR MOBILITY IN TEN SELECTED ESTABLISHMENTS THE YEARS 1913 TEN SELECTED ESTABLISHMENTS YEA* NUMBER LABOR LABOR CHANGES TABLISH MENTS WORKERS HOURS (THOUSANDS) ACCES- SIONS SEPARA- TIONS FLUX 1913 . IO 43,515 130,545 69,902 71,390 141,292 1914 . . IO 32,758 98,274 10,952 14,824 25,776 1915 - IO 45,197 135,591 21,273 10,223 31,496 1916 . IO 56,508 169,524 44,477 23,882 68,359 1917 IO 6i,434 184,302 31,127 35,073 66,200 1918 . . . IO 59,194 177,582 59,66o 47,673 107,333 1919 10 71,559 214,677 69,334 51,359 120,693 Whole period 370,165 1,110,495 306,725 254,424 56i,i49 RATE PER FULL- 1913 . . . 1.62 1.65 3-27 1914 . . . 33 45 .78 1915 . . . .48 .24 .72 1916 . .78 .42 1.20 1917 . . . Si 57 1. 08 1918 . . . i. 02 .81 1.83 1919 . . . .96 .72 1.68 Whole period .84 .69 i-53 PERSONNEL POLICY AND LABOR STABILITY SELECTED ESTABLISHMENTS to 1919, inclusive IN ESTABLISHMENT NUMBER: FLUX RATE PER FULL-YEAR WORKER IN: ALL ESTAB- (DEPART- MENT STORE) 16 (ELEVATED RAILWAY) 278 (STREET RAILWAY) THE TEN Es- TABLISMENTS COMBINED LISHMENTS RE- PORTED FOR CALENDAR YEARS SPECI- YEAR FIED 1.29 75 .27 3-27 2.61 1913 .90 .90 .12 78 1.77 1914 .14 .18 .06 .72 1.68 1915 65 45 45 1.20 3.21 1916 .38 78 .69 1. 08 345 1917 .26 1.23 1.71 1-83 4.08 1918 OS 1.02 63 1.68 2.10 1919 WITH ITS MOBILITY IN ALL OTHER ESTABLISHMENTS REPORTING FOR TO 1919, INCLUSIVE ALL OTHER ESTABLISHMENTS REPORTING NUMBER LABOR CHANGES YEAR OF ES- FULL-YEAR LABOR HOURS TABLISH- MENTS WORKERS (THOUSANDS) ACCESSIONS SEPARATIONS FLXJX 103 355,934 1,067,802 471,844 463,728 935,572 1913 152 340,529 1,021,587 289,169 3",93i 601,100 1914 41 "3,857 341,570 100,938 89,5H 190,449 1915 9 25,270 75,809 46,781 33,824 80,605 1916 18 32,019 96,057 56,124 54,393 110,517 1917 20 29,128 87,386 64,830 54,336 119,166 1918 IO 14,592 43,778 15,925 14,866 30,791 1919 911,329 2,733,989 1,045,611 1,022,589 2,068,200 Whole period YEAR (3OOO-HOUR) WORKER 1.32 1.29 2.6l 1913 .84 93 i-77 1914 .90 .78 1.68 1915 1.86 1-35 3.21 1916 1.74 1.71 345 1917 2.22 1.86 4.08 I9l8 1. 08 1.02 2.10 1919 I.I4 I. II 2.25 Whole per CHAPTER IV GENERAL EXTENT OF LABOR MOBILITY LABOR mobility, as already has been pointed out, varies with current industrial conditions, and changes in these conditions naturally influence the extent of the flow of labor into and out of' our industrial plants. What effect these alternating periods of prosperity and depression have upon the extent of accessions and separations themselves, disregarding for the moment the particular kind of establishment or its location, may be briefly summarized somewhat as follows : In a rising labor market many new employment opportunities are created, which means that jobless workers get jobs and many employed workers leave their jobs and take employment elsewhere, ostensibly to better their industrial situation. Because of the urgency of the work it be- comes necessary to replace quickly those employees who have left. The rapidity with which employees leave their jobs and the extent to which job changes take place will depend upon the extent to which industrial operations are enlarged and how favorable an employment situation is thus created ./.The more favorable the employment situation, the larger the number of accessions. These, of course, in addition to those hired from among the unem- ployed, are the cause of an increase in the number of separations from other plants, where, in turn, additional replacement acces- sions are required. Through the single fact that employees leave their jobs in rapid succession constantly increasing employment opportunities are created, thus increasing both accessions and separations. 1 When there is extensive industrial activity and considerable 1 The fact that labor turnover is heaviest in periods of prosperity partially ex- plains the existence in such periods of the so-called " irreducible minimum of unemployment." 34 GENERAL EXTENT OF LABOR MOBILITY 35 competition for labor, the process of selection in industrial establishments also considerably accelerates the frequency of labor shifting. It is obvious that when an establishment is rapidly increasing its work force in a tight labor market it cannot usually make a very careful examination of the fitness of a par- ticular applicant for the job. During such times it is also possible that people are taken on who in normal times would not be hired at all. After these people actually begin to work in an establish- ment, however, a good many of them will be found to be unfit or undesirable and after a longer or shorter period of service are let go. This selective process is, of course, greatly intensified in times of unusual industrial. activity, when there is a scarcity of labor. All this involves an increase in the number of both ac- cessions and separations far above the ordinary number, which is already unnecessarily large. In periods of industrial depression, when there are considerably fewer job opportunities relatively to the labor supply and the number of available job opportunities is diminishing, there will take place at first a considerable number of forced separations (lay-offs and discharges) ; there will be, moreover, fewer volun- tary separations. There will be practically no occasion for acces- sions to build up force and much less need for accessions for replacement, inasmuch as most of the jobs abandoned are being at least temporarily discontinued. While under these circum- stances the number of separations may at first be considerable, the whole number of separations over the entire period of depres- sion and the sum total of labor changes during that period will on the whole be much less. The enormous proportions that labor mobility may assume will be appreciated from an examination of Table 7.* In this 1 Taken, after shifting the rates to the full-year-worker basis, from the writers' report on " The Mobility of Labor in American Industry," 10 Mo. Labor Rev. 1347 (June, 1920). LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE 7 LABOR MOBILITY, BY YEARS, 1910-1919 [Replacement (or "turnover") numbers and rates are marked by asterisks (*)] YEAR NUMBER or ESTAB- LISHMENTS NUMBER OF FULL-YEAR WORKERS 1 TOTAL LABOR HOURS (THOUSANDS) LABOR CHANGES ACCESSIONS SEPARATIONS TOTAL (FLUX) NUMBER 1910 . . 1911 . . 1912 . .' 1913 . . 16 24 54 H3 85,263 109,653 188,363 399,449 255,789 328,959 565,089 1,198,347 90,408 94,029* 210,085 541,746 86,179* 96,915 182,287* 535,n8* 176,587 190,944 392,372 1,076,864 1913-142 . 84 244,814 734,442 227,008* 243,707 470,715 1914 . . 1915 . . 1916 1917 . . 162 5i 20 27 373,287 159,054 94,803 58,052 1,119,861 477,162 284,409 174,156 300,121* 122,211 131,300 79,287 326,755 99,734* 101,102* 74,917* 626,876 221,945 232,402 154,204 1917-182 . 176 305,901 917,703* ~ 631,173 613,467* -T 1,244^640 1918 . . 1919 . . 29 19 56,411 42,632 169,233 127,896 97',V 8 38^751 84,99*9* 36,100* _ 182,917 74,85i Total . 2,117,682 6,353,046 2,564/337 2,481,280* 5,045,317 1910 . . 1911 . . 1912 . . 1913 . . / RATE PER FULL-YEAR (SOOO-HOUR) WORKER * x 1.05 .86* i. ii i-35 1.02* .88 .96* 1-34* 2.07 1.74 2.07 2.69 1913-142 . 93* .99 1.92 1914 1915 1916 . . 1917 - .81* .78 1.38 1.38 .88 63* i. 08* 1.29* 1.69 1.41 2.46 2.67 1917-18 2 . 2.07 2.01* 4-08 1918 . . 1919 1.74 .90 1-50* .84* / 3-24 1.74 Total . i. 20 1.17* 2-37 1 The figures in column headed "Number of full-year workers" in this and following tables in this book are obtained by dividing the total labor hours by 3000. These figures are given simply to in- dicate the approximate size of the work force to make it possible directly to compare the absolute number of labor changes with the number of employees in the work force. 2 The figures given for 1013-14 and 1917-18 are from establishments reporting in great detail during the two field investigations of this subject made by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 1915 and 1918. The time covered by the statistical data from these establishments is a 1 2-month period ending usually about the middle of 1914 and 1918, respectively. This applies to the material shown for these dates throughout this book. 3 Computed, as already explained, by dividing number of labor changes by the total number of labor hours and multiplying by 3000. The same results, of course, will be obtained by dividing the labor-change numbers by the corresponding numbers of full-year workers. GENERAL EXTENT OF LABOR MOBILITY 37 table the combined figures for the years 1910 to 1919 show that in the establishments reporting the accomplishment of 6,353, 046,000 hours of work, which is labor time equivalent to that of 2,117,682 full-year (3ooo-hour) workers, there were entailed 2,564,037 accessions and 2,481,280 separations, or a total of 5,045,317 labor changes. In other words, on the average, for each year of the decade 256,404 accessions, 248,128 separations, or a total of 504,532 labor changes were involved in the maintenance, and the necessary enlargement or curtailment, of a labor force of 211,768 workers. This means that the maintenance and neces- sary expansion or curtailment of the requisite work force involved labor changes considerably more than equivalent to a complete annual overturn of the work force. This is as if during one year all the employees had left their jobs and a complete new set of work people had taken their places. It appears then that each year on the average the number of persons who quit, were laid off, or discharged, as well as the number who had to be hired, was much larger than the total number of workers on the force at any one time. The separation rate figures in Table 7 and almost invariably throughout the book are set in bold-face type. 1 An examination of these figures together with the accession and flux rates (bearing in mind the fact that a flux rate of 2.00 represents a complete overturn of the force) will show that in five of the ten calendar years represented the number of labor changes in the plants re- lf rhis is done, not so much because of any special importance attaching to separations as compared with accessions or flux, but in recognition of the wide prevalence of the conception of separations as turnover and the common habit among employers and employment managers of speaking of the "percentage of turnover" as signifying the number of separations per hundred employees. Since the rates per full-year worker, as computed in these pages, are so figured as to show two decimals, it at once will be evident that the separation rates may be read directly as "percentages of turnover" by the simple expedient of omitting the decimal point. Thus, in Table 7, a separation rate of 1.02 in 1910 is the same as a turnover percentage of 102. The same method of translation is just as feas- ible for those who, when they say "percentage of turnover," mean the number of replacements per hundred employees. 38 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY porting has been more than equivalent to a complete overturn of the work force; that is, there were at least as many accessions and at least as many separations as there were workers on the force. Even in 1915, the most stable year of the decade, there were 122,211 accessions and 99,734 separations entailed in the maintenance and enlargement of a work force of 159,054 em- ployees. This is equivalent to a complete overturn of not less than 63 per cent of the work force during the year. In 1917-18, the most unstable of the periods shown, 631,173 accessions and 613,467 separations, or a total of 1,244,640 labor changes were in- volved in the maintenance and enlargement of a work force of 305,901 workers. This is equivalent to more than two complete overturns of the work force during the year. On the basis of the unit full-year (3ooo-hour) worker the situa- tion in the decade reported may be described as follows: Through- out the ten-year period, for every equivalent 3ooo-hour worker in the aggregate work force, there were on the average more than two labor changes per year. In 1915, the period of least insta- bility, there were about one and a half labor changes for each full- year worker. In the war period 1917-18 there were more than four labor changes for each full-year worker in the aggregate work force. This is as if during these twelve months all the employees had left their jobs, an entirely new set had come in to fill their places, and afterwards all the employees in this second set had left their jobs and had in turn been fully replaced by a third set of workers. There is also to be observed in Table 7 a very definite tendency of the mobility rates to vary with the prevailing industrial situa- tion. This tendency is brought out in graphic form in Chart C, on which are plotted the mobility rates shown in Table 7. The influence of the prevailing business and industrial situation is indicated in the chart by the relatively high mobility rates for the years 1913 and 1917-18, years of great industrial activity, and by a recession in the rates in years in which the industrial situa- tion has been less favorable. GENERAL EXTENT OF LABOR MOBILITY 39 3 // u 40 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY Enormous as is the extent of establishment labor instability indicated by these figures, it is fair to assume (and this assump- tion is supported by a good deal of fragmentary evidence) that the actual situation is even worse. It is especially probable that the labor mobility for the year 1919 is actually higher than is indicated by the figures shown here, since the number of estab- lishments upon which the rates are based is rather small and includes several establishments with unusually low labor mobility records. The (nearly) 500 establishments from which the Bureau of Labor Statistics secured labor mobility figures have neces- sarily been the concerns which had the figures to give, that is to say, concerns which had given rather more attention than most firms to their force-maintenance problems. The firms reporting are chiefly concerns which had more or less centralized employment systems and were relatively more successful in the maintenance of a stable work force. In such establishments the instability is not likely to be as serious as in the general run of American industrial concerns, which as a rule pay little or no attention to the flow of labor in and out and which give very little thought to its control. The replacement or turnover numbers and rates in Table 7 are indicated by asterisks. This rate of replacement or turnover is, as has already been explained, the rate at which separating em- ployees whose places must be filled are replaced by others. Thus in 1910 persons were being hired at a rate of 1.05 and employees were leaving at a rate of i .02 per full-year worker. The aggregate standard work force was obviously undergoing expansion, and all separating employees were more or less promptly replaced. The separation rate, therefore, is to be taken as the replacement rate. In 1914 the situation was very different. Most industrial plants were curtailing operations. The result was an accession rate of .81 and a separation rate of .88. In these circumstances it is obvious that not all the separating employees were replaced even tardily and that consequently the accession rate is to be taken as the replacement rate. In 1914, obviously, not all of GENERAL EXTENT OF LABOR MOBILITY 41 the 326,755 separating employees contributed to the turnover as that word is here understood. There were only 300, 121 persons hired during that year. This number therefore really measures the turnover, because this is the number of abandoned jobs in which there were replacements. The turnover rate, then, is the ratio between 300,121 and the 373,287 equivalent full-year workers who constituted the work force during the time within which those replacements were made. The excess of separations, amounting in 1914 to 26,634, involves a phase of labor mobility not included in turnover. This excess shows the extent to which the normal work force was diminished during 1914 and, in relation to the number of full-year workers, as already explained, it is the labor decrease rate; the corresponding excess of accessions in such a year as 1918 is the labor increase rate. In years like 1911 and 1913 the rates of accession and separation are practically equal, and it would be a matter of indifference which figure were taken to measure replacements. Reference to the actual num- bers in the upper part of the table, however, shows that in 1911 the accessions were somewhat less numerous and therefore most nearly measured replacements, whereas in 1913, the separations were fewer and that in that year, therefore, they should be identified with replacements. It is not believed that the replacement figure is likely to contain non -replacement items. The most important of such items which might be thought to lurk in the replacement figure are those cases of non-replacement brought about by a discontinuance of certain occupations, either because of the shutdown of that part of the plant which includes those occupations, or because of changes in the industrial arts. By definition the replacement rate excludes all such cases, which by the very process of discounting gross separations or accessions to get the replacement rate are auto- matically eliminated along with other unreplaced separations. This is believed to be true of either an expanding or a contracting business. The margin of error which may result from postponed replacements (in cases where new employees are needed but per- 42 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY haps not actually secured for a considerable period after the sep- aration) is not believed to be wide enough seriously to vitiate this method. Moreover, this possible postponed-replacement error is almost always compensatory replacements not actu- ally made until the end of July for jobs which were abandoned early in June and which should have been accounted for then are, in the long run, balanced by similar delayed replacements carried over from May but actually accounted for in June. In view of the fact that replacement rates correspond with accession rates when the accession rates are lower than the sepa- ration rates, and with separation rates when separation rates are lower than accession rates, it follows that the lowest points on Chart C must mark the rate and trend of labor replacement; that is to say, whichever line happens to be the lowest is the re- placement line. In general throughout the ten-year period the accessions and separations have naturally tended to balance each other pretty closely, although they show slight variations reflecting the chang- ing industrial conditions from year to year. Over the whole decade it is to be noted that the accessions appreciably exceed the separations, indicating a net increase in the gainfully employed population and just about such a normal industrial expansion as would naturally be expected. During the last few years speculation has been rife as to the probable aggregate number of labor changes over a given period in all the industrial establishments of the country. Interesting though the knowledge of these facts would be, and even if all establishments did keep labor mobility records, the task of gath- ering such figures would be such a stupendous one that it could scarcely be considered seriously. It is necessary, therefore, to resort to estimates based on a careful analysis of the available labor mobility figures. If, then, the 1919 mobility rates here reported are applied to the factory wage earners in the United GENERAL EXTENT OF LABOR MOBILITY 43 States in that year as shown by the United States Census of Manufactures for 1919, it would appear that the 9,096,372 wage earners on the pay rolls that year must have meant about 8,242,- ooo accessions and about 7,703,000 separations, or a total of about 15,945,000 job changes during that year. NECESSARY AND UNNECESSARY LABOR CHANGES Repeated attempts have been made in the last few years to get at the proportion of the turnover which may be considered to be avoidable. Such a separation of the necessary from the unnecessary replacement has been undertaken on the very natural assumption that the maintenance of the working force requires the hiring of only a certain number of workmen to replace those employees who have left for unavoidable reasons (death, sickness, discharge for manifest unfitness, etc.) and that what- ever number of persons is found to be required over and above this so-called irreducible minimum which has been estimated by a number of students at about 25 per cent of the work force - must be the measure of unnecessary replacement. The limits of this study do not permit a full discussion of the question as to whether or not the data on labor mobility (which phenom- enon, as is shown elsewhere, is subject to constant and sometimes extreme fluctuations) can be so simplified as to express in exact figures the proportion of necessary and unnecessary labor replace- ment. Actually to apply this method of appraising the responsi- bility in labor replacement to industrial establishments as they are, presupposes wholly static industrial concerns, with unvarying amounts of employment and with work forces composed of per- sons who are very slightly, if at all, influenced by outside indus- trial forces. To be sure, there will be found industrial concerns which can offer steady employment to a certain small number of persons. In such establishments any of these employees leaving voluntarily and for no valid reason may be definitely considered as factors in the unnecessary labor replacement. But it would be extremely difficult to say when and to what extent the great 44 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY mass of employees (who are at the mercy of labor market fluctua- tions) may be regarded as contributing to the necessary or un- necessary labor replacement. Bearing these limitations in mind and assuming that the strictly necessary part of the replacement amounts to 25 per cent TABLE NECESSARY AND UNNECESSARY By years, from 1910 to LABOR CH TAKE ( ANGES NECESSARY TO ZARE OF WORK-FORCE YEAR NUMBER OF FULL-YEAR WORKERS SEPARATING EMPLOYEES WHO MUST BE REPLACED PERSONS TAKEN ON TO FILL THEIR PLACES IQIO 8< 263 21 3l6 21 3l6 IQII 100 6^3 27 /IT 3 27 41 3 IQI2 188 16* 47 OOI 47 OOI 1913 300,440 99,862 90,862 1913-14 244,8l4 6l,2O4 6l,2O4 1914 373,287 Q3,322 03,322 IQIC I ^O O?4 30 764 30 764. 1016 O4 80 3 23 7OI 23 7OI IQI7 "\8 CK2 14 ^13 14 ^13 IOI7l8 3QC OOI 76 47"? 76 47 564* 52,172 102,736 Automobiles and parts 3,447 3,024* 6,471 Chemical industries and refineries * I5>7I5 16,492 32,207 Clothing and textile mfg. 22,497 19,123* 41,620 Leather and rubber goods 29,465* 40,126 69,591 Machinery mfg. n,903 10,964* 22,867 Mercantile establishments *t. 52,313 59,551 111,864 Miscellaneous metal products mfg. 3,85i 3,679* 7,530 Printing and publishing 91* 202 293 Public utilities : Gas and electricity mfg. 4,094* 4,346 8,440 Street railways 8,465* 10,786 19,251 Telephone service 24,603 23,242* 47,845 Slaughtering and meat packing 227,008* 243,707 470,715 Total 1917-18 222,954 220,475* 443,429 Automobiles and parts 46,880 39,622* 86,502 Chemical industries and refineries 13,687* 15,227 28,914 Clothing and textile mfg. 5,727* 7,036 12,763 Furniture and millwork 12,119* 12,393 24,512 Leather and rubber goods 62,085 59,782* 121,867 Machinery mfg. 33,165* 34,879 68,044 Mercantile establishments 104,127 3,433* 99,006* 3,655 203,133 7,088 Miscellaneous metal products mfg. Printing and publishing 25,905* 26,661 52,566 Public utilities: Gas and electricity mfg. 8,062* 9,623 17,685 Street railways 19,740* 21,864 41,604 Telephone service 73,289 63,244* 136,533 Slaughtering and meat packing 631,173 613,467* 1,244,640 Total created by the war period and the influence which it had upon labor mobility. War-time necessities forced far-reaching changes in the character of the product manufactured as well as in LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY the manufacturing processes. Plants producing war materials enormously expanded their operations. The Government itself was forced to expand its own industrial establishments to an unheard-of degree and entered into industrial fields which it had never been in before. The expansion due to war necessities required enormous numbers of work people and made necessary the very rapid training of relatively inexperienced persons who TABLE LABOR MOBILITY IN SPECIFIED INDUSTRY [Replacement (or "turnover") rates 1913-14 RATE ] >ER FULL-YEAR V /ORKER OF ACCESSION SEPARATION FLUX Automobiles and parts Chemical industries and refineries Clothing and textile mfg Furniture and millwork Leather and rubber goods .... ^Machinery mfg 1.56* i. 20 63* 'i?* 1.62 1.05* .66 i7s* i 08 3.18 2.25 1.29 2.94 I 89 Mercantile establishments .... Miscellaneous metal products mfg. . Printing and publishing . . . . . Public utilities: Gas and electric mfg. Street railways . . Telephone service . . Slaughtering and meat packing . . . fr .69 is * .27* 39* 2-55 .66* 93 .66* 30 27* .48 2.40* 1.38 1.74 1-35 45 54 .87 4-95 Total . . 03* oo I 02 in many instances were found to be ill adapted to factory work. There was a withdrawal of a very large number of men for mili- tary purposes. This military mobilization affected especially those industries which employed males entirely or to a large extent. Women entered into industries in larger numbers and into some industries which had not hitherto employed women. The differentiation of industries into essential and non-essential classes and the promulgation of the " work or fight" order caused large numbers of men employed in non-essential industries to leave their employment and seek jobs in plants carrying on work GENERAL EXTENT OF LABOR MOBILITY 53 essential to the prosecution of the war. Under this ruling inex- perienced people, overestimating their capabilities, tried to qualify for experienced men's places and accepted jobs which they soon found out they could not fill. On account of the unusual industrial expansion during the war period the labor supply became very limited and resulted in keen competition among individual manufacturers. After a time the 10 & GROUPS, 1913-14 AND 1917-18 are marked by asterisks (*)] 1917-18 RATE PER FULL- YEAR WORKER OF INDUSTRY GROUP ACCESSION SEPARATION FLUX 2.31 2.28* 4-59 Automobiles and parts 2.97 2.52* 5-49 Chemical industries and refineries 1.26* 1.41 2.67 Clothing and textile mfg. 2.49* 3.06 5-55 Furniture and millwork 2.40* 2. 4 6 4.86 Leather and rubber goods 1.65 1.59* 3-24 Machinery mfg. 1.38* 1.44 2.82 Mercantile establishments 3-i8 3.03* 6.21 Miscellaneous metal products mfg. 1-77* 1.89 3-66 Printing and publishing 1.38* 1.41 2.79 Public utilities: Gas and electric mfg. .81* .96 1.77 Street railways 93* i. 02 i-95 Telephone service 2-55 2.19* 4-74 Slaughtering and meat packing 2.07 2.01* 4.08 Total competition for labor became so sharp that labor recruiting methods developed which were characterized as being " destruc- tive." The unusual industrial situation created a peculiar war psychology, causing a good deal of restlessness among work people generally. The individual workman, becoming aware of the growing scarcity of labor and of the keen competition for his labor, was naturally quick to take advantage of the favorable employment situation by constantly seeking jobs which would pay more or in which the general conditions of employment were more to his liking. 54 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY In respect to the labor situation during the war, the employ- ment manager of a machine-tool manufacturing establishment reports that " Probably the chief cause of labor turnover at this time, particularly among machine tool industries, is the fact that a man tries to go where he can get the highest pay, coupled with the fact that manufacturers are bidding against each other for labor." And he adds that "the second and perhaps equally important cause of turnover in the machine tool trade is the fact that very recently a very large number of men have been forced either by the 'Work or Fight' law or by the necessity of earning larger money to leave the non-mechanical occupations and seek work in machine shops." These men, he says further, " are wholly unfamiliar with our work, have never been accustomed to grease, dirt, and noise, and very naturally find the work somewhat unpleasant. It is quite natural for them to think that the one shop they go to first is probably worse than any other, and if slightly encouraged in this opinion by a smooth-tongued employ- ment man of another shop, they are likely to jump from one place to another, hoping that they will find less grease and dirt." RELATION BETWEEN SIZE OF ESTABLISHMENT AND LABOR MOBILITY To undertake to show some definite relationship between the size of the establishment and labor mobility, detailed figures regarding the labor_cJiajages were so arranged as to show the mobility rates of establishments with less than a thousand em- ployees, of those having one thousand and under five thousand, and of those with five thousand employees and more. They are shown in Table n. 1 These figures in the main indicate a downward trend in mo- bility rates as the size of the establishment increases. It has not been possible to ascertain the exact reason for the relatively lower rates in the larger establishments, though it is conceivable 1 See also Table 25, in which quitting, lay-off and discharge rates are shown for different sizes of plant. GENERAL EXTENT OF LABOR MOBILITY 55 that among the factors influencing the stability were the possi- bility of the larger establishments offering steadier work, rela- tively higher earnings, and better employment conditions gen- erally. Lower rates might also indicate the efficiency of the TABLE 11 RELATION BETWEEN SIZE OF ESTABLISHMENT AND LABOR STABILITY, 1913-14 AND 1917-18 NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES NUMBER OF ESTAB- LISH- MENTS NUMBER OF FULL- YEAR WORKERS TOTAL LABOR HOURS (THOU- SANDS) NUMBER OF LABOR CHANGES ACCES- SIONS SEPA- RATIONS FLUX Under 1,000 1,000 and under 5,000 5,000 and over Total .... Under 1,000 . . . 1,000 and under 5,000 5,000 and over . . Total .... Under 1,000 . . . 1,000 and under 5,000 5,000 and over . . Total .... 1913-14 35 36 13 20,257 95,690 128,867 60,771 287,070 386,601 30,517 82,611 113,880 28,275 87,562 127,870 58,792 170,173 241,750 84 244,814 734,442 227,008 243,707 470,715 1917-18 109 54 13 51,832 114,019 140,050 155,496 342,057 420,150 137,147 249,362 244,664 132,142 240,095 241,230 269,289 489,457 485,894 176 305,901 917,703 631,173 613,467 1,244,640 RATE PER FULL-YEAR WORKER ACCES- SION SEPARA- TION FLUX ACCES- SION SEPARA- TION FLUX 1913-14 1917-18 1.50 .87 .87 1.41 .90 .99 2.91 1.77 1.86 2.64 2.19 1.74 2-55 2.10 I.7I 5.19 4.29 3-45 -93 .99 1.92 2.07 2.01 4.08 employment department and the influence of service and welfare activities, which are generally carried on more extensively by the larger establishments. It should also be observed that in the larger establishments there must be many inter-departmental changes which are not LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY included in the figures presented here. This is one reason why the flux rate is lower in the large concerns. Obviously the number of such interior labor changes is smaller, both absolutely and relatively, in the small than in the large establishments. The small single-department concern must recruit virtually all its new labor from outside accessions. The inter-departmental labor shift is in some cases quite as much a sign of labor insta- bility as if the shift were from one employing firm to another employing firm. In connection with the subject of the general extent of labor mobility, brief reference should be made to some particular TABLE 12 NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES LEAVING SERVICE WITHIN 12 MONTHS or WHEN THEY WERE HIRED, BY INDUSTRY GROUPS, YEAR ENDING MAY 31, 1918 l INDUSTRY GROUP NUMBER OF ESTAB- LISHMENTS PERSONS HIRED DURING YEAR TOTAL NUMBER LEFT WITHIN i YEAR NUMBER PER CENT OF TOTAL Automobiles and parts, mfg. . Chemical industries and refineries Clothing and textile manufacturing . Furniture and millwork .... Machinery "manufacturing Mercantile establishments (wholesale and retail) 5 3 3 I 13 3 13 2 I I 8 12,659 10,743 6,771 3)4io 20,881 1,931 15,803 749 i,585 3,058 15,616 8,230 8,230 4,799 2,681 14,121 1,306 13,053 5i8 721 1,150 9,949 65 77 7i 79 68 68 83 69 45 38 64 Miscellaneous metal products manu- facturing Printing and publishing .... Public utilities: Total 53 93,206 64,758 69 phases of the mobility situation having to do with the accession of employees. One of these is the relation of the newly hired employee to labor mobility. How many employees hired within 1 Reprinted from 35 Polit. Sci. Quar. 594. GENERAL EXTENT OF LABOR MOBILITY 57 any particular twelve-month period are still to be found in the firm's employ at the end of that period? An answer to this ques- tion is given by the figures presented in Table 12, which shows by industry groups the proportion of the year's recruits who left 'before they had served a year. This table furnished a striking illustration of the short periods for which jobs have been held by the newly hired employees dur- ing the war period and the rapidity with which they vacate them. Of the 93,206 persons hired during the year ending May 21, 1918, 64,758, or 69 per cent, left before they had served one year. The most stable recruits were those hired by the street railways, only 38 per cent of whom left before serving one year. The most unstable recruits were those hired by miscellaneous metal prod- ucts manufacturing establishments, 83 per cent of whom left be- fore they had served one year. Two other phases of the acces- sion situation which must be touched upon are the proportion of rehirings among the total accessions, and the relation between the number of applicants and the number of available jobs, on the one hand, and to the number actually hired on the other hand. The number of accessions shown heretofore does not indicate the number of different individuals hired, since the accessions represent the total number of accessions in a given period and in- clude original hirings as well as subsequent rehirings. Figures on the extent of rehirings were obtained by examination of the serv- ice records of employees on the pay rolls of six establishments at the end of 1915. They are shown in Table 13. These figures show that the hiring of 44,166 individuals in- volved 61,225 hirings and rehirings (repeated transactions), with a resultant increase in the number of accession transactions by nearly 40 per cent. Of the 44,166 individual employees taken on, more than 76 per cent had been hired once only, 15 per cent had been hired twice, over 5 per cent. had been hired three times, more than 2 per cent four times, and about one and one-half per cent had been hired and rehired more than five times. Among the employees under observation here the highest LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY number of hirings and rehirings was eleven, involving, however, only two employees out of more than forty-four thousand. TABLE 13 NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES HIRED BY SAME ESTABLISHMENT SPECIFIED NUMBER OF TIMES l (1915. Six establishments reporting) NUMBER OF TIMES HIRED EMPLOYEES HIRED SPECIFIED NUMBER or TIMES NUMBER OF REHIRINGS INVOLVED TOTAL NUMBER OF HIRINGS AND REHIRINGS INVOLVED NUMBER PER CENT DISTRIBUTION I ...... 33,765 6,444 2,353 940 412 143 65 25 12 5 2 76.45 14-59 5-33 2.13 93 32 15 .06 03 .01 a o 6,444 4,706 2,820 1,648 715 390 175 96 45 20 33,765 12,888 7,058 3,76o 2,060 858 455 200 108 So 22 6 . . . . . . 8 Total .... 44,166 IOO.OO 17,059 6l,22S The figures shown in Table 14 are the result of a special study of the correlation between length of time and the extent of hiring and rehiring. They demonstrate that, as the period within which employees had been hired specified number of times increases, there is a corresponding increase of the number of rehirings, but that when the maximum period of this continuous service within which employees had been hired specified number of times extends beyond the lo-year mark there is a noticeable and decided drop in the extent of rehiring. The figures concerning the number of applicants for jobs are based upon the records of eight establishments which kept ac- 1 Figures obtained by examination of the service records of the 44,166 employees on the pay rolls of the six establishments at the end of 1915. ^Less than .01 per cent. GENERAL EXTENT OF LABOR MOBILITY 59 count of the number of applicants for a longer or shorter period between 1912 and 1919 and indicate that with an aggregate num- ber of workers amounting to 122,973 there were 1,041,475 ap- plicants, of which number 145,509, or 14 per cent, were actually TABLE 14 NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES ON PAY ROLL OF THREE ESTABLISHMENTS WHO HAD BEEN HIRED SPECIFIED NUMBER OF TIMES, CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO THE LENGTH OF TIME WITHIN WHICH THE HIRINGS AND REHIRINGS TOOK PLACE, 1 1915 (3 establishments reporting) NUMBER OF YEARS NUMBER c* EMPLOYEES WHO HAD BEEN HIRED WITHIN WHICH HIRINGS 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Q IO ii OCCURRED TIMES TIMES TIMES TIMES TIMES TIMES TIMES TIMES TIMES TIMES I 527 32 3 2 551 123 31 3 3 456 164 71 17 4 4 3 2 5 171 52 24 9 2 5 201 130 45 29 6 5 I 6 157 102 48 28 IS i I i 7 94 75 42 20 8 5 2 9 58 3i 22 14 2 3 I 9 58 57 35 2O 8 5 I I I I 10 46 32 21 IO 4 6 5 ii 19 19 5 I 2 2 12 13 7 2 13 5 5 I I I I 14 10 4 2 I IS 3 4 I 2 Over 15 10 5 2 I hired. This means, in other words, that for each person hired for a job there were more than seven persons applying for that job. The employment manager of a machinery manufacturing estab- lishment reports that in order to obtain 500 employees, during the year ending May 31, 1918, it was necessary to hire at least 1500, only a third of whom showed up ready to go to work on 1 Based on individual service records of the 13,281 employees on the pay rolls of the three establishments at the end of 1915. 60 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY the appointed day. He remarks that the "others apparently were floaters, who drifted from one shop to another and accepted jobs only from the highest bidders. Often when we thought that we had hired a sufficient number of men, we would find the next day that only one or two out of eight or ten showed up to go to work." CHAPTER V LABOR MOBILITY IN INDIVIDUAL PLANTS AND IN SEPARATE GROUPS WITHIN THE WORK FORCE IN the figures which have been shown heretofore labor insta- bility was traced largely to seasonal, cyclical, and other fluctua- tions in industrial activity. It must be pointed^pjflt^ however, that the extent of labor mobility^at any given time is quite" differ- enTin different mdustria^stablis^me^js^nd in dSSerent occu- pations and other groups within those^ establishments^ and this some^at irjiei^^ c^nditib^rjQtheje_jnany factors which might, in fhiftnrg^ the extent of mobility in individual establishments a_few of the more important ones, in so Jajrj^Jhey_can readily be determined and classified, may briefly be set_down here: (i) The particular char- acter of the industry; whether it can offer relatively steady work or whether it is subject to highly seasonal variations in employ- ment. (2) Character of the labor force that is, the extent to which an establishment employs males and females, unskilled, semi-skilled, or skilled workers; or whether the working force consists largely of clerical employees or of persons engaged in non-mechanical occupations. (3) The general conditions of employment: wages, hours of work, etc.: the particular nature of the work; that is, whether or not it is generally disagreeable and involves exposure to dampness, noxious odors, great heat, dust, etc. (4) The effectiveness of all efforts of the manage- ment to overcome purely industrial influences and the more personal desires of individual workmen to change jobs. The influence upon individual establishments and upon special groups within the work force of the various factors enumerated here will be discussed and illustrated in the pages immediately following. 61 62 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY LABOR MOBILITY IN INDIVIDUAL ESTABLISHMENTS ' The mobility rates which have been shown up to this point are group rates in which are merged the individual plant figures of a large number of establishments. They do not indicate the extent of existing variations in the mobility figures of the different establishments making up the group. The forces and condi- tions determining the extent to which labor changes take place in individual establishments are extremely varied and numerous, as was pointed out above, and they operate differently upon different establishments. Only very exhaustive inquiries could reveal which of many factors involved is particularly responsi- ble for the special virulence or mildness, as the case may be, of instability in particular establishments. The rates in Table 15 register the net general effect which all the factors of influence have had on labor instability in the industrial establishments studied. In the period 1913-14 the establishment mobility rates are bunched in the lower groups; in the period 1917-18 the rates are less concentrated but more evenly distributed, having quite a large representation even in the high rate groups. Thus the flux rate of 1.92 for the 84 establishments covered in 1913-14 is dis- tributed among 32 per cent of the establishments having a flux rate of 1.20 and under, 26 per cent having a rate of 1.20 to 2.40, 23 per cent a rate of over 2.40 to 3.60, and 19 per cent of the establishments having a flux rate of over 3.60. In the period 1917-18 the flux rate of 176 establishments was 4.08 and there was a corresponding moving up of the establishments into the higher flux rate groups. In that period there were only 3 per cent of the establishments having a flux rate of 1.20 and under, while 1 6 per cent had a rate of over 1.20 to 2.40, 20 per cent a rate of over 2.40 to 3.60, and 61 per cent a rate of over 3.60. A corresponding movement upward is observable in both the accession and separation rates. How the sum total of these factors affects the labor instability of the same establishments at different periods and under differ- LABOR MOBILITY IN INDIVIDUAL PLANTS TABLE 15 NUMBER AND PER CENT DISTRIBUTION OF ESTABLISHMENTS HAVING CLASSIFIED LABOR MOBILITY RATES. (1913-14 AND 1917-18) (Unit: One establishment) ESTABLISHMENTS HAVING CLASSIFIED LABOR MOBILITY RATES PER FULL-YEAR WORKER 1913-1914 1917-1918 FLUX CLASSIFIED RATE ACCES- SEPA- ACCES- SEPA- CLASSIFIED RATE 1913- 1917- SION RATION SION RATION 1914 1918 NUMBER .60 and under . 34 26 6 7 1.20 and under 28 5 Over .60 to 1.20 i? 26 27 26 Over 1.20 to 2.40 22 28 Over 1.20 to 1.80 14 18 37 34 Over 2.40 to 3.60 19 35 Over i. 80 to 2.40 12 7 26 30 Over 3.60 to 4.80 8 25 Over 2.40 to 3.00 3 4 25 29 Over 4.80 to 6.00 4 3i Over 3.00 to 3.60 i 22 21 Over 6.00 to 7.20 20 Over 3.60 to 4.20 II 12 Over 7.20 to 8.40 14 Over 4.20 to 4.80 i 10 7 Over 8.40 to 9.60 6 Over 4.80 . . 3 2 12 10 Over 9.60 . . 3 12 Total . . 84 84 I 7 6 176 84 I 7 6 Mobility rates: 84 Establishments 93 99 2.07 2.OI 1.92 4.08 PER CENT DISTRIBUTION .60 and under . 40 31 3 4 1.20 and under 32 3 Over .60 to i. 20 20 3i 15 IS Over i. 20 to 2.40 26 16 Over 1.20 to 1.80 17 21 21 19 Over 2.40 to 3.60 23 20 Over i. 80 to 2.40 14 8 IS 17 Over 3.60 to 4.80 10 14 Over 2.40 to 3.00 4 s 14 16 Over 4.80 to 6.00 5 18 Over 3.00 to 3.60 i 13 12 Over 6.00 to 7.20 ii Over 3.60 to 4.20 6 7 Over 7.20 to 8.40 8 Over 4.20 to 4.80 i 6 4 Over 8.40 to 9.60 3 Over 4.80 . . 4 2 7 6 Over 9.60 4 7 Total . . TOO TOO IOO IOO IOO IOO ent labor conditions may be seen by comparison of the mobility figures of 20 identical establishments for the two periods 1913-14 and 1917-18. It may be seen from the figures in Table 16 that with the exception of 3 establishments (Nos. 34, 48, and 56) all show a decided increase in the mobility rates over the pre-war period, the rates in one case (Establishment No. 37) being over four times as great in the war as in the pre-war period. For LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE LABOR MOBILITY OF ESTABLISHMENTS INDUSTRY OR NATURE or BUSINESS LOCATION ESTABLISH- MENT NUMBER NUMBER OF FULL- YEAR WORKERS 1913-14 1917-18 Engineering specialties mfg. . ' * Agricultural implements mfg. . Agricultural implements mfg. . . Motor car mfg. Cincinnati Chicago Chicago Detroit Chicago Milwaukee Cleveland Detroit Chicago Cleveland Chicago Chicago Cincinnati Detroit Cleveland Chicago Cincinnati Detroit Detroit Chicago 37 (146) 21 (106) 20 (105) 48 (194) 26 (113) 58 (257) 41 (178-184) 51 (200) 27 (109) 40 (172) 28 (117) 30 ("5) 35 (i44) 50 (198) 42 (182) 25 (102) 56 (141) 54 (207) 47 (205) 34 (126) 656 6,592 4,377 10,904 243 642 1,247 4,028 9,430 335 544 415 476 897 i, in 9,661 624 1,004 3,no 5,522 1,150 5,759 4,211 3i,950 402 1,181 1,408 9,869 i4,73i 1,263 733 390 1,194 2,504 1,649 7,287 883 3,379 11,125 8,730 Structural steel fabricating . . . Electrical appliances mfg. . . . Metal wire, etc. mfg. * . . . . Motor car mfg Mail order house Machine tools mfg Electrical supplies mfg Iron wheels and castings mfg. . . Machine tools mfg. Motor car mfg. Machine tools mfg. Car works Machine tools mfg Automobile parts mfg Motor car mfg. Slaughtering and meat packing . . 20 identical firms 2 61,818 109,798 all of the twenty identical establishments taken together, there appears to have taken place nearly a two-fold increase in the flux rate; in 1913-14 it was 2.56, and in 1917-18 it was 4.44, per full- year worker. It is to be noted, in the figures of Table 16, that in the earlier period the separation rate exceeded the accession rate. Most of these concerns, as was quite generally the case with American industrial establishments at that time, were more or less exten- sively reducing the number of their employees. In 1917-18, according to these figures, the rate of accession was appreciably 1 Different mills of this establishment were reported .separately in 1917-18, but are here combined for purposes of comparison with 1913-14. 2 See note i, p. 65. LABOR MOBILITY IN INDIVIDUAL PLANTS 65 16 REPORTED BOTH IN 1913-14 AND 1917-18 RATE OF LABOF CHANGE PER FULL -YEAR WO RKER ACCE SSION SEPAB ATION Fl UX INDUSTRY OR NATURE OF BUSINESS iQiS-U 1917-18 1913-14 I9I7-I8 1913-14 I9I7-I8 -33 30 1-77 .96 .42 .63 1.74 .8l 75 93 3-51 1.77 Engineering specialties mfg. Agricultural implements mfg. 36 .69 .63 .69 99 1.38 Agricultural implements mfg. .48 .48 .60 45 i. 08 93 Motor car mfg. .69 i. ii .87 93 1.56 2.04 Structural steel fabricating 57 2.58 1.05 2.49 1.62 5-07 Electrical appliances mfg. .96 2.76 .69 2-73 1.65 5-49 Metal wire, etc. mfg. 1.02 3-Si .72 3-o6 1.74 6.57 Motor car mfg. 93 93 .90 i. 08 1.83 2.OI Mail order house .29 2.79 .81 2.OI 2.IO 4.80 Machine tools mfg. .26 2.88 1.29 2.6 7 2-55 5-55 Electrical supplies mfg. 47 3-09 1.47 2.19 2.94 5-28 Iron wheels and castings mfg. .41 i. 80 1.56 1.65 2.97 3-45 Machine tools mfg. 53 3.06 1.56 2-73 3-09 5-79 Motor car mfg. 44 3-09 1.65 3-09 3-09 6.18 Machine tools mfg. .41 2.58 2.13 2.82 3-54 5-40 Car works 2.04 i-53 1.56 1.32 3-6o 2.85 Machine tools mfg. 1.83 4-53 1.92 4-47 3-75 9.00 Automobile parts mfg. 2.79 3-69 2.76 4.11 5-55 7.80 Motor car mfg. 3.00 2.19 2-73 1.83 5-73 4.02 Slaughtering and meat pack'g 1.26 2.30 1.30 2.14 2.56 4.44 20 identical firms l higher than the rate of separation. This reflects, in turn, the industrial activity of the war period. This shift, in a four-year interval, from a contracting, demobilizing industrial machine to an expanding one, is further revealed in the two columns headed " number of full-year workers. " The aggregate working personnel of these twenty concerns increased in number from 61,818 in 1913-14 to 109,798 in 1917-18. The figures for the individual establishments show that only four of the twenty firms failed to share in this expansion. Of the four establish- ments which suffered a decline only one experienced a shrinkage of any considerable proportions. 1 The rates for the 20 identical firms combined are unweighted arithmetic averages of the respective individual plant rates. 66 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE LABOR MOBILITY BY SEX AND NUMBER NUMBER OF TOTAL INDUSTRY GROUP OF ESTAB- FULL-YEAR LABOR HOURS LISHMENTS WORKERS (THOUSANDS) Males Automobiles and parts .... Chemical industries and refineries Clothing and textile mfg Furniture and mill work Leather and rubber goods . . . Machinery mfg Mercantile establishments Miscellaneous metal products mfg. . Printing and publishing .... Public utilities: Gas and electricity mfg. Street railways . Telephone service Slaughtering and meat packing . Total 2 2,872 8,616 3 2,192 6,576 3 453 i,359 2 1,851 5,553 I i,i73 3,519 6 12,902 38,706 2 817 2,45i II 5,736 17,208 3 577 i,73i 2 2,35i 7,053 2 6,881 20,643 7 7,355 22,065 I 4,353 13,059 45 49,513 148,539 Females Automobiles and parts Chemical industries and refineries Clothing and textile mfg 2 3 210 256 82<; 630 768 2.A7C Furniture and millwork Leather and rubber goods .... Machinery mfg 2 I 6 174 102 421 522 1,306 I.2CH Mercantile establishments .... Miscellaneous metal products mfg. . . Printing and publishing Public utilities: Gas and electricity mfg. Street railways . . . Telephone service . . Slaughtering and meat packing . . . 2 II 3 2 2 7 i 310 1,051 583 303 671 ",054 866 930 3,153 i,749 909 2,013 33,i62 2,598 Totalj ... Af 168^6 CQ COS LABOR MOBILITY OF MALE AND FEMALE EMPLOYEES The results of a special study of the relative labor mobility among males and females are given in Tables 17 a and 17 b, which show the labor change numbers and rates for each sex and industry group for the 45 firms reporting the necessary data for 1917-18. In the period covered by the table, female workers made up about one-fourth of the aggregate working personnel of LABOR MOBILITY IN INDIVIDUAL PLANTS 67 17 a INDUSTRY GROUP, 1917-18 NUMBER OF LABOR CHANGES INDUSTRY GROUP ACCESSIONS SEPARATIONS FLUX 4,708 5,42i 10,129 6,569 6,346 12,915 928 934 1,862 4,319 5,639 9,958 4,483 4,449 8,932 13,256 12,818 26,074 1,182 1,198 2,380 18,403 19,019 37,422 556 633 I,l89 1,135 1,194 2,329 5,772 7,222 12,994 5,263 8,229 13,492 17,320 15,340 32,660 83,894 88,442 172,336 Males Automobiles and parts Chemical industries and refineries Clothing and textile mfg. Furniture and millwork Leather and rubber goods Machinery mfg. Mercantile establishments Miscellaneous metal products mfg. Printing and publishing Public utilities: Gas and electricity mfg. Street railways Telephone service Slaughtering and meat packing Total Females 37o 250 620 Automobiles and parts 300 229 529 Chemical industries and refineries 1,062 1,272 2,334 Clothing and textile mfg. 733 692 J ,425 Furniture and millwork 376 140 Si6 Leather and rubber goods 859 720 1,579 Machinery mfg. 314 255 569 Mercantile establishments 2,792 440 2,281 529 5,073 969 Miscellaneous metal products mfg. Printing and publishing 811 228 1,039 Public utilities: Gas and electricity mfg. 487 3i5 802 Street railways 9,969 9,477 19,446 Telephone service 2,694 2,078 4,772 Slaughtering and meat packing 21,207 18,466 39,673 Total the forty-five establishments. However, in two of the thirteen industry groups clothing and textile manufacturing and tele- phone service the women far outnumbered the men. It is also to be noted that, in several cases, the number of women workers reported is so small that it is scarcely prudent to attempt general- ization. This is especially true where data are shown for only one or two establishments, as, for example, in the case of leather and rubber goods, furniture and millwork and automobiles and parts. 68 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE LABOR MOBILITY BY SEX Both INDUSTRY GROUP NUMBER NUMBER OF TOTAL OF ESTAB- FULL- YEAR LABOR HOURS LISHMENTS WORKERS (THOUSANDS) Automobiles and parts Chemical industries and refineries 2 3 3,o82 2,448 9,246 7,344 Clothing and textile mfg. T 278 382/1 Furniture and millwork ... 1,-t /O ,34 Leather and rubber goods .... I *v.*5 I, 2 75 3,825 Machinery mfg. ... 5 Mercantile establishments .... 2 *6>666 1,127 oy,yyy 3,381 Miscellaneous metal products mfg. . Printing and publishing II 3 6,787 1,160 20,361 3,48o Public utilities: Gas and electricity mfg. 2 2,654 7,962 Street railways . 2 7,55 2 22,656 Telephone service . Slaughtering and meat packing . . . 7 I 18,409 5,219 55,227 15,657 Total 45 66,349 199,047 RATE PER FULL- MALES FEMALES ACCES- SEPARA- T^Trrv ACCES- SEPARA- TTTTTV SION TION I; LUX SION TION J LUX Automobiles and parts 1.65 1.89 3-54 1.77 1. 2O 2.97 Chem. industries and refineries 3-oo 2.88 5.88 1.17 .QO 2.07 Clothing and textile mfg. 2.04 2.07 4.11 1.29 i-53 2.82 Furniture and millwork . 2-34 3-06 5-40 4.20 3-99 8.19 Leather and rubber goods 3-8i 378 7-59 3-69 1.38 5-07 Machinery mfg 1.02 99 2.01 1.98 1.68 3.66 Mercantile establishments 1.44 1.47 2.91 i. 02 .81 1.83 Miscel. metal products mfg. . 3.21 3-33 6-54 2.67 2.16 4.83 Printing and publishing . .96 i. ii 2.07 75 .90 1.65 Public utilities: Gas and electricity mfg. . .48 Si .99 2.68 75 3-43 Street railways . . . .84 1.05 1.89 .72 .48 1.20 Telephone service Slaughtering and meat packing .72 3-99 i. ii 3-51 1.83 7-50 .90 3.12 .87 2.40 1.77 5-52 Total 1.68 i. 80 i 48 1.26 i. ii 2 37 O-'f ^j 1 LABOR MOBILITY IN INDIVIDUAL PLANTS 69 17 b AND INDUSTRY GROUP, 1917-18 Sexes NUMBER OF LABOR CHANGES INDUSTRIAL GROUP ACCESSIONS SEPARATIONS FLUX 5,078 5,67i 10,749 Automobiles and parts 6,869 6,575 13,444 Chemical industries and refineries 1,990 2,206 4,196 Clothing and textile mfg. 5,052 6,33i n,383 Furniture and millwork 4,859 4,589 9,448 Leather and rubber goods I4,U5 13,538 27,653 Machinery mfg. 1,496 i,453 2,949 Mercantile establishments 21,195 21,300 42,495 Miscellaneous metal products mfg. 996 1,946 1,162 1,422 2,158 3,368 Printing and publishing Public utilities: Gas and electricity mfg. 6,259 7,537 13,796 Street railways 15,232 17,706 32,938 Telephone service 20,014 17,418 37,432 Slaughtering and meat packing 105,101 106,908 212,009 Total YEAR WORKER BOTH SEXES ACCES- SEPARA- FLUX SION TION 1.65 1.8 3 348 Automobiles and parts 2.82 2.70 5-52 Chemical industries and refineries 1.56 1.74 3-30 Clothing and textile mfg. 2.49 3.12 5-6i Furniture and millwork 3-8i 3-60 7.41 Leather and rubber goods 1.05 1.02 2.07 Machinery mfg. 1.32 I.2Q 2.61 Mercantile establishments 3.12 3.15 6.27 Miscellaneous metal products mfg. .87 99 1.86 Printing and publishing Public utilities: .72 54 1.26 Gas and electricity mfg. .84 99 1.83 Street railways 84 .96 1.80 Telephone service 3-84 3-33 7.17 Slaughtering and meat packing 1-59 1.62 3.21 Total 70 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY The figures indicate that the mobility rates for females are on the whole considerably lower than for males. It is a rather signifi- cant fact that whenever the mobility rates of the males are high the mobility rates of the females are also high. The combined rates of the 45 establishments here studied show the separation rate of the males to be slightly higher than the accession rate, while the accession rate of the females is greater than the separa- tion rate. This is, of course, due to the influx of women into industries during that period. In general, the rates shown here reveal primarily the effect of war-time changes in industry and cannot be said to offer conclusive evidence that shifting is generally less among women. These figures must be used with certain reservations, since the comparison of the mobility between males and females is not made invariably between employees in the same occupation and doing similar work. This is especially noticeable in industry groups in which the female labor force constitutes only a small fraction of the total working force and is composed almost entirely of clerical em- ployees. DAY AND NIGHT FORCE On the basis of figures secured from a machine tool manufac- turing plant the relative responsibility fairly to be assessed against the day and night forces, respectively, for the turnover, can be fairly closely ascertained. In Table 18 the number of labor changes in this establishment and the corresponding rates are given for each year from 1916 to 1919, inclusive. From these figures it may be seen that, over the 4-year period, 1916-19, the flux rate per full-year worker for the day force was 2.25, that of the night force 6.27, and that of the day and night forces combined 3.06. The mobility of the night force is nearly three times as great as that of the day force and the former is, therefore, responsible for an extent of mobility entirely out of proportion to its strength in the organization. Over the 4-year period the night force constituted about 20 per cent of the total working force, but is chargeable with nearly 45 per cent of the LABOR MOBILITY IN INDIVIDUAL PLANTS .71 total labor changes. The greater shifting among the night workers thus causes the flux rate for the establishment as a whole to be 35 per cent higher than it would be if the changes in the night force were in equal proportion with those of the day force. TABLE 18 LABOR MOBILITY OF DAY AND NIGHT FORCES OF A MACHINE-TOOL MANUFAC- TURING ESTABLISHMENT (No. 35-144), BY YEARS, 1916-19 YEAR NUMBER OF FULL-YEAR WORKERS TOTAL LABOR HOURS (THOUSANDS) NUMBER OF LABOR CHANGES ACCESSION SEPARATION FLUX 1916 1917 . . . 1918 . . . 1919 . . . Total . . 1916 . . . 1917 . . . 1918 . . . 1919 . . . Total . . 1916 . . . 1917 . . 1918 . . . 1919 . . . Total . . 1916 . . . 1917 . . . 1918 . . . 1919 - . . Total . . DAY FORCE 806 892 950 780 2,418 2,676 2,850 2,340 1,251 1,124 1,087 547 955 956 1,283 494 2,206 2,080 2,370 1,041 3,428 10,284 4,009 3,688 7,697 NIGHT FORCE 225 220 2S7 143 675 660 771 429 838 816 662 415 ' 764 749 803 244 1,602 1,565 1,465 659 8 4S 2,535 2,73i 2,560 5,291 TOTAL WORKING FORCE 1,031 1,112 1,207 923 3,093 3,336 3,621 2,769 2,089 1,940 i,749 962 i,7i9 1,705 2,086 738 3,8o8 3,645 3,835 1,700 4,273 12,819 6,740 6,248 12,988 RATE PER FULL-YEAR WORKER DAY FORCE NIGHT FORCE TOTAL WORKING FORCE ACCES- SION SEPA- F RATION ACCES- SEPA- SION RATION r A S S - SEPA- RATION FLUX 1.56 1.26 1.14 .69 1.17 2.73 1. 08 2.34 1.35 2.49 .63 1.32 3-72 3-39 3-72 3-39 2.58 3.12 2.91 1.71 7.II 2.04 7.II 1.74 5.70 1.44 4.62 1.05 1.68 1-53 1.74 .81 3-72 3-27 3-i8 1.86 1.17 1.08 2.25 3-24 3.03 6,27 1.59 1.47 3-06 72 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY LABOR MOBILITY OF SKILLED AND UNSKILLED EMPLOYEES Of some interest in the study of turnover is a consideration of the relative instability of the skilled and unskilled. It is generally known that common or unskilled labor is less stable than skilled labor, but extensive figures are not available to show just how much less stable it is. On the basis of figures furnished by a number of industrial plants it is possible to compare skilled and unskilled employees both for the war period and the period im- mediately preceding the war. The figures are presented in Table 19. The labor mobility rates for the two classes of labor show that in both periods unskilled labor was much more unstable than skilled labor. Moreover, this excess of instability on the part of the unskilled was much greater in the war than in the pre-war period. In the latter period the mobility rates of the unskilled were more than double the rates for the skilled. In 1917 the mobility rates of the unskilled were three times as great as those of the skilled. In the earlier period there was, among the skilled, slightly more than one labor change for each skilled member of the working force of the twenty-two plants and nearly three changes in unskilled jobs for each unskilled worker. In 1917-18 there were nearly three skilled-labor changes for each skilled worker and about nine unskilled-labor changes for each unskilled worker. 1 In answer to a question addressed to a large number of estab- lishments regarding the occupation or department in which the labor changes were greatest or least during the war period and the reason why, the almost unanimous opinion expressed was that the greatest shifting was taking place in departments in which the bulk of the employees were classified as common labor. The least shifting was reported to be taking place mainly "among the highly skilled employees who were earning big money and 1 See also Tables 24 and 39, where additional figures are given on turnover among skilled and unskilled workers. LABOR MOBILITY IN INDIVIDUAL PLANTS 73 had long records of continuous service. " The extremely large number of labor changes among the unskilled workers was due, it was repeatedly stated, to the fact that during the war period TABLE 19 LABOR MOBILITY OF SKILLED AND UNSKILLED WORKERS, 1913-15 AND 1917-18 [10 establishments reporting for 1913, 5 for 1914, and 7 for 1915; 10 establishments reporting for year ending May 31, 1918] Source: Report on "Mobility of Labor in American Industry," 10 Mo. Labor Rev., 1352. Rates shifted to full-year worker basis CLASS or WORKERS NUMBER OF FULL-YEAR WORKERS TOTAL LABOR HOURS LABOR CHANGES ACCESSION SEPARATION FLUX NUMBER Skilled 913 ] Unskilled . . Total . . 1917-18 Skilled . . . Unskilled . . Total . . Skilled 913 ] Unskilled . . Total . . 1917-18 Skilled . . . Unskilled . . Total . . 24,733 15,660 74,199,000 46,980,000 14,848 20,042 16,484 22,251 31,332 42,293 40,393 121,179,000 34,890 38,735 73,625 16,169 4,408 48,507,000 13,224,000 21,919 19,661 24,830 19,203 46,749 38,864 20,577 61,731,000 41,580 44,033 85,613 RATE PER FULL-YEAR WORKER V. .60 1.29 .66 1.41 1.26 \ 2.70 \ .87 .96 1.83 4-47 4*35 2.88 / 8.82 1 2.OI 2.13 4.14 / the demand for common labor was so great that at frequent intervals actual shortages of this kind of help were felt. The ensuing shortages resulted in a sharp competition for common 74 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY labor; employers outbid each other in order to obtain it, and the workers, taking advantage of the situation, shifted from plant to plant and city to city in enormous numbers. The com- petition for help was carried on mainly by means of extensive newspaper advertising. The advertisements were so alluring that, as one large employer put it, "day workers were looking for new positions during the evening and night workers during the day." OCCUPATIONAL INCIDENCE OF LABOR MOBILITY ( It is apparent that the mobility rates as shown for an establish- ment as a whole do not quite accurately reflect the conditions within the establishment, for the reason that the shifting may be largely confined to a single occupation or a group of occupations. To bring out the real significance of the mobility situation, therefore, further classification is necessary. ) Probably the most significant classification of mobility in individual establishments and one which best brings out the exact responsibility for the labor changes in the working force is that based upon occupations or jobs, or a classification in which the mobility figures are at least kept in relation to certain groups within the working force doing somewhat identical work and having similar working conditions. The advantage of such a classification lies in the fact that it makes it possible to particularize the analysis of existing conditions in the plant and trace the influence upon stability of the nature of the work and the general conditions of employment of each occupation or group of occupations. Table 20 shows the occupational responsibility for labor instability in one of the largest car-building establishments in the United States. 1 This table shows how greatly the mobility rates of the different occupational groups vary from the rates as a whole. For exam- 1 It was obviously impracticable to classify the labor changes by distinct oper- ations of which there were over 700 in this establishment but the predomi- nant and numerically most important in each department were carefully chosen and are here designated as principal occupations. LABOR MOBILITY IN INDIVIDUAL PLANTS 75 pie, the flux rate of the total working force of this establishment is 5.40 while at the same time the rate for one occupation, pattern makers, is 1.05 and for another, riveters, is 11.76. The figures of this establishment also show that, although for the estab- lishment as a whole there has been an excess of separations over accessions, this applies only to some of the occupational groups, while others show the number of accessions to be greater than the number of separations, resulting in corresponding changes in the mobility rates. It is stated by the company that the influence of uncertainty in obtaining materials and certain demoralizing labor conditions are reflected in the high mobility rates of shearsmen, punch-press and power-press operators, bolt makers, and car-body builders. The high shifting frequency of car truck builders and car steam fitters is due to seasonal fluc- tuations. Assemblers, filers and welders, molders, wood- machine operators and upholsterers show high mobility rates because of the reduction in their number. The highest rates of labor change are found among the riveters and laborers. Both these groups of workers are regarded by the management as being of the floater type, which is a type very difficult to manage. The marked instability of workers in certain occupations in this establishment may be explained by the fact that, during the period for which figures are shown, shipbuilding on the Great Lakes received a great impetus and the type of worker employed in car building could readily be absorbed in shipbuilding plants. The relatively higher wages paid in the shipbuilding industry no doubt attracted many employees from this and other establish- ments. 1 1 See also Table 31, below, where are shown monthly flux rates for the same plant, over the same 1 2-month period, and for some of the same occupations represented in Table 20. 7 6 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE LABOR MOBILITY IN A CAR-BUILDING By Occupations, for Year /tevUj* LABOR OCCUPATIONS NUMBER OF FULL-YEAR WORKERS LABOR HOURS (THOUSANDS NUMBER ACCESSIONS SEPARATIONS Air-brake construction men . Assemblers, filers and welders . Bevelers, glaziers and silverers . Blacksmiths 8 197 23 117 24 591 69 2 CT 13 175 35 TIC 21 441 44 TC6 Bolt makers AQ I 2O T 7-7 I IO Bookkeepers, clerks, etc. . . Cabinet makers Car body builders .... Car bottom builders .... Car electricians Car inspectors Carpenters 229 167 871 103 186 25 72 687 501 2,6l3 309 558 75 216 257 157 3,394 94 395 ii 1 20 259 242 3,383 134 494 8 1 08 Car platform builders . . . Car steam fitters Car truck builders .... Die and tool makers .... Draftsmen 31 118 i5S 158 88 93 354 465 474 264 42 376 356 228 38 56 384 379 230 88 Engineers and firemen . . . Hammersmiths Inside car finishers .... Inside car trimmers .... .Laborers Machinists, bench machinists, etc. Mechanical engineers . . . Millwrights 59 no 261 211 1,140 466 26 146 177 330 783 633 3,420 i,398 78 438 160 127 190 157 6,166 622 23 423 146 164 328 210 6, 1 86 803 25 4O I Molders 40 147 142 173 Painters f!7 I ?^I 800 I 076 Pattern makers Printers 18 9 54 2 7 16 14 15 JRlYfitdS ... T ... I -2Q 4.17 763 877 Rolling mill helpers .... Roof fitters 90 170 270 e-i'j 55 271 63 363 Shearsmen, punch-press op't's, etc. Shop electricians Shop steam and water fitters Superintend's, gen'l foremen, etc. Template makers Tinners .... 446 57 47 7i 37 I ?2 1,338 171 141 213 III 4^6 1,395 143 88 76 40 IOO 1,576 133 77 98 59 214 Upholsterers 223 669 207 463 Watchmen 80 267 24O 243 Wood machine operators 153 459 390 389 Total 7 287 21 861 18 8^7 2O 642 LABOR MOBILITY IN INDIVIDUAL PLANTS 77 20 PLANT (ESTABLISHMENT No. 102) Ending May 31, 1918 CHANGES OCCUPATIONS RATE, PER FULL-YEAR WORKER TOTAL ACCES- SION SEPARA- TION FLUX 34 1.62 2.64 4.26 Air-brake construction men 616 .87 2.25 3.12 Assemblers, filers and welders 79 i-53 I.Q2 3-45 Bevelers, glaziers and silverers 291 1.16 1-33 2.49 Blacksmiths 252 3-33 2.97 6.30 Bolt makers 5i6 i. ii I.I4 2.25 Bookkeepers, clerks, etc. 399 94 145 2-39 Cabinet makers 6,777 3-90 3.87 7-77- Car body builders 228 .91 1.30 2.21 Car bottom builders 889 2.13 2.64 4-77 Car electricians 19 .44 32 76 Car inspectors 228 1.67 1.50 3-J7 Carpenters 98 1.36 1. 80 3-i6 Car platform builders 760 3-19 3.25 6.44 Car steam fitters 735 2.29 2.45 4-74 Car truck builders 458 1.44 1.46 2.90 Die and tool makers 126 .42 .99 1.41 Draftsmen 306 2.71 2.48 5-19 Engineers and firemen 291 1.14 1.50 2.64 Hammersmiths Si8 .72 1.26 1.98 Inside car finishers 367 75 .99 1.74 Inside car trimmers 12,352 1,425 5-40 1.32 540 " I.7I {10.80 3-03 Laborers Machinists, bench machinists, etc. 48 87 .96 1.83 Mechanical engineers 824 2.88 2-73 5-6i Millwrights 3 T 5 2.88 3-54 6.42 Molders 1,966 1.71 2.07 3-78 Painters 19 .27 .78 1.05 Pattern makers 3i 1.77 1.65 3-42 Printers 1,640 5-46 6.30 '.11.76: Riveters 1x8 .60 .69 1.29 Rolling mill helpers 634 1.50 2.01 3-S 1 Roof fitters 2,971 3.12 3-54 6.66 Shearsmen, punch-press operators, etc. 276 165 2.49 .86 2.34 1.62 4-83 3-48 Shop electricians Shop steam and water fitters i74 .08 1.38 2.46 Superintendents, general foremen, etc. 99 .08 1.59 2.67 Template makers 413 .29 1.41 2.70 Tinners 760 3 2 2.07 3-39 Upholsterers 483 2.70 2.73 543 Watchmen 779 2-55 2.55 5.10 Wood machine operators 39,479 2.58 2.82 540 Total CHAPTER VI TYPES OF SEPARATION AND CAUSES OF TURNOVER l THE reasons for employees leaving the service of an industrial establishment may be traced back either to purely voluntary action on their part, generally caused by dissatisfaction with the prevailing conditions of employment, or to action initiated by the employer and due either to curtailment of industrial activities or to dissatisfaction with the services of certain of his employees. Separations occurring on the employee's own initiative are re- ferred to in these pages as voluntary separations or quits; and those resulting from the affirmative action of the employer are referred to as lay-offs or discharges, as the circumstances indicate. In attempting to get some conception of the relative responsibility of the various influences bearing upon the mobility of labor it is highly important to give some special consideration to each of these three types of separations. In the figures presented here on the nature of separations, " quits " are taken to include all voluntary separations, including withdrawals due to death, marriage, etc. Discharges nearly always mean dismissal "for cause," which presupposes some form of incapacity for the work or at least what is believed to be some defect in the character of the em- ployee. Under lay-offs are grouped those who are "let out" either temporarily or permanently whether because of the com- pletion of the job or because of shortage of the particular work at which the laid-off employee was engaged. Lay-offs are not voluntary separations and have nothing to do with the character of the employee. Lay-offs, moreover, seldom are made for a 1 This chapter reproduced by permission, and with some modification, from the authors' article on "The Causes of Labor Turnover," 2 Administration, 649-667 (November, 1921). 78 SEPARATION AND CAUSES OF TURNOVER 79 definite length of time, and a large proportion of laid-off em- ployees, as a matter of fact, never return to the same establish- ment from which they were laid off. In Table 21 are given the number, rate per full-year worker, and the percentage distribution of all separations, of employees discharged, laid off, and leaving voluntarily. Figures are shown for each year from 1910 to 1915 inclusive and for the 12 -month period ending May 31, 1918. The arresting fact shown in the following rate and percentage distribution figures is that the great bulk of all separations to-day, as in 1910, is due to voluntary leaving. It also appears from these figures that periods of industrial prosperity are reflected in rela- tively low, and periods of depression in relatively high, propor- tions of lay-offs to total separations, and that the lay-off rate is the most sensitive of the three separation rates to changing industrial conditions. Thus, in 1914, when the ratio of quits to total separations was lower than at any other time during the period covered by the figures, the proportion of lay-offs was higher than at any other time, constituting nearly one third (31 per cent) of all separations, while in the immediately pre- ceding year 1913 lay-offs made up only 7 per cent of all separa- tions. The rate figures indicate that it is not alone the proportion but also the actual rate of lay-off which is thus affected by busi- ness activity and depression, the lay-off rate for 1913 being .10, a relatively low figure, and for 1914, .25, per full-year worker, which is an exceedingly high rate for lay-offs. The discharge rate is evidently subject to less extreme fluc- tuations than the lay-off rate, and it makes up from year to year a more constant proportion of the total separations. There appears, moreover, to be a rather definite relation between the accession and discharge rates, due, possibly, to the process of selection which goes on when new workers are taken on in large numbers. The consequence of the stimulating effect of business prosperity in boosting the voluntary leaving rates may be seen in the high rates of total separation, in spite of the fact that the 8o LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY lay-off rates are relatively low. In periods of depression both the rates and the proportions of lay-off and discharge are higher than in periods of prosperity. This is due tojhe fact that when TABLE TYPE OF SEPARATION (DISCHARGE, LAY-OFF OR VOLUNTARY QUITTING) AND FOR THE 12-MONTH PERIOD (Source: Report on "Mobility of Labor in American Industry." YEAR NUMBER OF ESTAB- LISHMENTS NUMBER OF FULL-YEAR WORKERS TOTAL LABOR HOURS IOIO 7 13 20 35 50 28 108 23,273 56,577 72,526 134,823 118,195 78,984 207,303 69,819,000 169,731,000 217,578,000 404,469,000 354,585,000 236,952,000 621,909,000 1912 ... 1913 iQiS 1017 18 Total 261 691,681 2,075,043,000 PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL SEPARATIONS DUE TO DISCHARGE LAY-OFF VOLUNTARY SEPARATION IS 19 20 17 2O 16 14 3 10 6 7 3i 20 8 82 71 74 76 49 63 79 IO.T2 IOI4. 101 ^ 1017 18 Total . . 16 ii 73 depression sets in there are unusually large numbers laid off and employees are discharged more freely than would be the case when labor is urgently needed. The influence of the prevailing industrial conditions not only upon the separation rate as a whole but more specifically upon the three types of separation quitting, lay-off, and discharge, SEPARATION AND CAUSES OF TURNOVER 81 which make up this rate is shown in Table 2, on page 16, which gives the trend, from 1912 to 1919, of accession (hiring) and classified separation rates in a middle western metal products 21 OF EMPLOYEES LEAVING, BY YEARS FROM 1910 TO 1915, INCLUSIVE, ENDING MAY 31, 1918 10 Mo. Labor Rev., 1354. Rates shifted to full-year worker basis) SEPARATIONS ACCESSIONS DISCHARGES LAY-OFFS VOLUNTARY SEPARATIONS TOTAL 15,936 2,608 514 14,230 17,352 1910 53,506 9,837 5,082 50,635 I9II 78,843 13,628 4,057 49,806 67,491 1912 182,276 32,094 13,334 141,035 186,463 1913 82,585 19,565 29,737 46,660 95,962 1914 50,421 6,946 8,536 26,862 42,344 1915 51,400 29,833 299,157 380,390 1917-18 856,731 136,078 91,093 613,466 840,637 Total RATE, PER FULL-YEAR WORKER, OF SEPARATION ACCESSION DISCHARGE LAY-OFF VOLUNTARY SEPARATION TOTAL .68 .11 .02 .61 74 1910 95 .17 .09 63 .89 1911 1.09 .19 .06 .69 .94 1912 1.35 .24 .10 1.05 1-39 1913 .70 17 25 .40 .82 1914 .64 .09 .11 34 54 1915 1.90 25 .14 1.44 1.83 1917-18 1.24 -.20 13 .89' 1.22 Total manufacturing plant. This trend, in so far as the separation rates are concerned, is shown graphically in Chart E, on page 83. l Perhaps the most striking fact brought out by this chart is the very close way in which the quitting rate parallels the total 1 Chart reprinted by permission from the authors' article on "Causes of Labor Turnover," Administration, November, 1921. 82 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY separation rate, the margin being relatively wide in periods of depression and relatively narrow in periods of great industrial activity. At the points where the separation rate generally declines, the lay-off rate shows, at first, a decided upward trend, but the discharge rate declines even more rapidly than the sepa- ration rate as a whole. In the period of increasing industrial activity, especially during the war period, the discharge rate runs along at about the same relatively low level, while the lay-off rate steadily declines, reaching its lowest point at a period which marks the peak of activity in this plant. The form of the lay-off rate curve in the early part of the seven-year period shows that it was the great increase in the num- ber laid off in the latter part of 1914 that raised the separation rate during that time so considerably above the accession rate. This shows how inaccurate the separation curve would be if taken to measure "turnover" unless that term is to be used in refer- ence to something entirely different from the amount of change in- volved in maintenance, that is to say replacement. Almost the whole margin, in this part of the period, between the separa- tion and accession rates is due to increased lay-offs, i.e., to a (more or less) permanent decrease in the size of the standard working force. 1 Remarkable reductions took place during the first three and a half years, in both the quitting and discharge rates. When the war began in Europe this establishment had, apparently, gone a long way toward the elimination of discharges as a factor in turnover. In the three years from 1912 to 1915, it reduced its rate of discharge from .25 to .05 per full-year worker, or 80 per cent. But during the war period from December 31, 1915, to April 30, 1919, the discharge rate increased 400 per cent. The most important pre-war reduction is, of course, in the quit- ting rate, because the quitters are responsible for the bulk of the turnover. This company's quitting rate went down from 1.23 in January, 1912, to .36 in June, 1915, a decline of 71 percent. But the quitting rate increased 271 per cent between the year 1 Compare Chart A above, p. 19. 84 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY ended December 31, 1915, and the year ended April 30, 1919. It is quite evident, as has been pointed out, that it is the quitting rate which primarily determines the total separation rate. The disturbing effect of war conditions is very evident. Both accession and separation rates had risen in 1918 to points far above the high points of the 1912-1915 period. An examination of the accession rate and the different separation rates (shown in Table 2) indicates that the war pushed all rates except the lay-off rate well above the remarkably low points reached in 1915. Worse yet, the charts show that it pushed all except the lay-off and discharge rates up to a point even higher than the maxi- mum rates of 1912, so that total separation and accession rates and the replacement rate, 1 which in this case is identical with the separation rate, rose to points never before reached within the period covered by the figures reported. It is interesting to note the effect of the war on the lay-off rate. During the period 1912-1915 it was reduced 28 per cent. War conditions appar- ently greatly accelerated this reduction and showed a lay-off rate of .08 per full-year worker for the year ended May 31, 1918, as compared with .31 for the year 1915, a reduction of 77 per cent. But in the latter part of 1918, the lay-off rate began to rise and the rate for the year ending April 30, 1919, stood at .67, the highest it had been since 1915. Despite the increased war de- mand for labor, the discharge rate increased from .05 in 1915 to .17 in 1918, an increase of 240 per cent. It has continued to rise, and stood at .25 for the year ended April 30, 1919. The proportions of the total separations in industrial establish- ments due to discharge, lay-off, and (voluntary) quitting in the period 1913-14, and to discharge, lay-off, entry into military service, and quitting in 1917-18, are shown in Table 22. It is evident that the war period brought about a considerable decrease in the proportion of discharges and in the number of establishments having a heavy proportion of separations due to discharges. The war period had the same effect upon lay-offs, 1 Shown on Chart A, page 19. SEPARATION AND CAUSES OF TURNOVER but, on the contrary, it brought about a great increase in the number of establishments having a heavy proportion of separa- tions due to voluntary leaving. The figures of Table 22 for sixty-six establishments reporting in 1913-14 and one hundred TABLE 22 NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTS IN WHICH CLASSIFIED PROPORTIONS OF THE TOTAL SEPARATIONS ARE ATTRIBUTABLE, RESPECTIVELY, TO DISCHARGE, LAY-OFF, ENTRY INTO MILITARY SERVICE, AND VOLUNTARY QUITTING, 1913-14 AND 1917-18 NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTS NUMBER OF ES- HAVING CLASSIFIED PERCENTAGES OF THE TOTAL SEPARATIONS DUE TO TABLISHMENTS HAVING CLAS- SIFIED PER- PERCENTAGES OF EMPLOYEES HAVING PERCENTAGE OF CENTAGES OF TOTAL SEPARATIONS TOTAL SEPARATIONS THE TOTAL SEPARATIONS BEEN BEEN ENTERED DUE TO EM- DIS- LAID MILITARY PLOYEES HAV- CHARGED OFF SERVICE ING QUIT 1913-14 5 or less . . 6 8 40 or less 13 Over 5 to 10 7 .10 Over 40 to 50 II Over 10 to 15 . 13 6 Over 50 to 60 12 Over 15 to 20 . 6 4 Over 60 to 70 7 Over 20 to 25 6 2 Over 70 to 80 . II Over 25 to 30 9 Over 80 to 90 . 9 Over 30 ... 19 18 Over 90 to 100 . 3 Total . . 66 48 Total . . 66 1917-18 5 or less . . . 24 34 43 40 or less 3 Over 5 to 10 39 IS 49 Over 40 to 50 . 4 Over 10 to 15 22 6 5 Over 50 to 60 6 Over 15 to 20 13 i 7 Over 60 to 70 18 Over 20 to 25 5 2 i Over 70 to 80 3i Over 25 to 30 . 3 5 Over 80 to 90 . 37 Over 30 ... i 5 Over 90 to loo . 9 Total . . 107 68 105 Total . . 108 and seven reporting in 1917-18 indicate that discharges in 1918 made up over 30 per cent of all separations in less than i per cent of the establishments reporting, whereas in 1913-14 they bulked that large in nearly one-third of the establishments reporting. 86 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE NUMBER AND RATE PER FULL-YEAR WORKER OF EMPLOYEES DISCHARGED, BY INDUSTRY GROUPS, INDUSTRY GROUP NUMBER or ESTAB- LISHMENTS NUMBER OF FULL-YEAR WORKERS TOTAL LABOR HOURS (THOUSANDS) 1913-14 Automobiles and parts 14. 31 4.2O QA 260 Chemical industries and refineries Clothing and textile mfg 3 2 2,9OO 2 588 8,700 7 76A Furniture and millwork Leather and rubber goods 4" o 018 27 0^4. Machinery mfg IO 23 O3O 60 117 Mercantile establishments 4 7,113 21 33Q Miscellaneous metal products mfg. . . . Printing and publishing 17 e 46,495 5,566 139,485 16,698 Public utilities: Gas and electricity mfg I 6<;o IiQ^O Street railways 2 I^XAO 46,620 Telephone service 3 21,801 6^,403 Slaughtering and meat packing .... Total 66 166,130 498,390 1917-18 Automobiles and parts 16 68,799 206,397 Chemical industries and refineries . . . Clothing and textile mfg. . .... 7 4 7,549 2,098 226,647 6,204 Furniture and millwork i 275 825 Leather and rubber goods 2 4,443 I7.72O Machinery mfg 21 29,185 87,555 C 7,362 22,086 Miscellaneous metal products mfg. Printing and publishing 27 7 15,453 1,628 46,359 4,884 Public utilities: Gas and electricity'mfg C 11,566 34,698 Street railways Telephone service 3 IO 8,882 21,338 26,646 64,014 Slaughtering and meat packing .... 4 28,725 86,175 Total .... 108 2O7, 30^ 62I.QOO As to the lay-offs, the same figures demonstrate that in 1917-18 they constituted over 30 per cent of all separations in less than 8 per cent of the concerns reporting, but in 1913-14 they made up over 30 per cent of all separations in 37 per cent of the establish- SEPARATION AND CAUSES OF TURNOVER 87 23 a LAID OFF, ENTERING MILITARY SERVICE, AND LEAVING VOLUNTARILY, 1913-14 AND 1917-18 NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES LEAVING WHO WERE \TLT-rm -a* ENTERED LEFT INDUSTRY GROUP DIS- WERE LAID OFF MILITARY VOLUN- TOTAL CHARGED SERVICE TARILY 1913-14 IX 835 17,366 21,580 50,781 Automobiles and parts 5*5 362 2,147 3,024 Chem. industries and refin's 447 58 i,434 i,939 Clothing and textile mfg. Furniture and millwork 2,066 922 9,"7 12,105 Leather and rubber foods 2,664 5,106 8,169 15,939 Machinery mfg. 243 772 1,322 2,337 Mercantile establishments 7,979 857 5,368 515 .^_ 37,422 2,307] 50,769 3,679 Miscel. metal products mfg. Printing and publishing Public utilities: 42 27 133 202 Gas and electricity mfg. 2,549 i,797 4,346 Street railways 3,924 5,149 10,786 Telephone service Slaughter'g and meat pack'g 30,910 34,420 90,577 155,907 Total 1917-18 14,623 10,420 10,599 93,ooi 128,643 Automobiles and parts 2,430 756 20,848 25,209 Chem. industries and refin's ^ 264 22 ' 61 2,633 2,980 Clothing and textile mfg. 26 30 649 70S Furniture and millwork 902 52 440 9,8i3 II,2O7 Leather and rubber goods 3,786 837 1,658 3,972 2,959 522 33,628 10,432 42,031 15,763 Machinery mfg. Mercantile establishments 3,932 8 9 6 2,027 32,669 39,515 Miscel. metal products mfg. 90 I 158 2,909 3,158 Printing and publishing Public utilities: 1,162 5,624 1,680 9,221 17,687 Gas and electricity mfg. 1,697 55 951 5,681 8,384 Street railways 3,354 2,362 i,353 14,795 21,864 Telephone service 18,306 4,oi5 i,645 39,278 63,244 Slaughtering and m't pack'g 51,400 29,833 23,600 275,557 830,390 Total ments. Voluntary quits in 1918 made up over 80 per cent of all separations in nearly half of the establishments reporting, while in 1913-14 they constituted this large a proportion in less than one-fifth of the concerns reporting. 88 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE NUMBER AND RATE PER FULL- YEAR WORKER OF EMPLOYEES DISCHARGED, BY INDUSTRY GROUPS, RATE, PER FULL- INDUSTRY GROUP DIS- CHARGE LAY- OFF ENTRY INTO MILITARY SERVICE LEAVING VOLUN- TARILY TOTAL SEPA- RATION I9-3-M Automobiles and parts .... 38 55 .69 1.62 OVmt-M-l/^ol lt-l/^HC'4' fi^e* 01"r1 **kl-* AOTAft * vxiiciniccn niQusurics diici rcnncrics .12 74 1.04 Clothing and textile mfg. 17 .02 56 75 Furniture and millwork .... Leather and rubber goods 2 3 .10 I.OI I -34 Machinery mfg .12 .22 ?C .60 Mercantile establishments Miscellaneous metal products mfg. . Printing and publishing .... 03 17 .11 .11 .09 oo .19 .80 .41 \S\f .a .65 Public utilities : Gas and e'ctric'y mfg. .07 .04 .20 Street railways . 17 .12 .29 Telephone service . .08 .18 .24 50 Slaughtering and meat packing . Average ... .10 .21 .QC A y 00 yj How the relative proportions of discharges and voluntary sepa- rations have changed during the last few years may be seen from the figures for a large machine tool manufacturing establishment. The percentage of employees leaving voluntarily, as against the total number of separations, for each of the three years ended June 30, 1916, 1917, and 1918, and for the three-months period, July to September, 1918, inclusive, for the day force, were 80, 81, 86, and 92, respectively. The percentages of voluntary separations for the night force, for the same periods, were 77, 82, 91, and 96 per cent, respectively. The ratios of discharged employees for the day force for the years ending June 30, 1916, 1917, and 1918, and the three-months period, July to Sep- tember, 1918, inclusive, were 20, 19, 14, and 8 per cent, respec- tively. During the same periods the night force showed the following percentages of discharges: 23, 18, 9, and 5 re- SEPARATION AND CAUSES OF TURNOVER 89 236 LAID OFF, ENTERING MILITARY SERVICE, AND LEAVING VOLUNTARILY, 1913-14 AND 1917-18 YEAR WORKER, OF DIS- CHARGE LAY- OFF ENTRY INTO MILITARY SERVICE LEAVING VOLUN- TARILY TOTAL SEPA- RATION INDUSTRY GROUP 1917-18 .21 IS IS 1-35 1.86 Automobiles and parts 32 .10 .16 2. 7 6 3-34 Chemical industries and refineries 13 .01 03 1.25 1.42 Clothing and textile mfg. .10 .11 2.36 2-57 Furniture and millwork .20 .01 .10 2.21 2.52 Leather and rubber goods 13 .06 .10 I-IS 1.44 Machinery mfg. .11 54 .07 1.42 2.14 Mercantile establishments .26 05 .06 a 13 .10 2.12 1.79 2-57 1.94 Miscellaneous metal products mfg. Printing and publishing .16 .11 .06 .69 1.02 Public utilities: Gas and el'ctric'y mfg. .IO 49 .14 .80 i-53 Street railways .19 .01 .11 64 05 Telephone service .64 14 .06 i-37 2.21 Slaughtering and meat packing 25 14 .11 i-33 1.8 3 Average spectively. Quitting became more frequent; firing much less frequent. In Tables 23 a and 23 b, the subdivided separation rates are classified according to the various industry groups covered in the two investigations. These figures bring out some rather important and significant facts with regard to various industries. It is evident, for exam- ple, that mercantile establishments had the minimum discharge rate in 1914 and printing and publishing plants in 1918; the mini- mum lay-off rate in 1914 was in clothing and textiles and in 1918 in printing and publishing; and the minimum quitting rate in 1914 was in the street railway industry and in 1918 in the tele- phone service. The maximum discharge rate was in the automo- bile industry in 1914 and in the slaughtering and meat-packing Less, than .005,. go LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY industry in 1918. The maximum lay-off rate in 1914 was in the automobile industry and in 1918 in mercantile establishments, and the maximum quitting rate was in leather and rubber goods in 1914 and in chemical industries in 1918. The figures show, furthermore, that in 1914 in the automobile group discharges and lay-offs made up over half of all separations, but that by 1918 they had been reduced to less than one-fourth of all separations. In the miscellaneous metal products industries, discharges and lay-offs constituted in 1914 nearly one- third of all separations, but by 1918 they had been cut down to about one-eighth of the total separations. In mercantile establishments, on the other hand, discharges and lay-offs bulk about as heavily among the separations in the earlier as in the later period, making up nearly half of all separations both then and now. An attempt to establish some relation between the particular type of separation and the relative skill of the separating em- ployee is made in Table 24, in which are classified the returns from 22 establishments which reported mobility figures for skilled and unskilled employees separately. 1 The degree of occupational training and skill possessed by the employees appears to make little or no difference in the propor- tion of quits, discharges, and lay-offs in the total number of separations. The percentage distribution figures show that 76 per cent of the skilled employees and 72 per cent of the unskilled employees who left, did so voluntarily; 15 per cent of the skilled and 19 per cent of the unskilled were discharged, and 10 per cent of the skilled and 9 per cent of the unskilled employees leaving were laid off. The situation is quite different, however, with regard to the actual rate of separation, the figures indicating conclusively that the lay-off, discharge, and quitting rates, and, of course, the total separation rate, are each much higher for unskilled than for skilled workers, the total separation rate being 1 Compare also Tables 19 and 39. SEPARATION AND CAUSES OF TURNOVER 91 .66 for skilled and 1.41 for unskilled workers. The subdivided separation rates show about the same relation between skilled and unskilled, so that it would appear that skilled workers are about twice as stable as semiskilled and unskilled ones. TABLE 24 COMPARISON OF SEPARATION RATES OF SKILLED AND UNSKILLED EMPLOYEES LEAVING VOLUNTARILY, DISCHARGED, AND LAID OFF DURING ONE YEAR (1913, 1914, and 1915; 22 establishments reporting) SEPARATIONS DURING YEAR NUMBER RATE PER FULL-YEAR WORKER 1 PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION SKILLED UNSKILLED SKILLED UNSKILLED SKILLED UNSKILLED All Separations: Quits .... Discharges . . Lay-offs . . . 16,484 12,451 2,432 1,601 22,251 16,093 4,i7i 1,987 .66 51 .09 .06 I.4I 1.03 .27 .12 IOO 76 is 10 IOO 72 19 9 In Table 25 the relation between type of separation and size of establishment is shown on the basis of the mobility figures of the sixty-six establishments reporting in 1913-14 and one hun- dred and eight establishments reporting in 1917-18. In the period 1913-14 there is observable quite a marked de- crease in the discharge and lay-off rates as the size of the estab- lishment increases. The explanation for this may be sought in the fact that the large-size establishments were less seriously affected by the industrial depression which made itself felt during the latter part of that period. The situation is reversed, how- ever, in the period 1917-18, the discharge and lay-off rates being slightly higher in the larger establishments. In both periods the separation rates as a whole show a slight decrease as the size of the establishment increases. 1 Based on 74,199,000 skilled-labor hours and 46,980,000 unskilled-labor hours put in during year in the 22 establishments. 9 2 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE RELATION BETWEEN SIZE OF ESTABLISHMENT AND TYPE OF SEPARATION VOLUNTARY QUITTING), NUMBER OP EMPLOYEES NUMBER OF ESTAB- LISHMENTS NUMBER OF FULL-YEAR WORKERS TOTAL LABOR HOURS (THOUSANDS) 1913-14 Under 1000 .... 29 16,097 48,291 1000 and under 5000 29 72,6.34 217,902 5000 and over .... 8 77>399 232,197 Total .... 66 166,130 498,390 1917-18 Under 1000 67 32,453 97,359 looo and under 5000 32 69,182 207,546 5000 and over 9 105,668 317,004 Total 108 207,303 621,909 1913-14 Under 1000 1000 and under 5000 5000 and over Total 1917-18 Under 1000 1000 and under 5000 5000 and over . Total CAUSES OF SEPARATION The need for definite and detailed information on the causes' of labor instability is obvious. _ In order to devise methods of stabilizing the work force and eliminating unnecessary labor changes, it is quite necessary to know the factors responsible for SEPARATION AND CAUSES OF TURNOVER 93 25 (DISCHARGE, LAY-OFF, ENTRY INTO MILITARY SERVICE, AND 1913-14 AND 1917-18 NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES WHO NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES WERE DISCHARGED WERE LAID OFF ENTERED MILITARY SERVICE LEFT VOLUNTARILY TOTAL 5,929 ^5,335 9,646 5,512 18,880 10,028 12,014 31,698 46,865 23,455 65,913 66,539 I9I3-H Under 1000 1000 and under 5000 5000 and over Total 1917-18 Under 1000 1000 and under 5000 5000 and over Total 1913-14 Under 1000 looo and under 5000 5000 and over Total 1917-18 Under 1000 1000 and under 5000 5000 and over Total 30,910 7,107 12,952 31,341 34,420 3,868 10,201 15,764 4,110 8,125 ",365 90,577 56,414 97,097 122,046 155,907 71,499 128,375 180,516 51,400 29,833 23,600 275,557 380,390 RATE, PER FULL-YEAR WORKER, OF DISCHARGE LAY-OFF ENTRY INTO MILITARY SERVICE LEAVING VOLUNTARILY TOTAL SEPARA- TION 37 .21 13 34 .26 13 75 44 .61 I. 4 6 gi .87 .19 .22 .19 30 .21 .12 15 15 13 .12 .11 55 1.74 1.40 1.16 95 2.21 1.86 1.72 25 .14 .11 i-33 1.83 the labor shiftings. It is hardly necessary to call attention in this place to the fact that the causes of labor instability present a very vast and complex problem. It is obvious that a determi- nation of these causes, because of their complex nature and the large number of factors to be considered, would necessitate an 94 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY inquiry of a magnitude quite beyond the scope of the present inquiry. In discussing the underlying reasons for separations we are disregarding here the separations from service due to purely industrial conditions and fluctuations in production, that is to say, forced separations, or lay-offs, the occurrence of which depends upon whether or not a particular job has been finished or whether or not industrial depression has set in. No attempt is made here to discuss that part of the labor shifting which is due to maladjustment of labor supply and demand caused by an unorganized labor market, by a defective system of labor dis- tribution, or by maladjustment in the matter of wage levels for similar work in different localities, etc. In view, therefore, of the complexity of the problem and the lack of information on the subject, it is proposed to discuss here, not the causes of mobility that are primarily inherent in the industrial community situation, but the more personal causes of labor shifting as those causes find expression in the separating employee and as they have been classified by individual em- ployers, f It is recognized, of course, that the non-industrial and personal causes are inextricably interwoven with the conditions created by the prevailing industrial situation, j / In their efforts to stabilize the labor force a number of firms have made attempts to discover the causes of instability and more particularly to find out the immediate, or precipitating, causes for separations from service. They have done this on the assump- tion that if it were feasible to ascertain the fundamental reasons why men leave their employ, it would be possible, through the tabulation and analysis of those reasons, to show the real causes of instability. It was felt, moreover, that if it were practicable to ascertain the real reasons for employees leaving, it might be then relatively easy to develop a record which would be of considerable value in the solution of the employment problem in the individual establishments concerned, and so point the way toward greater stability, v Even in this individual method of ascertaining the causes for SEPARATION AND CAUSES OF TURNOVER 95 labor instability there are serious difficulties to be overcome. Employment managers and others in charge of the work force essay to interview an employee who is about to leave of his own accord. This interview is held, of course, before the employee actually severs his connection with the firm. At the interview the employer or his agent tries to secure a frank and truthful statement from the employee regarding the actual reasons which are impelling him to leave. Employers point out, however, the difficulties involved in interviewing prospective quitters. They say that it is difficult to do this, even in normal times, and that it was especially difficult during the war period because of the more independent attitude assumed by the workers. It is generally found that men leaving service do not like to be questioned too closely regarding their reasons for leaving, and often plainly resent such inquiries. It is claimed that in many cases they give some fictitious excuse rather than a substantial reason, and when pressed advance the most plausible reason they can get away with. From the standpoint of the worker it is perhaps not difficult to understand his reluctance to give full information regarding his reasons for leaving. Such knowledge in the possession of the employer might be disadvantageous to the employee in his search for a new job, and it might in other ways have the effect of restricting his freedom of movement. The employee will have observed that nearly all employment departments keep careful records of employees' past records and that employers generally keep each other informed about the movements of former em- ployees. To the difficulties of learning from employees the reasons for leaving, there must be added the difficulty of analyzing and classifying the results obtained. It has been the experience of men interviewing prospective quitters that even where the reason for quitting has been obtained, it has not always been easy to reduce to a single classifiable category the manifold motives which may have animated the individual in his desire to change LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY jobs. Many employment managers believe that only in the case of discharges can the causes of separation really definitely be known. This is obviously because action in the case of discharge proceeds from the management and the employee has nothing to say about it. For the reasons given in the preceding paragraph, the figures on causes for quitting which are presented below cannot be regarded as more than an indication of existing conditions, although employers who have kept such figures have expressed the opinion that in most cases they point definitely toward cer- tain existing maladjustments and to particular causes that need to be attacked. In Table 26 are given the classified assigned reasons for the voluntary separation and the causes for the dis- charge of nearly 10,000 employees in six metal trades establish- ments. TABLE 26 REASONS ADVANCED FOR VOLUNTARY SEPARATION FROM SERVICES OF 8140 EM- PLOYEES AND CAUSES FOR DISCHARGE OF 1439 EMPLOYEES, IN Six METAL TRADES ESTABLISHMENTS CA SES CA SES SEPARATION NUM. BER PER CENT CAUSE OF DISCHARGE NUM- BER PER CENT Wages Dissatisfied with wage rate, etc. . . . Obtained better job or re- 2,OOI 24.6 Incompetent Unreliable . Lazy .... 478 422 148 33-2 29-3 10 ? turned to former job Nature of work too hard, heavy, wet, dusty, dirty 984 4IO 12. 1 r.O Careless . Insubordination Misconduct . . Trouble breeder 66 93 54 io T" * *J*-'*rV During the year 1917 there occurred in this establishment 22,700 separations. Of this number 5204, or 22.9 per cent, were due to reduction of force and 983, or 4.3 per cent, to entrance into military service. Of the remaining separations, with the causes too LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY of which we are here specifically concerned, 13,664, or 60.2 per cent of all, were voluntary, and 2849, or 12.6 per cent of all, were due to discharge. It will be seen from the figures of Table 27 that of the total number of voluntary eparations, about 25 per cent resulted from employees either having obtained more promising positions or positions which offered higher wages. The number " leaving city" seems to represent a considerable proportion of the total number leaving. It is very doubtful, however, whether this number really left the city; it is quite likely that in the majority of the cases it was only a proffered excuse. Those who were dissatisfied for various reasons number 12.8 per cent of the total. A significant commentary on the whole stability situation in this establishment is implicit in the rather large number of per- sons who simply dropped out of service without giving any notice of leaving, either in advance or subsequently nearly 30 per cent of the total number leaving voluntarily left without giving notice. Among the establishments whose labor turnover experience was examined in some detail by the Bureau of Labor Statistics was one of the largest department stores on the Pacific coast. This store went to no little trouble to ascertain the reasons for employees quitting and to tabulate not only the number quitting for various assigned reasons but also the number discharged for specified cause, assigned, naturally, by the company. This con- cern also kept account of the proportion of those rehired to new accessions. A full analysis of these records is given in a special report l published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on the turn- over experience of this department store. The tabular summary which appears in that report is herewith reproduced, with some modification, in Table 28. The only classification of the accessions is into "hired new" and " rehired." During the nine months for which data were 111 Employment Policy and Labor Stability in a Pacific Coast Department Store," by P. F. Brissenden, 9 Monthly Labor Review 1399 (November, 1919). SEPARATION AND CAUSES OF TURNOVER 101 TABLE 28 NUMBER, PER CENT DISTRIBUTION, AND ANNUAL RATE PER FULL- YEAR WORKER OF EMPLOYEES HIRED AND REHIRED AND OF THOSE LEAVING FOR SPECIFIED REASONS IN YEAR ENDING OCTOBER 31, 1918. (Department Store. Establishment No. 216) NUMBER PER CENT DISTRIBUTION RATE PER FULL-YEAR WORKER 1 Accessions: 2 Hired new Rehired Total accessions . . . Separations: Discharged Incompetent Misconduct Careless ...... Unreliable ..... Trouble breeder ... Dishonest Lazy Insubordinate Total discharged .. Laid off Left voluntarily: Wages . _. Family moving Other position School 111 health ...... Needed at home Dissatisfied Vacation; needed rest ... War Marriage (women) Work too heavy or disagreeable All other reasons 4 . Total left voluntarily Total Separations 908 223 62 431 228 154 135 127 117 75 48 45 39 24 22 61 1,075 1,568 80 20 100 34 21 13 13 8 6 3 2 21 14 13 12 II 7 4 4 4 2 2 6 I.OI 25 1.26 .02 .01 .01 .01 .01 8 .07 .48 25 17 15 .14 13 .08 05 05 .04 03 .02 .07 1.18 1.73 1 Based on standard working force of 899 full-year workers. J For nine months ending Oct. 31, 1918. * Less than .005. "Leaving city," 33; "going into essential work," 6; "going into business," 3; on account o! " hous- ing conditions," 2; reasons unknown, 17. 102 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY available, it appears that 20 per cent of all of those hired had been in the company's service at some previous time. Among the reasons assigned for discharge the most frequent seem to have been incompetency, " misconduct, " carelessness, and unrelia- bility. Among those leaving voluntarily the most prevalent reasons given are dissatisfaction with wages, desire to take an- other position (which in some cases is desired because of the higher wage offered), family moving out of town, going to school, and ill health. Using the last column as a basis, it is evident that during the year reported, for each 100 full-time workers employed there were 101 entering the store as new employees, and, in addition, 25 former employees rehired. Turning to the separa- tions, which are our primary concern here, it appears that, for every hundred full-year workers employed, there were 173 separations; 7 of these were discharges, 48 were lay-offs (on account of lack of work), and 118 were quits. Scrutinizing the latter more closely, we find that 25, for every hundred employed, quit on account of unsatisfactory wages, 17 quit because the family was moving, 15 on account of another job, 14 to enter school, 13 because of ill health, 8 because needed at home, 5 because " dissatisfied/' the same number for a vacation (without pay) or a needed rest, and 4 for war work. CHAPTER VH SEASONAL INFLUENCE ON LABOR MOBILITY IN the figures shown in the preceding chapters fluctuations in mobility rates from year to year with changing industrial conditions have been repeatedly observed. While the figures showing the mobility for the year as a whole reflect the sum total of the labor changes that have taken place during the year, they do not indicate the marked fluctuations in mobility at relatively short periods within the year, fluctuations traceable to the successive vicissitudes of the industrial situation. For example, labor changes may occur with great intensity over a very short period in the year, while over the remainder of the year the changes may be very insignificant. Without showing their seasonal variations, this might make the figures for the years as a whole appear quite low, while actually at the same periods the labor change rates may have been far above the one shown for the year, and at other periods the rates may be con- siderably lower than the rate shown for the year as a whole. SEASONAL AND CYCLICAL FLUCTUATIONS, 1910-19 The figures of Table 29 which show the monthly trend in flux rates from January, 1910, to December, 1919, inclusive, bring out in greater detail the existing variations in the mobility rates and the extent to which mobility figures immediately reflect the industrial conditions prevailing at the time. 1 The flux rate 1 The figures of Table 29 are based* upon following numbers of establishments reporting monthly figures: 1910 3 establishments 1915 30 establishments 1911 6 " 1916 10 " 1912 8 1917 20 " IQI3 39 1918 19 1914 26 1919 9 " 103 104 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY figures of Table 29 and, in addition, the corresponding accession and separation rates are shown in Chart F. 1 Since replacement rates, as explained above, correspond with accession rates when the accession rates are lower than the separation rates and with separation rates when separation rates are lower than accession TABLE 29 LABOR FLUX RATES, BY MONTHS, FROM JANUARY, 1910, TO DECEMBER, 1919, INCLUSIVE 2 TOTAL LABOR CHANGE (FLUX) RATE PER FULL-TIME WORKER IN MONTH WHOLE PERIOD IQIO IQII IQIZ IQI3 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1910- 19 January 2.49 1.32 1.32 3-24 .29 1.14 3-Si 2.85 3-5i 2.82 2-55 February 2-55 1.47 1.44 2.88 .26 i-35 3-57 2-37 3-42 1.92 2.40 March 3-75 1.77 I.7I 3-39 S3 1.65 3-oo 2.37 4.20 1.89 2.70 April . May . 4.20 4-05 1.83 2.13 2.IO 2.25 3-93 3-75 .44 95 1.83 i-59 3-27 3-24 2.82 4.02 4.92 4.71 1.83 1.83 3-03 3-06 June . 3-87 2.25 2.31 3.12 i% 1.47 3-30 3-8l 4.08 i. 80 2. 7 6 July . 3-57 1.98 2-49 2.94 5o i-53 2.IO 3-48 4.26 1.77 2.49 August 4.08 2.13 2.70 2.31 83 i-53 2.79 4.II 4.14 2.40 2-43 September 2.79 I.4I 2.46 2-37 83 2-37 2.31 3-93 3-15 2.46 2.46 October . . 2.22 1.38 2-55 1.89 44 2.19 2.O4 3-69 3-o6 2.61 2.16 November 1.92 1.29 2.07 i-53 .11 3-15 1.47 3.36 2.64 1.83 1.98 December I. II I.I4 1.89 1.26 23 2.31 1.74 3-54 2.40 i. 20 1. 80 Year . . 3-05 1.67 2. II 2.72 i-S5 1.84 2.70 3.36 3-7i 2.03 2.48 rates, it follows that the lowest points on the chart mark the rate and trend of labor replacement. That is to say, whichever line happens to be the lowest marks replacement. The monthly flux rate figures in the table show how wide a seasonal range of mobility is covered in each yearly rate. The flux rate was relatively high in 1910, a year of business expan- sion, but dropped during the depression period of 1911, falling in 1 Figures for flux curve in Table 29; figures for other curves in Appendix, Table D. The chart has been reproduced, with some modification, from report on labor mo- bility, 10 Mo. Labor Rev. 1358. z Reprinted after shifting of rates to full-year worker base, from report on " Mobility of Labor in American Industry," 10 Mo. Labor Rev. 1356 (June, 1920). .a 106 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY December to the low flux (i.e. high stability) rate of 1.14, a degree of stability not again reached until the fall of 1914, in November of which year of business depression it fell to i.u. The flux rate rose generally in 1912 and 1913, but dropped toward the end of 1913 and remained low during 1914 and until the fall of 1915, when it rose slightly, followed by a further rise and con- tinued high mobility levels during the winter and spring of 1916. The summer and fall of 1916 and the winter of 1917 were periods of greater stability. In the late spring of 1917, after our entry into the war, the labor flux rate jumped to higher points than it had touched since the spring of 1913. There was and this is an unusual circumstance only a very slight increase in mo- bility during the following summer, fall, and winter. With the spring of 1918 the rate climbed again, and this time to high points not reached at any other time before or since, during the decade covered by the figures. The rate fell considerably during the summer and fall of 1918, and, despite the almost invariable tendency to rise in the spring, it continued low during the winter of 1919 and gradually fell during the spring, rising somewhat in the fall, but dropping sharply in November and December. An examination of the chart will show that the very unusual decrease in mobility in the spring of 1919 was largely due to the fact that in addition to a marked decrease in the separation rate (unusual at this time of year) there was an even more pro- nounced drop in the accession rate. It is evident, also, that in the fall of 1919 the accession rate rose rapidly until October, and then dropped rapidly, while the separation rate continued to drop through the summer and fall. SEASONAL FLUCTUATIONS IN INDIVIDUAL ESTABLISHMENTS The seasonal fluctuations in labor mobility as they occur in a machine tool manufacturing plant are shown in Table 30, on page 107. The figures show for the four-year period 1916-19 not only the monthly trend in the flux, for the work force as a whole, but also the monthly trend for the same period for the day and SEASONAL INFLUENCE ON LABOR MOBILITY 107 night forces separately. Attention has been called above, in the discussion of Table 18, to the fact that the night force in this establishment is nearly three times as mobile as the day force. Table 30 naturally shows up the same difference in TABLE 30 RATE OF TOTAL LABOR CHANGE (LABOR FLUX RATE) OF DAY AND NIGHT FORCES OF A MACHINE TOOL MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENT (No. 35-144), 1916- 1919 RATE OF TOTAL LABOR CHANGE (LABOR FLTJX) PER FULL-TIME WORKER IN EACH SPECIFIED MONTH MONTH DAY FORCE NIGHT FORCE TOTAL WORKING FORCE 1916 1917 1918 1919 1916 1917 1918 1919 1916 1917 1918 1919 January . 2.28 2.41 1.92 2.2.5 7.68 3-i8 7.98 4-05 3-33 1.71 3.27 2.43 February 2.70 1.86 1. 80 .69 5-97 546 4.89 .87 2.40 2.55 2.52 72 March 2.64 1.77 2.49 .69 8.04 7-35 4.41 39 3-90 2.79 2-94 .66 April . 3.78 1.98 3-75 75 5.22 7-29 5-25 1.77 4.11 2.97 4.08 84 May . 4.83 1.98 2.58 .66 10.59 8-34 4.86 1.23 6.09 3-15 3-06 .72 June . 2.94 2.46 2.58 32 9.60 8.76 6.42 2-37 4.56 3-75 3-39 1.41 July . 3-27 2.82 2.64 74 7-77 9.66 6.30 7-35 4.29 4-23 342 2-43 August 2.82 3-09 3.8i .80 7-89 6.00 8.55 9.00 3-96 4.26 4-77 3.00 September 2.70 3.21 3-06 35 6.42 5.82 5.01 6.09 348 3-72 3-.SI 2.26 October . 2.25 2.55 1.65 .89 8.82 6.72 3-78 5.85 3-21 3-39 2.13 2.78 November 1.83 2.4O 2.67 47 6.00 8.52 7.68 5-13 2.70 3-54 3.66 2.28 December 1.26 2-37 .72 .26 2.76 5-40 1.77 3-33 i-53 3-03 .87 1.77 Total . . 2-73 2-34 2.49 1-35 7.11 7.11 5-70 4-59 3-72 3-27 3.i8 1.83 stability and demonstrates, furthermore, that, except in March, 1919, there was no month during the whole four-year period that did not show greater stability for the day force. SEASONAL CHANGES AMONG DIFFERENT OCCUPATIONS The figures given in the last two tables refer to the monthly trend in the mobility rates of the general body of employees without reference to seasonal fluctuations of given occupations within the work force. In one of the large car-building plants (Establishment No. 102) employment records were kept in such form that the monthly labor flux rates of some of the more io8 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE LABOR FLUX RATES FOR EACH MONTH IN SELECTED OCCUPATIONS IN A CAR- OCCUPATION RATB OF TOTAL LABOR CHANGE (FLUX RATE) PER FULL-TIME WORKER FOR THE YEAR RATE or TOTAL LABOR CHANGE (Fmx JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. Assemblers, filers, and welders . Blacksmiths Bookkeepers, clerks, etc. . . Cabinet makers 3.12 2.49 2.25 2-39 7-77 2.21 4-77 6.44 4-74 2.90 1.74 10.80 3-03 5-6i 3.78 11.76 3-5i 6.66 2.70 3-39 5.10 2.04 i. 02 3-54 2.28 10.17 3-6o 543 6.09 5-52 2.07 3-09 3-24 2.25 747 2-37 2.91 4.92 18.96 2-55 5-i6 3-33 5.16 5-i6 1.65 2.25 2.67 2.52 10.14 4.62 549 5-31 4-95 2.31 1.98 2.31 1.71 7-35 243 447 4-38 14.40 3-o6 8.07 3-33 2.49 2.76 6.03 7.11 2.04 1.23 8.91 3-69 4-83 8.55 12.21 4.50 6.00 2.67 2.13 9.90 4-56 8.94 5-91 14.22 3-27 11.31 3.78 5-13 5.3i 4.68 540 i-95 2.19 8.19 i-35 447 5.88 8.13 3-90 2.25 2.67 .87 8.01 3-Si 747 2.46 12.15 5-25 8-43 3-i8 2.58 3-09 1.92 1.50 2.13 2-34 5-67 2.07 3-33 4.29 2.67 3-09 2.25 i. 08 57 10.71 2-34 5-34 3-75 12.42 4.26 7.11 4-35 2.70 6.54 Car body builders .... Car bottom builders . . . Car electricians Car steam fitters .... Car truck builders .... Die and tool makers . . . Hammersmiths Inside car finishers .... Inside car trimmers .... Laborers Machinists, bench machinists, etc Millwrights Painters Riveters Roof fitters Shearsmen, punch-press opera- tors, etc Tinners Upholsterers Wood machine operators important occupations within the plant could be computed. The rates are shown in Table 31 above. The flux rates given here not only show very wide differences between the different occupations, but reveal even more marked fluctuations from month to month in each occupation. The highest flux rates and at the same time the widest range of rates during the year ending May 31, 1918, were for riveters, whose rates ranged from 18.96 in June down to 5.85 in December, with a flux rate for the year of 11.76, which means nearly 12 labor changes for every riveter in the standard work force of riveters changes equivalent to six complete overturns of the riveting SEASONAL INFLUENCE ON LABOR MOBILITY 109 31 BUILDING PLANT (ESTABLISHMENT No. 102) FOR YEAR ENDED MAY 31, 1918 RATE) PER FULL-TIME WORKER FOR EACH SPECIFIED MONTH OCCUPATION Nov. DEC. JAN. FEB. MARCH APRIL MAY 1-53 1.77 1.74 4-23 6-39 4.17 5-34 Assemblers, filers, and welders .96 1.71 2.40 .96 1.71 1.65 3-33 Blacksmiths 1.38 1.44 i-35 1.02 i-95 3-48 4.11 Bookkeepers, clerks, etc. 2.IO 1. 02 75 i-95 5-25 4.71 2.70 Cabinet makers 5.62 S-I3 6.75 5-07 1.68 5-97 10.68 Car body builders 93 1.26 1.62 .96 2.19 .90 2-55 Car bottom builders f 5.62 4-83 5-28 348 4-32 7.26 6.81 Car electricians 7.68 6.00 6. 20 4.14 7-47 7.14 8.31 Car steam fitters 2.22 1-95 4.20 3-84 2.94 1.62 3-57 Car truck builders 2.82 2.19 1.71 2.85 2.40 3-03 3.66 Die and tool makers 1.71 2.64 1.56 75 2.25 2.13 3-66 Hammersmiths 1.38 .96 .84 3.36 1.62 1.83 1.05 Inside car finishers 2.22 1.50 i. 20 3-33 1.71 1.65 2.25 Inside car trimmers 11.07 12.21 12.06 9.18 13-83 14.40 14.28 Laborers Machinists, bench machinists, 3.21 3-03 2-49 2-37 3-57 3-oo 4.02 etc. ^ 5-6l 6.09 3-72 5-07 5.58 6.21 6.12 Millwrights 3-81 1.92 2.13 4.17 3-8i 3-30 4-56 Painters 7.56 5-85 6.24 8.94 13.92 8.01 13-71 Riveters 3.00 1.68 2.85 4.68 S-i6 2.61 4.38 Roof fitters Shearsmen, punch-press ope- 6.42 4-38 3-72 4-32 7-29 5-3i 9.48 rators, etc. 3.78 3-09 .96 1.23 2.13 1.50 1.47 Tinners 2.6l 1.98 1.32 3-99 4.20 2.88 6.60 Upholsterers 4.56 i. 95 2.OI 5-io 7-95 9-75 6.45 Wood machine operators personnel. The next highest flux level and the next widest range from month to month occurred among common laborers, whose flux rate ranged from 14.40 in April down to 7.35 in July, with a flux rate for the year of 10.80, this being equivalent to 5^ complete overturns of the common labor section of the work force. The lowest occupational flux rate in the plant was for inside car trimmers, in whose case the flux rate ranged from .57 in October t 3-33 m February, with a rate of 1.74 for the year, a rate equivalent to less than one complete overturn of the inside car- trimming section of the work force. In most of the occupations shown the mobility rates are generally low during the winter no LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY months as compared with the rates for the year. In these monthly figures of the mobility of occupations one may see how the various factors of influence previously mentioned are im- mediately reflected in the mobility figures from month to month. 1 NORMAL SEASONAL CHANGES IN STABILITY A composite picture of the seasonal fluctuations in labor mo- bility over an extended period of time can be constructed from the monthly mobility rates for the period 1910-1919. Such a picture will naturally iron out the irregularities due to business fluctuations from year to year and show what may be called the normal seasonal trend in labor mobility. The figures are pre- sented in Tables 32 and 33 where the monthly figures (shown in Table D in the Appendix) for each month of each year of the decade covered are brought together in such a way as to combine the figures for identical months (Table 32) and for the four sea- sons of the year (Table 33). The rate figures of Table 32 are presented graphically in Chart G, on page 112. It is believed, as already suggested, that such a combination of the figures as is shown in these two tables effectively neutral- izes most of those factors in mobility which are of a purely industrial character and that, as a result, the influence of the different seasons is more accurately reflected. The figures indi- cate a uniform tendency to maximum labor mobility in the spring, a gradual lessening of mobility during the summer and early fall, which is the period of minimum mobility, and finally an increase during the late fall and winter, culminating again in the maximum mobility period of the following spring. These conclusions are confirmed by the curves of Chart G. The high mobility rates in the spring months indicate that the shif tings are indeed much more numerous at that season of the year. The number of 1 See also Table 20 above, where mobility rates for some of the same occupa- tion groups given in Table 31 are shown for this same establishment for the year as a whole. SEASONAL INFLUENCE ON LABOR MOBILITY in accessions and separations in the months of March, April, and May are not only greatest in relation to the number of workers employed, but in themselves are greater in this three-month period than in any other period shown. Here, doubtless, may be seen the psychological effect which spring appears to have TABLE 32 MONTHLY TREND IN LABOR MOBILITY (Based on monthly data for all years from 1910-19 combined) NUMBER OF TOTAL I .ABOR CHANG* ,s MONTH FULL-TIME WORKERS * LABOR HOURS (THOUSANDS) ACCESSIONS SEPARATIONS TOTAL (FLUX) NUMBER January .... February . . . March .... April 465,554 465,568 473,943 467,072 116,388 116,391 118,485 116,767 53,992 49,790 53,523 65,025 44,363 43,255 53,209 53,363 98,355 93,045 106,732 118,388 May 4.74. 2OO ii8,tj"?i 6l,Q34 1:8,873 1 20 807 468,126 117,032 54,039 53,259 107,298 Tulv 4.63 4.84. 11^,870 48,207 47,482 OS, 77Q August .... September . October .... November . December . . . 462,126 469,831 485,420 481,858 479,106 H5,53o H7,458 121,356 120,464 119,777 47,889 51,127 47,966 43,793 38,241 46,087 44,971 38,800 35,474 33,163 93,976 96,098 86,776 79,267 71,404 Year . . . 471,357 1,414,069 615,616 552,299 1,167,915 RATE PE R FULL-TIME ^ WORKER January .... February . . . March .... April .... 39 .28 .36 67 I.I4 1. 12 1-35 1.37 2-53 2.40 2.71 3.04 May 57 1.49 3.06 Tune . 39 1.37 2.76 July . .25 1.23 2.48 August . September . October . . November . December . 25 3i .19 1.09 .96 1. 2O I.I5 .96 .88 .83 2.45 2.46 2.15 1.97 1.79 Year . . . i-3T 1.17 2.48 n6,388,c 1 The figures are obtained in this way: 3000 112 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY SEASONAL INFLUENCE ON LABOR MOBILITY 113 upon the workman, that is, a certain restlessness and desire for change in jobs, places of abode, etc., made easier because of the opening up of industrial outdoor work and greater activity .7 in agriculture, lumbering, etc. f At this period, too, the condi- / TABLE 33 EXTENT OF LABOR MOBILITY IN THE FOUR SEASONS OF THE YEAR 1 (Based on the monthly data of the four seasons for all years from 1910-19, combined) MONTH NUMBER OF FULL- TIME WORKERS 2 TOTAL LABOR HOURS (THOU- SANDS) LABOR CHANGES ACCESSIONS SEPARA- TIONS TOTAL (FLUX) March, April, May . . June, July, August . . Sept., Oct., Nov. . . . Dec., Jan., Feb. . . . Total 471,738 464,579 479,036 470,076 353,803 348,432 359,278 352,556 NUMBER 180,482 150,225 142,886 142,023 165,445 146,828 119,245 120,781 345,927 297,053 262,131 262,804 471,357 1,414,069 615,616 552,299 1,167,915 March, April, May June, July, August . . Sept., Oct., Nov. . . . Dec., Jan., Feb. . . . Total RATE PER FULL-TIME WORKER 1-53 1.29 1.19 1. 21 1.40 1.26 I.OO 1.03 2-93 \ 2.55 \ 2.19 2.24 I-3I 1.17 2.48 tions of living are more easily met. The relatively high mobility rates still prevailing during the summer months no doubt indicate the influence of the hot weather upon the industrial stability of the employee. In the fall of the year when colder weather sets in and living conditions are harder to meet, there is a noticeabje drop in the labor change rate as a whole. It is especially interest- 1 Reprinted, after shifting rates to full-year-worker base, from report on labor mobility, 10 Mo. Labor Rev. 1356 (June, 1920). a The figures are obtained in this way: 353,803,000 3000 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY ing to note that the proportion of accessions as compared with the proportion of separations is relatively greater during the months of September, October, and November, indicating a tendency for workers to flock back to steadier employment after a period of restlessness and moving about. There is also noticeable a very slight increase in the mobility rates of the winter months over the fall period, which is perhaps indicative, on the one hand, of a more intensive application of the country's productive forces, and on the other, of changes which are often made by individuals at the end of the old and the beginning of the new year. CHAPTER VIII LENGTH OF SERVICE AS A FACTOR IN LABOR MOBILITY IN the preceding discussion of labor mobility one very impor- tant factor, that of length of service, has been only briefly touched upon in connection with an analysis of accessions. 1 Monthly and yearly figures expressed in the form of accession, separation, and flux rates are valuable for the purpose of showing the general extent of mobility in the labor force as a whole and its trend during any given period of time. Such figures, however, do not throw much light on the degree of stability within the working force, in so far as it relates to the length of service of the active as well as the separated employees, without which no correct idea can be formed of the relative extent of labor mobility. It is evident that in the working force as a whole, or in its sex, occupation, or other subdivisions, the turnover is not equally distributed, because of the varying frequency with which the jobs in each such group may be abandoned by the job holders. It is obvious that the length of time for which jobs are held by individual employees who leave those jobs, is a highly important factor in determining the incidence of labor mobility within the establishment work force. This for the reason that the shorter the service of separated employees, the more frequent the job replacements which they occasion, and the higher the resulting establishment labor mobility figures. Moreover, from the standpoint of, an individual establishment eager to maintain an esprit de corps in the plant, and for that reason bent upon minimizing its labor changes, the length of service of its employees becomes an all-important factor. In ^ee Table 12. Further applications of the length of service data are made in Chapters IX and X. "5 n6 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY order to guarantee that team-work which is essential in modern factory production, and which is the result of long association of the same groups of workmen, effort must be made to prevent employees of long standing from leaving the employ of the con- cern. The retention in service of long-service employees is espe- cially important from the standpoint of the cost of replacement, as it is generally agreed that as the length of service of the em- ployee increases, his value to the organization is also enhanced. If, however, the severance of connection of an employee becomes unavoidable, it is of importance to retain assuming that he proves to be desirable the newly hired employee who is taken on to replace the one who has left. This is also true of those employees hired to enlarge the working force. It is quite obvious that there must be a heavy expense attached to the constant breaking in of new employees. This expense is enormous, even without considering the cost of spoiled work, decreased produc- tion, and industrial accidents which inevitably follow as a re- sult of this everlasting shifting. The experience of 34 establishments in 1913-14 and 53 in 1917-18 which furnished comprehensive figures on the length of service of their active employees as well as of those who left their employ, is summarized in Table 34, on page 117. If we consider those employees having to their credit not more than one year of service as short-service employees, it will be noticed in this table that the proportion of such employees in the active work force is rather extensive. On the other hand, considerable proportions among the active employees are found to have long-service records. This proportion of long-service employees in industrial establishments was considerably re- duced during the war period, slightly over 71 per cent of those on the pay roll in 1913-14 having had over one year's continuous service, while in 1917-18 the proportion was only 60 per cent. There are, of course, wide variations in the extent to which individual establishments have short- and long-service employees in the active working force. Space limitations, howeverj make LENGTH OF SERVICE 117 TABLE 34 LENGTH-OF-SERVICE DISTRIBUTION OF "ACTIVE EMPLOYEES" (THOSE ON PAY ROLL AT END OF YEAR) AND OF EMPLOYEES WHO LEFT DURING THE YEAR ("SEPA- RATING EMPLOYEES") 1 [Number of establishments reporting, 1913-14, 34; 1917-18, 53] NUMBER IN EACH GROUP LENGTH-OF-SERVICE GROUP ON PAY ROLL AT END OF SEPARATED FROM SERVICE YEAR DURING YEAR 1913-14 1917-18 1913-14 1917-18 i week or less _ 1,615 _ 16,476 Over i week to 2 weeks . 1,793 9,664 Over 2 weeks to i month 2,948 11,541 Over i month to 3 months . 7,055 18,912 JThree months or less .... ",365 13,411 28,407 56,593 Over 3 months to 6 months . . 6,396 6,019 8,516 11,770 Over 6 months to i year . . 7,188 9,018 7,497 9,813 Over i year to 2 years . . . 10,446 10,458 4,4iS 6,645 Over 2 years to 3 years . . . 9,632 6,627 2.162 2,476 Over 3 years to 5 years . . . 12,980 6,320 I,4S 2,780 Over 5 years 28,44.3 10 Ql6 I 7?6 7 OI'T J^ / , / v v o^y VO,^7 * PER CENT IN EACH GROUP i week or less 2.3 17.7 Over i week to 2 weeks . *o 2.5 / / 10.4 Over 2 weeks to i month 4.1 12.4 Over i month to 3 months . Three months or less .... I3.I 9.8 18.7 52.0 20.3 60.8 Over 3 months to 6 months . . 74 8.4 15-6 12.6 Over 6 months to i year . . 8-3 12.6 13-7 10.5 Over i year to 2 years . . . 12. 1 14.6 8.1 7.1 Over 2 years to 3 years . . . II. I 9.2 4.0 2.7 Over 3 years to 5 years . . . 15-0 8.8 3-4 3-o Over 5 years 32. Q 27.8 20 3.2 Total o y / w o o o IOO.O IOO.O IOO.O IOO.O it impossible to present length of service data by individual establishments. As might be expected, the length-of-service figures of the separated employees present a striking contrast to those shown 1 Reprinted from report on labor mobility, loMo. Labor Rev. 1357 (June, 1920). n8 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY for the active working forces. This undoubtedly reflects the influence of unusual industrial activity in both of the periods studied, but more especially the effect of war-time conditions upon labor mobility. It is apparent from the figures of Table 34 TABLE LENGTH or SERVICE OF EMPLOYEES ON PAY ROLL AT END OF YEAR (" ACTIVE OF WAR AND PRE-WAR PERIODS, [1913-14: 34 establishments; PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION IN HAD WORKED INDUSTRY GROUP NUMBER OF ESTABLISH- MENTS NUMBER or WORKERS l 3 MONTHS OVER 3 MONTHS OVER 6 MONTHS OR LESS TO TO 6 MONTHS i YEAR 1913-14 Automobiles and parts mfg. 4 5,838 26 10 5-8 Chem. indust's and refineries i 1,234 6 13 45 Clothing and textile mfg. 3 6,052 8 4 3 Furniture and millwork Leather and rubber goods . 2 4,093 15 9 15 Machinery mfg 5 10,407 19 8 10 Mercantile establishments . 2 3,353 25 8 9 Miscellaneous metal products Printing and publishing 9 4 17,966 4,38o 18 13 9 5 6 4 Public utilities: Gas and electricity . Street railways . . . 2 7,6i3 7 6 5 Telephone service . . 2 25,514 6 6 9 -***. Total 34 86,450 13 8 8 1917-18 Automobiles and parts mfg. 5 8,515 24 13 15 Chem. indust's and refineries 3 3,848 36 *3 16 Clothing and textile mfg. . 3 6,37i 12 10 9 Furniture and millwork i i,693 22 6 16 Leather and rubber goods . Machinery mfg 13 18,264 20 6 ii Mercantile establishments . 3 i,45i 22 6 15 Miscellaneous metal products 13 6,160 24 8 12 Printing and publishing 2 940 12 6 6 Public utilities: Gas and electricity . . I 1,841 18 13 15 Street railways . . . I 4,208 22 12 ii Telephone service . . 8 18,478 II 6 13 / Total 53 71,769 19 8 13 "> These figures represent the aggregate number of employees on pay rolls at end of year. LENGTH OF SERVICE 119 that, in the period 1917-18, out of a total of 93,092 separated employees, over 41 per cent had, on severing their connections, served periods of one month or less, 33 per cent had worked from one to six months, about n per cent from six months to one year, 35 a EMPLOYEES") WHO HAD SERVED SPECIFIED PERIODS OF TIME. COMPARISON BY INDUSTRY GROUPS 1917-18: 53 establishments] EACH INDUSTRY GROUP OF ACTIVE EMPLOYEES WHO CONTINUOUSLY: OVER OVER OVER INDUSTRY GROUP i YEAR 2 YEARS 3 YEARS OVER *- TO TO TO S YEARS TOTAL 2 YEARS 3 YEARS 5 YEARS 1913-14 14 9 14 21 IOO Automobiles and parts mfg. 13 5 8 10 IOO Chern. industries and refineries 9 ii 14 Si IOO Clothing and textile mfg. Furniture and millwork 20 14 IO 17 IOO Leather and rubber goods 7 8 16 32 IOO Machinery mfg. 14 26 8 10 IOO Mercantile establishments 8 12 IS 32 IOO Miscellaneous metal products 14 14 18 32 IOO Printing and publishing Public utilities: Gas and electricity 14 12 ii 45 IOO Street railways 15 IO 18 36 IOO Telephone service 12 II IS 33 IOO Total 1917-18 14 9 13 12 IOO Automobiles and parts mfg. 12 5 6 12 IOO Chem. industries and refineries IS 12 13 29 IOO Clothing and textile mfg. II S S 35 IOO Furniture and millwork Leather and rubber goods; IS ii S 32 IOO Machinery mfg. 10 ; S 7 35 IOO Mercantile establishments IS 13 IO 7 7 7 24 49 IOO IOO Miscellaneous metal products: Printing and publishing Public utilities: 17 ii 7 19 IOO Gas and electricity 12 6 5 32 IOO Street railways 16 9 12 32 IOO Telephone service 14 9 9 28 IOO Total 120 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY and a total of 84 per cent had to their credit continuous service records of one year or less. Although in both periods there had also been a considerable exodus of long-service employees 18.8 per cent of all separating employees in 1913-14 and 16 per TABLE LENGTH OF SERVICE OF EMPLOYEES (SEPARATING EMPLOYEES) WHO LEFT OF WAR AND PRE-WAR PERIODS, [1913-14: 34 establishments; PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION IN EACH HAD WORKED XT TOTAL NUM- INDUSTRY GROUP NUMBER or ESTABLISH- BER OF SEP- ARATING EM- OVER OVER MENTS PLOYEES 3 MONTHS 3 MONTHS 6 MONTHS OR LESS TO TO 6 MONTHS i YEAR 1913-14 Automobiles and parts mfg. 4 8,354 73 9 9 Chem. indust's and refineries I i,395 73 16 5 Clothing and textile mfg. . 3 3,097 48 12 9 Furniture and millwork Leather and rubber goods . 2 3,975 47 19 19 Machinery mfg 5 6,075 55 14 12 Mercantile establishments . 2 i,778 55 12 12 Miscel. metal products mfg. 9 12,384 5i 16 14 Printing and publishing 4 2,760 Si 16 15 Public utilities: Gas and electricity . Street railways . 2 3,603 38 25 18 Telephone service . . 2 11,197 4i 18 18 Total 34. 4o * 13,100 3 5 4 9 Miscel. metal products mfg. . 3 I,ISO 3 3 4 10 Printing and publishing . 2 436 3 2 4 7 Public utilities: Gas and electricity I i,5S7 2 2 3 8 Street railways I 3,7i8 I 2 4 ii Telephone service 6 5,339 I I 2 5 Total 28 1-1 ,77 x No reason.-" 3 21 30 One Day "No reason;- 4 19 30 One Day '-Work too hot. 5 21 30 One Day >Too hard. * 6 19 30 One Day -Work too hard. 1 ^ 7 17 30 One Day failed to report. 8 18 .27 One Day Cannot stand the heat. 9 18 '.24 One Day Another position. 10 18 25 One Day 'No reason*/ ii 69 .29 One Day 'Work too heavy. 12 19 25 One Day -No reason/-^ 13 19 .27 One Day Cannot stand the heat 14 19 30 One Day No reason.-/ 15 49 30 One Day Too hard. 16 18 25 One Day '. No reasons 17 !8 .27 One Day Another position. 18 18 30 One Day -No reason, i/ 19 17 .18 One Day vFailed to report. 20 18 30 One Day MDannot; stand heat. 21 19 30 One Day -Too hot. 22 So 27 One Day -.Failed to report. 23 18 .27 One Day Cannot stand the heat. 24 29 30 One Day 'No reason. 25 18 30 One Day No good. 26 18 .27 Two Days >. ^Failed to report 27 19 .27 Two Days :.No reason. 28 16 .16 Two Days ; No reason. 29 18 30 Two Days Failed to report 30 17 30 Two Days Back to the country. 31 17 .27 Three Days Work too hot. 32 18 2 5 Three Days -No reason. 33 18 30 Four Days Too lazy. 34 4i .27 Four Days iFailed to report. 35 38 30 Four Days Too hard. 36 18 25 Five Days No reason. 37 18 2 5 Five Days i No reason. 38 18 25 One Week : No reason. 39 26 30 One Week Work too hard. 40 3i .20 One Week Did not want to work. No good. 4i 17 30 One Week No good. 42 26 30 One Week Too lazy. 43 16 .16 One Week Discharged, 44 35 30 One Week --No reason. 45 18 .27 One Week v No reason. i 3 6 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE 40 Continued LENGTH-OF-SERVICE RECORDS OF 78 UNSKILLED MALE LABORERS HIRED ON OR SINCE JULY I, IQl8, BUT NOT ON PAY ROLL OCTOBER, IQlS, IN A PRINTING CONCERN. (ESTABLISHMENT No. 151.) EMPLOYEE NUMBER AGE RATE PER HOUR How LONG EMPLOYED REASON FOR LEAVING 46 36 30 One Week Ordered to look for essential work. 47 16 2 3 One Week *"No reason. 48 20 .24 One Week ^No reason. 49 35 30 Ten Days Too hard. 50 16 .18 Two Weeks "Failed to report. 51 18 25 Two Weeks ' No good. 52 16 .16 Two Weeks i- No reason. S3 18 27 Two Weeks Better paying job. 54 52 32 Two Weeks Another position. 55 21 .27 Two Weeks t No reason. 56 56 30 Three Weeks No reason. 57 16 .22 Three Weeks 'No reason. 58 23 .27 Three Weeks Another position. 59 17 25 One Month L No reason. 60 21 .27 One Month ' No reason. 61 19 .27 One Month Another job. 62 51 30 One Month ' No reason. 63 18 30 One Month Better job. 64 38 32 One Month Drunk. 65 43 .29 One Month Another job. 66 17 .27 One Month Work too hot for him. 67 33 .29 One Month Discharged. 68 18 30 One Month Better job. 69 40 33 One Month -No reason. 70 16 .18 Six Weeks -No reason. 7i 48 30 Six Weeks 'No reason. 72 22 .29 Six Weeks Left city. 73 49 .27 Two Months Has better paying job. 74 16 .18 Two Months Better job. 75 18 .26 Two Months : No reason. 76 43 30 Two Months Wanted more money. 77 33 30 Three Months No reason. 78 47 .29 Three Months /'No reason. higher and lower hourly wage rates are found among those employees who served only a few days as well as among those who had served longer periods. Half of the workers listed left without giving any reason or giving any notice of their intention to leave. A large proportion left because they found the work either too hot or too hard; only a few of those who quit indicated that they had other jobs in view. LENGTH OF SERVICE 137 LENGTH OF SERVICE IN DIFFERENT PLANT DEPARTMENTS Just as the labor instability is not distributed in equal degree among the different sections of the work force, so the length of service of the active employees as well as the employees leaving differs widely in different sections of the work force. This is well illustrated in Table 41. TABLE 41 LENGTH-OF-SERVICE DISTRIBUTION OF "ACTIVE EMPLOYEES" (I.E., THOSE ON PAY ROLL AT END OF YEAR), AND OF EMPLOYEES WHO LEFT DURING THE YEAR ("SEPARATED EMPLOYEES"), IN A MEN'S CLOTHING-MANUFACTURING PLANT (ESTABLISHMENT No. 103), 1917-18 LENGTH-OF-SERVICE GROUP EMPLOYEES ON PAY ROLL AT END OF YEAR (ACTIVE) IN EMPLOYEES SEPARATED DURING THE YEAR IN GENERAL DEBART- MENT (CLERICAL ETC.) TAILOR- ING DEPART- MENT CUTTING AND TRIMMING DEPART- MENT GENERAL DEPART- MENT (CLERICAL ETC.) TAILOR- ING DEPART- MENT CUTTING AND TRIMMING DEPART- MENT i week or less . . . Over i week to 2 weeks Over 2 weeks to i month Over i month to 3 months Over 3 months to 6 months Over 6 months to i year Over i year to 2 years . Over 2 years to 3 years . Over 3 years to 5 years . Over 5 years .... Total . . . . i week or less Over i week to 2 weeks Over 2 weeks to i month Over i month to 3 months .... NUMBER 5 ii 63 108 64 136 144 92 84 208 4 34 "5 205 472 376 698 596 610 1,029 8 7 5 12 40 13 55 24 36 295 144 106 150 327 247 207 143 43 52 45 855 475 521 993 438 402 5" 154 323 150 1 06 114 165 212 I2S 127 48 24 27 6 9iS 4,i39 495 1,464 4,822 954 PER CENT 5 1.2 6.9 n.8 7.0 14.9 iS-7 IO.I 9.2 22.7 .1 .8 2.8 S-o 11.4 9.1 16.9 14.4 14.7 24.9 1.6 1.4 I.O 2.4 8.1 2.6 ii. i 4-8 7-3 59-6 9.8 7.2 10.2 22.3 16.9 I4.I 9 .8 2.9 3-6 3-1 17.7 9-6 10.8 20.6 9.1 8-3 10.6 3-2 6.7 3-i ii. i 11.9 17-3 22.2 I3-I 13-3 50 2-5 2.8 .6 Over 3 months to 6 months Over 6 months to i year Over i year to 2 years . Over 2 years to 3 years . Over 3 years to 5 years . Over 5 years .... Total . . . . 100.0 IOO.O IOO.O IOO.O IOO.O IOO.O 138 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY The proportion of short-service employees in the active work- ing force is greatest in the "general" department where 20.4 per cent of those in service at that time had served 3 months or less. In the tailoring department the corresponding length- of-service group has 9 per cent, and in the cutting and trimming departments 6 per cent, of the employees on the pay roll. This firm, known for its liberality in dealing with labor, is able to show a proportion of long-service groups well above that of the ordinary run of establishments. The proportion of employees with service records of over one year is 57.7 per cent, 70.9 per cent and 82.8 per cent, respectively, in the three departments named. Turning to the separating employees, it is evident that the cutting and trimming department lost fewer of its old-time employees than the other two groups, although a good deal of shifting also took place in these latter departments, as is indicated by the large proportion of employees who left employ- ment after short periods of service. AVERAGE WEEKLY SERVICE RATES It is a matter of course that as the period of service increases the number of employees who have served such period decreases and decreases usually at a progressively increasing rate. This naturally holds true for both active and separating groups of employees. The length-of-service figures presented in the preceding pages do not reveal this tendency, for the reason that the length-of-service records were not tabulated on a scale made up of equal intervals of time. In Table 34, for example, it appears that nearly as many separated employees had service records falling within a range of from one to seven days as had service records of from one to three months in which group the range is about nine times as great. This statement of the situation is tiue, but misleading. The really significant difference is that between the number of quitters who had worked one week or less and the average weekly number of quitters into which the total number who had worked from one to three LENGTH OF SERVICE 139 months is distributed. The comparison should be between weekly averages of active and separated employees in the different tenure groups. In other words, the important thing to know is not so much the number leaving who had one to three months' service records as the number of quitters assignable on the average to each of the nine weeks of the one to three months' period what may for the sake of brevity be called the average weekly number leaving (or working on the active force) in each classified service period. LENGTH OF SERVICE AND TYPE OF SEPARATION 1 This " weekly average" is made the basis of Table 42 which shows the number, per cent distribution, and corrected (i.e., weekly average) separation service rates per full-year worker, of employees quitting voluntarily, laid off, and discharged from 30 establishments reporting for the pre-war period. 2 In this table the declining scales of corrected rates indicate much more accurately than do the unsubdivided figures the relative importance of long and short time employees as factors in the turnover si tua_tion. Relatively high average weeHy (i.e., corrected) separation rates, " particularly in the shorter time periods, indicate relatively low stability that is to_ say, high turnover. Thus it is evident from the corrected separation rates . % t t *- of Table 42 that in every service period the frequency of quitting voluntarily is from 3 to 7 times as rapid as the frequency of lay-off separation and from 2 to 5 times as rapid as the frequency of discharge > rl r or all three types of separation by far the heaviest responsibility fails, on TheTEderj -months group jrjTwriich_em- ployees leave, whatever the circumstances of their separation, 4 and 5 times as rapidly, as. they do in the 3-to-6-months group. In the latter group, in turn, they leave almost twice as rapidly as in the 6-to-9-months group; taking the extreme ends of 1 See Chapter VI for discussion of type of separation without reference to length of service. 2 See footnote i to Table 42, page 140. 140 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE 42 NUMBER, PER CENT DISTRIBUTION, AND CORRECTED SEPARATION SERVICE RATES OF EMPLOYEES QUITTING, LAID OFF, AND DISCHARGED DURING ONE YEAR (30 establishments, 1913, 1914, or 1915) TYPE OF SEPARATION EMPLOYEES LEAVING IN THE MANNER INDICATED, WHO HAD WORKED CONTINUOUSLY: MONTHS OR LESS OVER 3 TO 6 MONTHS OVER 6 TO 9 MONTHS OVER 9 MONTHS TO i YEAR OVER I TO 2 YEARS OVER 2 TO 3 YEARS OVER 3 TO 5 YEARS OVER YE S ARS TOTAL Quit . . Lay off . . Discharge . Total . Quit . . Lay off . . Discharge . Total . Quit . . Layoff . . Discharge . Total . NUMBER 17,809 4,176 7,606 4,069 I, ill 1,474 2,224 780 830 1,391 344 Sii 2,541 551 899 1,270 258 378 1,038 156 312 1,045 154 261 31,387 7,530 12,271 29,591 6,654 3,834 2,246 3,991 1,906 1,506 1,460 51,188 ',. 4 -. PER CENT DISTRIBUTION IN EACH SERVICE GROUP fi 60 14 26 61 17 22 58 20 22 62 IS 23 64 14 23 67 14 20 69 10 21 72 II 18 61 IS 24 100 100 100 100 100 IOO IOO IOO IOO CORRECTED SEPARATION SERVICE RATES PER FULL- YEAR WORKER l 295 .069 .126 .067 .018 .024 037 013 .014 .023 .006 .008 .Oil .002 .004 .006 .001 .002 .002 ( 2 ) .001 .519 .125 .203 .490 .109 .064 037 .017 .009 .003 .847 1 Based on the 181,419,000 labor hours put in during one year by employees of 30 establishments and corrected for inequality of time periods by dividing the crude rates in each group by the number of quarterly periods in it, as follows: 3 months or less i Over i to 2 years .... 4 Over 3 months to 6 months . i Over 2 to 3 years .... 4 Over 6 to 9 months . . . . i Over 3 to 5 years .... 8 Over 9 months to i year . . i * Less than .0005. LENGTH OF SERVICE 141 the service scale it appears that employees leave voluntarily and are laid off or discharged at least one hundred times as rapidly from the under-3 -months as they are from the 3-to-5 -years group. The percentage distribution figures indicate that in each service group, quits, lay-offs, and discharges make up roughly the same proportion of the total separations assignable to each service group, quits ranging from 58 to 72 per cent, lay-offs from 10 to 20 per cent, and discharges from 18 to 26 per cent. CHAPTER IX STABLE AND UNSTABLE EMPLOYEES IN the discussion of the figures on the length of service of the active working force attention has been called to the fact that in each establishment at a given time there will, of course, be found a certain proportion of long-service employees. No matter what divisions of the working force may be considered shifts, departments, the skilled and unskilled, distinct occupations, etc. and whatever the prevailing factors may be that influence the rate of labor mobility of these groups they all will be found to contain elements of stability. Inordinate shifting of labor is characteristic only of certain parts of the working force. This of course, does not mean that senior employees do not sooner or later also change their employment and that they are not to be reckoned at all as a factor in labor mobility. But in each establishment at a given time will be found a nucleus of workers who have become a part of the permanent working force, who have grown up in the establishment, as it were, and who are for various reasons less desirous of change. The fact that it is only a portion of the working force which becomes a factor in the labor mobility over a given period shows that there is more or less concentration in the mobility of the plant force, and for that reason the rates of mobility as applied to the working force as a whole do not correctly assign the direct responsibility for the labor flux. It is evident that the rates of mobility would be the same if the whole working force changes completely once in the course of a year, or, if one-half of the work force changes two times, or, one-fourth of the work force changes four times, in the course of a year, and so on. In the presentation of the figures that follow an attempt is made to establish a more simple and direct connection between length of service and labor mobility. 142 STABLE AND UNSTABLE EMPLOYEES 143 The detailed period-of-service figures of active employees in the industry groups shown in Table 35 in seven length-of- service divisions, have been condensed in Table 43 into just two divisions; those who have served continuously for periods up to one year and those who have continuous service records of over one year. The same figures are shown graphically in Chart I. TABLE 43 NUMBER AND PER CENT DISTRIBUTION OF "ACTIVE EMPLOYEES" WHO HAD SERVED ONE YEAR OR LESS AND OVER ONE YEAR, RESPECTIVELY, IN SPECIFIED INDUSTRY GROUPS, 1917-18. (53 ESTABLISHMENTS) INDUSTRY GROUP NUMBER PER CENT ONE YEAR OR LESS OVER ONE YEAR ONE YEAR OR LESS OVER ONE YEAR Automobiles and parts manufacturing Chemical industries and refineries Clothing and textile manufacturing . Furniture and millwork .... 4,429 2,513 1,972 \ 729 6,760 625 2,750 231 864 1,908 5,667 4,086 i,335 4,399 964 n,S04 826 3,4io 709 977 2,3bo 12,811 52.0 65.0 31-0 43-o 37-o 43-o 45-o 25-0 47-o 45-0 31.0 48.0 35-0 69.0 57-o 63.0 57-0 55-0 75-0 53-o 55-o 69.0 Machinery manufacturing .... Mercantile establishments .... Miscellaneous metal products mfg. Printing and publishing Public utilties: Gas and electricity Street railways Telephone service Total 28,448 43,32i 40.0 60.0 It is at once evident that of 71,769 persons on the pay rolls of the 53 establishments on June i, 1918, 43,321 or 60 per cent had been in continuous service over one year. These long-service employees were in no way responsible for the labor mobility of these establishments for the 1 2-month period ending with that date. The proportion of employees who were free from responsi- bility for the labor shifting depends upon the proportion of long- service employees in the working force, which, as may be seen, varies considerably between the industry groups shown, the highest percentage of employees having service records of over 144 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY - I'l II j? i 1 I 1 I 8 O |H 01 S 8 STABLE AND UNSTABLE EMPLOYEES 145 one year being in printing and publishing. Generally, the proportion of over-one-year active-service employees is greater than the proportion of active employees who have worked less than one year. There are two exceptions among the industry groups: automobiles and parts manufacturing and chemical industries and refineries. In these two groups the proportion of active employees with service periods of less than one year is greater than those with over one year's service. Knowing the number of employees with service records at least as long or longer than the period for which the labor mo- bility is reported, the responsibility of that part of the working force which has actually occasioned the labor instability can be definitely established, and in Table 44 the base upon which the rate of mobility is measured is that part of the work force which directly contributed to it. The rate figures given in the table are plotted on Chart J on page 148. The table and graph show the responsibility for labor mobility of the stable and unstable employees, respectively. 1 It will be observed that in these 53 establishments with a working force of 69,553 there were at the end of the year 43,321 employees, representing 62 per cent of those on the pay roll, with a service record of over one year. These employees were not responsible for any of the labor changes that took place during the year. The labor mobility is thus concentrated on 26,232 workers or 38 per cent of the total work force. This relatively small part of the work force was responsible for the labor changes which took place during the year, involving 93,206 accessions and 96,207 separations, a labor flux of 189,413 persons. This means that for every worker on the unstable work force more than 3 persons were hired and nearly 4 persons left employment, involving altogether more than 7 labor changes for each worker. A comparison of the labor mobility of the stable and unstable working force shows the labor mobility rates based 1 For detailed figures regarding stable and unstable employees in individual es- tablishments see Table C in the Appendix. 146 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE COMPARISON OF LABOR MOBILITY RATES BASED ON THE TOTAL WORKING FORCE INDUSTRY GROUPS, YEAR PER CENT UNSTABLE NUMBER _ UNSTABLE PART OF INDUSTRY GROUP OF ES- TABLISH- 1 OTAL WORKING PART OF WORKING WORKING FORCE MENTS FORCE * FORCE Is OF TOTAL WORKING FORCE Automobiles and parts . . . Chemical industries and refineries 5 3 8,773 3,290 4,687 1,955 53 59 Clothing and textile mfg. . . . Furniture and millwork . . . 3 i 6,837 1,5*4 2,438 550 36 36 Machinery mfg 13 3 17,047 5,543 545 33 40 Mercantile establishments . . Miscellaneous metal products mfg. Printing and publishing . . . Public utilities: Gas and electricity 13 2 I 6|732 1^933 3,322 302 956 49 30 49 Street railways . I 3,643 1,343 37 Telephone service 8 17,403 4,59i 26 Total 53 69,553 26,232 38 RATE OF CHANGE PER FULL-YEAR WORKER (BASED ON TOTAL WORKING FORCE) * ACCESSION SEPARATION FLUX Automobiles and parts . . . Chemical industries and refineries 1.44 3-27 1-53 2.07 2.97 6.24 Clothing and textile mfg. . . . 99 1.26 2.25 Furniture and millwork . . . 2.25 3 '03 5.28 Machinery mfg 1.23 1.41 i. ii 2-34 2.76 Mercantile establishments Miscellaneous metal products 2-34 2.28 4.62 Printing and publishing 75 93 1.68 Public utilities: Gas and electricity .81 54 Street railways . .84 i. 02 1.86 Telephone service .90 1.05 i-95 Average ..35 1.38 2-73 1 This number is 2216 less than the number on the pay roll of the 53 establishments at the end service having been reduced to equivalent full year, or 3000 hour, workers. 2 Represents ratio oi labor changes (accessions, separations and flux) to labor hours of total working 1 Represents ratio of labor changes (accessions, separations and flux) to labor hours of unstable part of the working force. STABLE AND UNSTABLE EMPLOYEES 147 44 WITH RATES BASED ON THE UNSTABLE PART OF THE WORKING FORCE IN SPECIFIED ENDING MAY 31, 1918 LABOR HOURS WORKED BY: LABOR CHANGES UNSTABLE ! TOTAL PART OF INDUSTRY GROUP WORKING WORKING ACCES- SEPARA- TOTAL FORCE (THOU- SANDS) FORCE (THOU- SANDS) SIONS TIONS (FLUX) 26,319 14,061 12,659 13,490 26,149 Automobiles and parts 9,870 5,865 io,743 9,780 20,523 Chem. industries and refineries 20,511 6,771 8,587 15,358 Clothing and textile mfg. 4,542 1^650 4,566 7,976 Furniture and millwork 16,629 20^881 18,686 39,567 Machinery mfg. 4, I]C 3 1,635 I ,93 I 1,862 3,793 Mercantile establishments 20^196 3,033 5,799 9,966 906 2,868 15,803 749 15,403 930 1,040 31,206 1,679 2,625 Miscellaneous metal products mfg. Printing and publishing Public utilities: Gas and electricity 10,929 4,029 3^58 3,728 6,786 Street railways 52,206 13,773 15,616 18,135 33,751 Telephone service 208,659 78,696 93,206 96,207 189,413 Total RATE OF CHANGE PER FULL-YEAR WORKER (BASED ON UNSTABLE PART OF WORKING FORCE) ACCESSION SEPARATION FLUX 2.70 2.88 5.58 Automobiles and parts 5-49 5.01 10.50 Chemical industries and refineries 2.79 6.30 Clothing and textile mfg. 6.21 8*.3i 14.52 Furniture and millwork 3.78 3.36 7.14 Machinery mfg. 3*42 6.96 Mercantile establishments 4-77 JT 9.42 Miscellaneous metal products 2.49 1.65 i'.o8 5.58 2-73 Printing and publishing Public utilities: Gas and electricity 2.28 2.79 5-07 Street railways 3-39 3.96 7-35 Telephone service 3-54 3.66 7.20 Average oi May, 1918, shown in Table 34, the labor time of the employees with less than one year's continuous force, or, in other words, to the equivalent number of full-year workers in the total working force, part of working force, or, in other words, to the equivalent number of full-time workers in the unstable 148 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY on the labor hours of the Unstable part of the work force to be nearly three times as great as the labor-change rates based on CHART J. COMPARISON OF LABOR FLUX RATES BASED ON THE TOTAL WORK FORCE WITH RATES BASED ON THE UNSTABLE PART OF THE WORK FORCE, BY INDUSTRY GROUPS (Unit: One labor change per full-year worker.) INDUSTRY GROUP 5 10 All Industries Public Utilities: Gas & Electricity Printing & Publishing Public Utilities: Street Railways " Telephone Servi Clothing & Textile Mfg. Machinery Mfg. Mercantile Establishments Automobiles & Parts Mfg.- Miscell. Metal Products Mfg; Furniture & Millwork Chemical Industries & Refineries- Flux Based on Total Force Flux Based on Unstable Force the labor hours of the whole working force. The extent of the direct responsibility for the labor changes within the work force varies considerably among the different industry groups shown, such responsibility being dependent, of course, upon the STABLE AND UNSTABLE EMPLOYEES 149 proportion of long-service employees in the different establish- ments. The importance of employees of long tenure as a factor in labor stability and their influence upon labor mobility rates is well illustrated by the mobility figures for the telephone service group. At the termination of the mobility census it appeared that 74 per cent of the employees had been in service more than a year, thus concentrating the labor mobility upon 26 per cent of the total work force. The labor change rates in the telephone service as applied to the total working force are .90, 1.05 and 1.95 for accession, separation, and flux, respectively, but the number of labor shiftings when applied to that part of the working force to which the turnover is actually attributable show corresponding rates of 3.39, 3.96 and 7.35. This clearly indicates relatively low labor mobility for the working force as a whole in the tele- phone service, reveals a concentration of whatever labor mo- bility there has been upon a comparatively small portion of the plant forces and shows very frequent changes within the personnel of the unstable labor group. In general, it may be observed that in those industry groups which have a comparatively low percentage of unstable employees and also a relatively low mobility rate as based upon the total working force, the difference between the mobility rate based on the total working force and the rate based on the unstable working force is also considerably greater than in industry groups in which a larger proportion of the working force is responsible for the mobility. The explanation for this is that in those indus- try groups which show a low percentage of unstable employees only a comparatively small part of the work force is responsible for the labor changes, and the labor forces of these industry groups contain a large number of senior employees who are not at all responsible for the flux. These establishments for that reason are able to show a comparatively low mobility rate when based on the entire working force. In establishments showing a higher percentage of unstable employees the responsibility for 150 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY the labor shifting is more evenly distributed in the working force, and differences in the mobility rates between the stable and un- stable working force are, therefore, correspondingly lower. For example, the unstable working force in the telephone service group is relatively small 26 per cent; the difference in the flux rates between the stable and unstable working force is 5.40. In the automobiles-and-parts group the unstable working force is comparatively large 53 per cent and the difference in the flux rate of the two divisions of the work force is only 2.61. Because of the great variations in the mobility rates of the in- dividual establishments constituting any particular industrial group, some summary figures classifying the labor flux rates of the stable and unstable working force of the 53 individual establishments covered in the preceding table are given below. TABLE 45 NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTS HAVING CLASSIFIED LABOR FLUX RATES BASED (i) ON THE WHOLE WORKING FORCE AND (2) ON THE UNSTABLE PART OF WORKING FORCE, YEAR ENDING MAY 31, 1918. (53 ESTABLISHMENTS) CLASSIFIED FLUX RATE NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTS HAV- ING CLASSIFIED LABOR FLUX RATES PER FULL-YEAR WORKER, BASED ON TOTAL WORKING FORCE UNSTABLE WORKING FORCE FLUX RATE: ALL ESTABLISHMENTS 2.7 7.2 I 14 18 6 8 4 2 2 4 9 13 6 6 5 2 I 3 2 Over o 6 to 10 8 Over 12 o to 13 2 Over 132 to 14 4 Total 53 S3 STABLE AND UNSTABLE EMPLOYEES 151 The great range of variation in the flux rates of the unstable working forces of the 53 individual establishments (the combined rate for which is 7.2) may be gauged from the fact that the unstable-work-force flux rate in two establishments falls so low as to come within the flux-rate group of over 2.4 to 3.6 (about two changes for each worker in the unstable work force), while there are two concerns the flux rate of which is classified in the flux-rate group of over 14.4 to 15.6 (about 15 labor changes for every employee in the unstable work force). An even more striking presentation of the comparative instability of stable and unstable employees is made in Table 46. In it the data relating to the labor mobility of the individual establishments are grouped according to the relative proportions of their unstable employees to the total working force. These figures bring out in a very graphic manner the fact to which reference has been made above; namely, that as the pro- portion of the unstable working force increases, thus showing the responsibility for the labor changes to be more largely distributed among the whole working force, the labor mobility rates also show a decided tendency to increase. The margin, however, between the labor change rates of the whole work force and those of the unstable working force is decidedly less as the pro- portion of the unstable portion of the working force to the total working forces increases. A comparison of the flux rates of the two divisions of the working force shows this margin to be as follows: when the proportion of unstable working force to total working force is 20 per cent or less, the flux rate margin is 6.63 ; when it is over 20 to 40 per cent, the margin is 4.26; when it is over 40 to 60 per cent, the margin is 3.96; and when it is over 60 per cent, the margin is 1.92. 152 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE COMPARISON OF LABOR MOBILITY RATES BASED ON THE TOTAL WORKING FORCE, CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO THE RELATIVE SIZE OF ESTABLISHMENTS IN WHICH PROPOR- TIONS OF UNSTABLE WORKING FORCE TO TOTAL WORKING FORCE WERE NUMBER or ESTABLISH- MENTS TOTAL WORKING FORCE UNSTABLE PART OF WORKING FORCE LABOR HOURS TOTAL WORKING FORCE (THOUSANDS) 20 per cent or less . . . Over 20 to 40 per cent . Over 40 to 60 per cent . Over 60 per cent Total 4 17 22 IO 18,389 29,281 14,624 7,253 3,407 10,181 7,406 5,238 55,i67 87,843 43,872 21,777 S3 69,553 26,232 208,659 20 per cent or less . . . Over 20 to 40 per cent . . Over 40 to 60 per cent . . Over 60 per cent . . . Total RATE PER FULL- YEAR WORKER, BASED ON TOTAL WORKING FORCE ACCESSION SEPARATION FLUX .69 .81 1.08 1.14 2.10 I.Q5 2.43 2.61 1.50 2.22 4-05 5-04 1.35 1.38 2-73 STABLE AND UNSTABLE EMPLOYEES 153 46 FORCE WITH RATES BASED ON THE UNSTABLE PART OF THE WORKING THE UNSTABLE PART OF THE WORKING FORCE, 1917-18 WORKED BY LABOR CHANGES ESTABLISHMENTS IN WHICH PRO- PORTIONS OF UNSTABLE WORKING FORCE TO TOTAL WORKING FORCE WERE UNSTABLE PART OF WORKING FORCE (THOUSANDS) ACCESSIONS SEPARATIONS TOTAL (FLUX) 10,221 30,543 22,218 15,714 12,825 32,062 30,693 17,626 14,904 33,792 28,608 18,903 27,729 65,854 59,301 36,529 20 per cent or less Over 20 to 40 per cent Over 40 to 60 per cent Over 60 per cent Total 20 per cent or less Over 20 to 40 per cent Over 40 to 60 per cent Over 60 per cent Total 78,696 93,206 96,207 189,413 RATE PER FULL-YEAR WORKER, BASED ON UNSTABLE WORKING FORCE ACCESSION SEPARATION FLUX 3-75 4.38 3-15 3-33 4.14 3.87 3-36 3.60 8.13 6.48 8.01 6.96 3-54 3-66 7.20 CHAPTER X RELATIVE RESPONSIBILITY OF DIFFERENT SERVICE GROUPS FOR LABOR MOBILITY THE length-of-service figures given in Chapter VIII, although useful for some purposes, fail to report the true situation as to the proportion of the whole amount of shifting for which each different length-of-service group of separating employees must be held responsible. The principal difficulty with such a length- of-service classification as that shown in Table 34 is that the service periods in the scale are of unequal length and the numbers of those leaving during those unequal periods are, therefore, not strictly comparable. It is true that a revision was made in the last table presented in the chapter on length of service, 1 in which table the unequal time periods are equated by dividing the figures of each group by the number of weeks in the span of ser- vice time. This method, however, is not quite adequate, and in Table 47 the same set of length-of-service figures is so presented as to make in another and more accurate way the necessary correction for this disparity in length between the different service periods. 2 The first column of the table is identical, except for decimals, with the corresponding figures for the active employees in Table 34. In column 2 the total number of labor hours worked by the employees of the fifty- three concerns in 1913-14 and the corre- sponding number worked by the employees of the thirty-four concerns in 1917-18, respectively, are distributed (for each of the two periods) in the same percentage proportions that hold for the employees who were on the pay roll at the end of the year. 1 Table 42, p. 140. 2 The method used in Table 47 was suggested to the writers by Mr. Lucian W, Chancy, of the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 154 RELATIVE RESPONSIBILITY 155 TABLE 47 SEPARATION RATES IN SPECIFIED LENGTH-OF-SERVICE GROUPS (Based on allocation of the total labor hours among the different length-of-service groups) [Number of establishments reporting: 1913-14, 34; 1917-18, 53] LENGTH-OI-SERVICE GROUP PER CENT DISTRIBUTION OF EMPLOYEES ON PAY ROLL AT END OF YEAR (ACTIVE EMPLOYEES) CORRESPOND- ING DISTRI- BUTION OF LABOR HOURS IN EACH SPECIFIED LENGTH-OF- SERVICE GROUP (THOUSANDS) SEPARATIONS NUMBER IN EACH GROUP RATE PER 3000 LABOR HOURS (FULL-YEAR WORKER) IN EACH GROUP 1 Three months or less . . . Over 3 months to 6 months . Over 6 months to i year . . Over i year to ? years . . Over 2 years to 3 years . . Over 3 years to 5 years . . Over 5 years 1913-14 13-15 740 8.32 12.08 11.14 15.01 32.90 29,351 16,517 18,570 26,963 24,865 33,503 73,437 28,407 8,516 7,497 4,415 2,162 i,845 1,776 2.QO i-55 I.2I 49 .26 17 .07 Total IOO.OO 223,206 2 54,6i8 74 One week or less .... Over i week to 2 weeks . . Over 2 weeks to i month . Over i month to 3 months Three months or less . Over 3 months to 6 months . Over 6 months to i year . Over i year to 2 years Over 2 years to 3 years Over 3 years to 5 years . . Over 5 years . . . 1917-18 2.25 2.50 4.11 9-83 18.69 8-39 12.56 14-57 9-23 8.81 27-75 4,695 5,216 8,576 20,511 38,998 I7,5o6 26,208 30,402 i9, 2 59 18,383 57,903 16,476 9,664 n,54i 18,912 56,593 11,770 9,813 6,645 2,476 2,780 3,oi5 10.53 5.56 4.04 2.76 4-35 2.02 1. 12 .66 39 45 .16 Total 100.00 208,659 2 93,092 1-34 Calculated after this fashion: 28407 X 3000 = 2.90. 29351000 J Aggregate number of labor hours worked, during the years covered, in the establishments represented in the table, for the war and pre-war periods respectively. LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY This reveals the number of full-year workers assignable to the various length of service groups. Column 3 is identical with the separation figures in Table 34. In column 4 are given the rates of separation per 3000 labor hours worked by each length of service group. These figures are obtained by dividing the number of separating employees who have served each specified time period by the number of labor hours worked by that group and multiplying the quotient by 3000. The resulting scale of separation rates gives a very good idea of the relative responsi- bility of the different service groups for excessive labor mobility and shows that the great bulk of it is caused by the short-time employee, very little of it, indeed, being due to the separation from service of employees who had served more than one year. The separation rates for each of the different industry groups, presented in Table 48, are derived in exactly the same way as are the rates in the last column of Table 47. TABLE SEPARATION RATES IN SPECIFIED INDUSTRY GROUPS, CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO AMONG THE DIFFERENT LENGTH-OF-SERVICE RATE OF SEPARATION PER FULL-YEAR WORKER IN EACH INDUSTRY GROUP ONE OVER OVER OVER OVER OVER WEEK i WEEK 2 WEEKS i MONTH 3 Mos. 6 Mos. OR TO TO TO TO. TO LESS 2 WEEKS i MONTH 3 Mos. 6 Mos. i YEAR Automobiles and parts . 5-04 3-24 3-75 2.46 2.07 1.65 Chem. industr's and refineries 13.80 8.16 5-64 3.36 1-95 99 Clothing and textile mfg. 24.00 8.19 4.08 4-32 1.44 1.44 Furniture and millwork . 16.92 8.82 5-91 6.72 5-97 1.41 Machinery mfg. 7.38 4.20 3.00 2.13 2.13 1.05 Mercantile establishments 747 2.64 4.14 3- J 5 2-73 .87 Miscel. metal products mfg. 19.92 9-93 5-07 342 2.67 1.02 Printing and publishing . 6.75 3-24 3-93 2.22 i-53 1.47 Public utilities: Gas and electricity 1.23 .69 i-95 1.23 .60 .48 Street railways . 4.80 2-55 2.64 2.07 1.38 1.23 Tel. service . . 9-39 5-49 4-83 2.64 2.19 93 All industries . . 10-53 5.56 4.04 2.76 2. 02 1. 12 RELATIVE RESPONSIBILITY 157 Again, in Table 48, the rapidly declining separation rate figures along the length-of-service scale show how relatively little the long-service employees have to do with the labor shift. Some significant differences between the industry groups may be pointed out : In street railways and telephone service, two similar groups whose total separation rates are about equal, there is, nevertheless, a wide difference between the corresponding rates in the shortest service group. This would seem to indicate, as has been suggested in another chapter, that the telephone service industry is obliged to make much more frequent replacements of employees who have served less than a week than is the case with street railways. A similar disproportionately high separation rate among those who have worked less than a week is observable in the clothing and textile manufacturing group, which has for this minimum service period the highest rate of all the groups shown, and this despite the fact that the total separation rate for this industry group is slightly below the average. 48 LENGTH OF SERVICE. (BASED ON ALLOCATION OF THE TOTAL LABOR HOURS GROUPS). 1917-18 (53 establishments) SPECIFIED LENGTH-OF-SERVICE GROUP OVER OVER OVER INDUSTRY GROUP i YEAR a YEARS 3 YEARS OVER Au. TO TO TO FIVE GROUPS 2 YEARS 3 YEARS S YEARS YEARS .78 .90 39 .24 i-53 Automobiles and parts 57 39 .36 .18 1.9 Chem. industries and refineries 75 33 51 .12 1.26 Clothing and textile mfg. 93 36 54 33 3-03 Furniture and millwork .69 .24 33 .12 i. ii Machinery mfg. 78 63 51 30 63 36 .18 .12 3 Mercantile establishments Miscel. metal products mfg. .66 .72 78 -21 93 Printing and publishing Public utilities: .36 .24 .42 IS 54 Gas and electricity 63 .42 .60 IS i. 02 Street railways .60 36 .48 .18 1.05 Telephone service .66 39 45 .16 1-34 All industries 158 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY This same analysis of the length of service data is followed in Table 49, which makes a comparison between skilled workers and semi-skilled or unskilled workers. The figures again exhibit a difference in stability in favor of skilled workers. 1 TABLE 49 SEPARATION RATES IN SPECIFIED LENGTH-OF-SERVICE GROUPS OF SKILLED AND UNSKILLED WORKERS (Based on allocation of the total labor hours among the length-of-service groups.) (1913-1915. 17 establishments reporting) LENGTH or SERVICE GROUP PER CENT DISTRIBUTION OF EMPLOYEES ON PAY ROLL AT END OF YEAR (ACTIVE EMPLOYEES) CORRESPOND- ING DISTRI- BUTION OF LABOR HOURS IN EACH SPECIFIED LENGTH-OF- SERVICE GROUP (THOUSANDS) SEPARATIONS NUMBER IN EACH GROUP RATE PER FULL-YEAR WORKER IN EACH GROUP* Three months or less Over 3 months to 6 months Over 6 months to i year Over i to 2 years Over 2 to 3 years Over 3 to 5 years Over 5 years SKILLED 10.827 7-233 7.602 14.580 11.411 15.029 33-3I8 7,104 4,746 4,988 9,567 7,488 9,861 21,862 7,072 2,218 1,869 932 640 412 536 2.99 1.40 1. 12 .29 .26 '13 .08 Total IOO.OOO 65,616 13,679 .62 Three months or less Over 3 months to 6 months Over 6 months to i year Over i to 2 years Over 2 to 3 years Over 3 to 5 years SEMI-SKILLED AND UNSKILLED 24.408 11-55 8.341 12.446 12.623 14.067 16.565 9,622 4,553 3,288 4,906 4,976 5,545 6,530 n,i45 2,875 2,065 1,211 545 400 308 346 74 33 .22 .14 Total IOO.OOO 39,420 18,549 I.4I 1 See, for other statistical data on skilled and unskilled workers, Tables 19, 24, and 39. 2 Obtained by dividing the number of separations in each group by correspond- ing number of labor hours and multiplying by 3000. RELATIVE RESPONSIBILITY I S9 FREQUENCY OF JOB REPLACEMENT IN DIFFERENT LENGTH- OF - SERVICE GROUPS It has already been pointed out that, as is quite obvious, there is enormous variation in the turnover distribution in relation directly to length of service, that the jobs held by the newly hired employees whether they are skilled mechanics' jobs or unskilled laborers' jobs are responsible for a preponderating share of the separations. For some jobs there is evidently a very TABLE 50 RELATIVE FREQUENCY OF JOB REPLACEMENT IN SPECIFIED LENGTH-OF-SERVICE GROUPS. 1917-1918 (53 establishments reporting) L,ENGTH-OF-SERVICE SEPARATED EM- PLOYEES WHO SERVED CONTINU- OUSLY EACH CLAS- SIFIED PERIOD MEAN LENGTH OF TOTAL NUMBER OF MAN-DAYS WORKED EQUIVALENT FULL- YEAR POSITIONS IN EACH GROUP NUMBER OF PERSONS IN EACH EQUIVA- GROUP NUMBER PERCENT- AGE DISTRI- SERVICE (DAYS) BY EACH GROUP DURING THE YEAR NUMBER PERCENT- AGE DISTRI- BUTION LENT FULL- YEAR POSITION DURING BUTION THE YEAR (I) (2) (3) (4) (s) (6) (7) (8) IQl8 One week or less . 16,476 21. 1 4 65,904 180.56 I.I Ql-3 Over i to 2 weeks 9,664 12.4 ii 106,304 291.24 1.8 33-2 Over 2 wks. to i mo. n,54i 14-8 22 253,902 695.62 4.4 16.6 Over i to 3 months 18,912 24.2 60 1,134,720 3,108.82 19.4 6.1 Over 3 to 6 months 11,770 15-0 135 1,588,950 4,353-29 27.2 2.7 Over 6 mo. to i yr. 9,8i3 I2.S 273 2,688,762 7,366.47 46.1 i-3 Total . . . 78,176 IOO.O 5,838,542 15,996.01 IOO.O high " rotation in office"; for others the frequency of shift is much lower. It is very important to know what proportion of the jobs in a plant is subject to high, and what proportion to low, rotation frequencies. An attempt to indicate this is made in Table 50 above, which presents a further analysis of the service distribution of 78,176 persons who, before they had i6o LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY served more than a year, left the service of the 53 establishments reporting the necessary data in 191 8. l The principal object of this table is to show (i) in what length- of -service sections of the working force the labor shift and replace- ment is most frequent and how frequent it is in those sections, and (2) how many full-time jobs are directly affected by these respective intensities of mobility in the different parts of the working force. To throw light on these two points it is first of all necessary to hit upon an average length of service for each of the original service groups. For this average the arithmetic mean has been taken the mean length of time between the minimum and maximum time in each group. The assumption here and upon this assumption the whole of the following analysis rests is that the sum of the individual service devia- tions (plus or minus) from the mean is zero or very close to zero. 2 It would seem probable from what slight information is available that considerably more individual service records fall below the mean time than above it that is to say, so many "floaters" work only a day or two that the time average for the first group 1 This method was applied originally in an analysis of labor turnover data from the San Francisco Bay region. 8 Mo. Labor Rev. 363-380. (February, 1919.) 8 This assumption is confirmed by the following: In two Cincinnati shops the length-of -service distribution of 1990 employees (in all occupations) leaving in 1918, the aggregate number of days worked by them, and the average length of service in each group are as follows: SEPARATED LENGTH-OF-SERVICE PERIOD EMPLOYEES WHO SERVED CONTINUOUSLY EACH CLASSI- TOTAL DAYS WORKED AVERAGE DAYS OF SERVICE FIED PERIOD One week or less 439 i,56i 3-56 Over i week to 2 weeks 275 2,934 10.67 Over 2 weeks to i month . 348 7,495 21-54 Over i month to 3 months 527 29,184 55.38 Over 3 months to 6 months 244 31,488 129.05 Over 6 months to i year . 157 39,663 252.63 Total . 1,990 112,325 RELATIVE RESPONSIBILITY 161 is possibly two days rather than four. This probable lag of the true average of individual cases behind the mean length of service which has been used is undoubtedly greatest in the one-week-and- under group and certainly cannot be of any serious consequence in the longer groups. In any case the effect of this probable lag or negative deviation is to produce a somewhat lower turnover figure. Thus, if two days be taken as the basic average for the first group, there would appear in this rapidly changing part of the working force a group of 90 jobs, in each of which there were 90 replacements during one year, whereas, on the four days' basis it is a group of 180 jobs, each having 90 replacements annually. In short, the mean length of service is, especially for the very short periods, more nearly an outside figure for, rather than an average of, the individual cases. It should be noted also that the calculation is based upon the calendar year of 365 days and not upon the number of days worked by a "fully employed person," which latter basis is used in other parts of this book in computing the number of full-time jobs or standard working force. This method of working out the results in Table 50 may be illustrated by the figures for the first group. On the basis of the assumption explained above, each of 16,476 persons worked an average of 4 days. Assuming that all jobs were continuously occupied, it follows that the number of successive incumbents of each job subject to this maximum frequency of "rotation in office " must have been 365 divided by 4, or 91 .3. Similarly there must have been 33.2 persons in successive occupancy of each of the jobs held by the one-to-two- weeks group, and so on. This constitutes a series of constants, supplementing the mean- length-of-service constants in column 4 and indicating the average number of men required during the year to hold down each job in each of the specified time groups. The next step is to ascertain the number of jobs, each of which is successively occu- pied by 91 employees, 33 employees, etc., during the year. This is done by dividing the number of man-days worked in each group 162 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY (the product of the mean length of service by the number of em- ployees in the group) by 365. This indicates that in the one- week-and-under group there are 181 jobs, to each of which an average job replacement frequency rate of 91 incumbents per year applies. Similarly in the over-one-to-two-weeks group there are 291 jobs (2 per cent of all the full-time jobs) in which there are 32 replacements a year; and at the other end of the scale, in the 6-months-to-one-year group, 7366, or 46 per cent of all full-time jobs, in which there are ii replacements a year. The figures indicate, in other words, the numbers of full-time jobs in which there were the classified numbers of incumbents per year. They mean, e.g., that on the average each of the 181 full-time jobs in the first and shortest group had 91 incumbents during the year. At the relatively stable end of the length-of-service scale it appears that the six-months-to-one-year group, numbering 9813, who had occupied 7366, or 46 per cent, of the full-time jobs, contributed 13 per cent of the separations and suffered one re- placement a year. At the unstable end of the scale it is evident that the under-one- week group, numbering 16,476 employees, who had occupied 181, or i per cent of the full-time jobs, con- tributed 21 per cent of the separations and suffered 90 replace- ments a year. In this most unstable group, where the jobs natu- rally suffer the highest replacement frequency, it would appear that in each of 181 full-time jobs there were, on the average, 90 new men hired, and this little group of jobs was occupied at one time or another during the year by 16,476 persons, who made up 21 per cent of the separations and, consequently, were responsible for that proportion of the turnover. It is realized that these conclusions are based upon the estimated figures for the mean length of service in each time period. This makes it impossible in every case to check the derived figures of Table 50 with the direct figures reported from the establishments, but does not appear to invalidate the general conclusion. CHAPTER XI EMPLOYMENT RECORDS THE establishment employment records primarily needed for the development of useful statistics of labor mobility on the lines indicated in the body of this book are: (1) Number of labor hours worked, a. In the shape of clock records or other records of labor, time, or b. To be derived from daily attendance records, or c. From amounts paid out in wages at various rates, d. From pay-roll records by some method of discount- ing gross pay roll for both absentee-time and frac- tional-pay-period time. (2) Number of accessions. (3) Number of separations, a. Number leaving voluntarily, b. Number laid off, c. Number discharged. For the convenient recording of the above items some such record-form as the one on pages 164-165 is suggested. The information called for in Form i should be recorded daily. The daily record can, of course, be kept on the same form, if the column at the right be left blank for insertion of the time unit desired. The figures should, if possible, be shown separately by plant occupations or operating departments. The daily records for any division, or for the plant as a whole, can, at the end of the month, be totaled and entered on the monthly record shown here. This monthly record, in turn, can be totaled and entered, at the end of the year on a corresponding form showing the annual mobility record for each department. 163 i6 4 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY FORM i: LABOR OCCUPATION OR SIZE OF WORK FORCE (Base for computation : The 3 methods to be used in order of preference, method NUMBER i being preferred) MONTH (OR DAY, WEEK OR YEAR) Method 3 Methods Method i Leaving Employ Average Average Total number Hired number of employees on daily number actually of labor hours put in by all employees (Acces- sions) Dis- charged Laid off pay roll at work during year January February March . April May . June July . August September October November December Year .... The figures for "size of work force" are of prime importance, but, except for ordinary pay-roll data, they are kept by very few employers and even when such figures are kept they are not usually put in the same record with data on number of employees entering and leaving, with the result that it is very difficult to get all factors upon a common footing for purposes of computation. Method (i) is believed to be the best of the three. The first alternative to this actual number of labor hours is the average daily number actually at work. These attendance figures may be converted to labor hours by first multiplying by the number of days worked and then by the number of hours in the regular work-day and, finally, subtracting, from the resulting gross number of labor hours a number of hours considered to be equivalent to the time lost through the absenteeism of active EMPLOYMENT RECORDS 165 MOBILITY DEPARTMENT: LABOR CHANGES NUMBER RATE PER FULL-YEAR WORKER MONTH (Separations) Labor Separation (OR DAY, WEEK OR YEAR) flux Left volun- tarily Total (Acces- sions plus sep- arations) Acces- sion Dis- charge Lay off Volun- tary leaving Total Labor Flux January February March April May June July August September October November December Year employees and the time not worked by employees who failed to work the full pay period. The second alternative to actual labor hours is the average number of employees on the pay roll. These figures may be converted to labor hours by multiplying them by the number of days worked during the month, and that product in turn by the prevailing number of hours worked per day during the month or other period considered. Length-of-service figures are very important, especially in reference to the employees who leave. For each separating em- ployee a record should be kept of the time of his continuous service and entered monthly, or as often as considered desir- able, on some such form as the one shown on pages 166-167. The scale of time periods shown above is that used in the more recent of the two labor mobility investigations made by the i66 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY FORM 2: MONTH (OR DEPARTMENT OR OCCUPATION GROUP NUMBER OF SEPARATING EMPLOYEES i WEEK OR LESS OVER I TO 2 WEEKS OVER 2 WEEKS TO i MONTH OVER I TO 3 MONTHS OVER 3 TO 6 MONTHS 5 r All departments Bureau of Labor Statistics. Somewhat different classifications may be found more useful for some concerns, but, whatever scale is used, it should be split up into very short time periods for the first weeks and months of service time. The number serving less than one week should by all means be shown in the records, for the great bulk of the labor shift will fall in these very short periods. The foregoing items represent the most important data neces- sary for keeping a constant check on the extent of labor mobility and the progress being made in different departments toward controlling it. Whatever forms are used should be so flexible that they can be adapted to specialized treatment of a problem and be made to serve for any desired period. It is recommended that the following records should certainly be kept: A daily record of men hired and transferred, giving name, number, department, job, and rate of pay. A record of all men EMPLOYMENT RECORDS 167 LENGTH-OF-SERVICE YEAR, ETC.) WHO HAD WORKED CONTINUOUSLY DEPARTMENT OR OCCUPATION GROUP OVER 6 MONTHS TO i YEAR OVER I TO 2 YEARS OVER 2 TO 3 YEARS OVER 3 TO 5 YEARS OVER YEARS TOTAL All departments leaving, giving the date hired and date leaving, type of separa- tion, length of service, either the actual time in years, months, or days, or giving it in definite classified periods. Such a record has the advantage that it is possible to combine the figures for any department for any job or for any desired period. ABSENTEE RECORDS Some record should be kept of absentees. This is especially important for establishments where it is found to be necessary to compute the mobility rates on the basis of pay-roll figures which will need to be discounted for the amount of absenteeism. The form on pages 168-169 is suggested for absentee records. Absentee records will fall under two major divisions: daily and monthly. Each of these must contain both quantitative and qualitative information. The quantitative data show, not only the number of employees absent, but also the number of hours i68 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY lost. Thus an employee absent forty days with a broken leg should count as one case, but in his record there should also be shown the equivalent labor hours involved in forty days' absence. The qualitative data analyze causes of absenteeism. The FORM 3: OCCUPATION OR MONTH SIZE OF WORK FORCE (Base for computation: The 3 methods to be used in order of preference, method i being preferred) Method 3 Method 2 Method i Average number of employees on pay roll Average daily number actually at work Total number of labor hours put in by all employees during year January .... February Micirch . . . . May Tuly . . . October December Year EMPLOYMENT RECORDS 169 main items will be "laid off," "reported off" (absences reported in advance), "vacations," "occupational injury," "sickness," "sickness in home," "death in home," "grievance," "unknown." These may be classified into unavoidable and avoidable absence, and the latter as to whether it is excusable or inexcusable. ABSENTEEISM DEPARTMENT : RATE OF ABSENTEEISM PER FULL- YEAR WORKER NUMBER OF ABSENTEES LABOR HOURS LOST BY ABSENTEES MONTH ABSENTEE LABOR HOURS CASES LOST January February March April May June July August September October November December Year APPENDIX BASIC TABLES 172 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE LABOR MOBILITY IN INDIVIDUAL INDUSTRY OR NATURE OF BUSINESS ESTABLISH- MENT NUMBER* NUMBER OF FULL-YEAR WORKERS LABOR HOURS (THOU- SANDS) ACCES- SIONS Auto accessories, mfg BOSTON i 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 10 ii 12 13 14 15 16 17 960 2,001 1,367 2,856 3,825 2,549 i,839 167 212 899 864 i,749 726 449 3,060 8^858 2,750 2,880 6,003 4,101 8,568 n,475 7,647 5,5i7 5oi 636 2,697 2,592 5,247 2,178 i,347 9,180 26,574 8,250 2,460 545 i,737 3,284 4,749 648 824 109 490 880 477 1,285 370 99 354 i,i45 603 Railroad shops Rubber wearing apparel, mfg. l . . Rubber footwear and auto tires . . Shoes, mfg. . Shoe machinery, mfg. Department Store 2 Steam gauges and valves, mfg. 1 . . Plumbing tools, mfg. x . Brass valves and fittings, mfg. 1 . . Paper prod's and roofing material, mfg. Paper boxes and shipping tags, etc. 1 . Color printing, etc. Book mfg Public utilities: Street railways . . Elevated railways . Telephone service 3 . Total [i7l 35,i3i 105,393 20,059 Chewing gum, mfg. CHICAGO 18 19 20 (105) 21 (106) 22 23 24 25 (102) 26 (113) 27 28(lI 7 ) 29 30(HS) 31 32 34 (126) 273 277 4,377 6,592 1,904 761 503 9,661 243 9,430 544 4,3o6 415 3,758 11,049 12,519 5,522 819 831 13,131 19,776 5,7i2 2,283 1,509 28,983 729 28,290 1,632 12,918 i,245 11,274 33,147 37,557 16,566 341 148 i,546 1,946 289 397 562 I3,5i3 168 8,834 686 517 616 2,038 20,095 8,117 16,486 Shoe bottoms, mfg. Agricultural implements, mfg. . . Agricultural implements, mfg. . . Agricultural implements, mfg. . . Agricultural implements, mfg. . . Elevating machinery, mfg. * . . . Car works 4 Structural steel fabricating . . . Mail order house . Electrical supplies, mfg. Valves and fittings, mfg. . Iron wheels and castings, mfg. 6 . . Steel products, mfg Telephone apparatus, mfg. J . . . Slaughtering and meat packing 5 . . Slaughtering and meat packing l . . Total [17] 72,134 216,402 76,299 ** Notes to this table will APPENDIX A** ESTABLISHMENTS, 1913-14 AND 1917-18 14 LABOR CHANGES NUMBER RATE PER FULL-YEAR WORKER INDUSTRY OR NATURE OF BUSINESS SEPARA- TOTAL ACCES- SEPARA- FLUX TIONS SION TION BOSTON i,39i 3,851 2-55 1.44 3-99 Auto accessories, mfg. 648 1,193 .27 33 .60 Railroad shops 1,972 3,709 1.26 1.44 2.70 Rubber wearing apparel, mfg. 1 2,801 6,085 1.14 .99 2.13 Rubber footwear and auto tires 5,046 9,795 1.23 1.32 2-55 Shoes, mfg. 1,425 2,073 .24 57 .81 Shoe machinery, mfg. 842 130 1,666 239 45 .60 4 .90 1.38 Department Store 2 Steam gauges and valves, mfg. 1 427 917 2.31 2.01 4-32 Plumbing tools, mfg. l 951 1,831 99 1.05 2.04 Brass valves & fittings, mfg. 1 505 1,009 373 982 2,294 743 54 72 5i 57 57 Si i. ii 1.29 i. 02 Pap'r prod. & roof'g mat., mfg. Pap'r box's & ship'g tags, etc. 1 Color printing, etc. 150 249 .21 33 54 Book mfg. 412 766 .12 .12 .24 Public utilities: Street railw's 1,164 2,309 .12 .12 .24 Elev. railw's 466 1,069 .21 .18 39 Tel. service 19,712 39,77i 57 57 1.14 Total CHICAGO 329 670 1.26 i. 20 2.46 Chewing gum, mfg. 206 354 54 75 1.29 Shoe bottoms, mfg. 2,808 4,H5 4,354 6,06 1 36 30 63 63 99 93 Agricultural implements, mfg. Agricultural implements, mfg. 992 1,281 IS Si .66 Agricultural implements, mfg. 778 i,i75 5i 1.02 i-53 Agricultural implements, mfg. 483 i,045 i. ii .96 2.07 Elevating machinery, mfg. * 20,504 34,oi7 1.41 2.13 3-54 Car works 4 212 380 .69 87 1.56 Structural steel fabricating 8,627 17,461 93 .90 1.83 Mail order house 700 1,386 1.26 1.29 2-55 Electrical supplies, mfg. 888 1,405 .12 .21 33 Valves and fittings, mfg. 606 1,222 1.47 1.47 2.94 Iron wheels and castings, mfg. 5 3,55 5,093 54 .81 i-35 Steel products, mfg. 16,163 8,096 15,146 36,258 16,213 31,632 1.83 65 3.00 1.47 65 2-73 3-30 1.30 5-73 Telephone apparatus, mfg. l Slaughtering and meat pack'g 8 Slaughtering and meat pack'g l 83,708 l6o,OO7 i. 06 1.16 2.22 Total be found on pages 188-189. LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE LABOR MOBILITY IN INDIVIDUAL INDUSTRY OR NATURE or BUSINESS ESTABLISH- MENT NUMBER* NUMBER OF FULL- YEAR WORKERS LABOR HOURS (THOU- SANDS) ACCES- SIONS Machine tools, mfg. l Machine tools mfg 6 CINCINNATI 35 (i44) 36 (141) 37 (146) 476 624 656 1,428 1,872 1,968 6 7 i 1,282 221 Engineering specialties, mfg. . . . Total [3] 1,756 5,268 2,174 Clothing mfg Clothing, men's, mfg CLEVELAND 38 40 (172) t ,J(i78) t4I l(i84) 42 (192) 1,020 783 33S | 1,247 I,III 3,060 2,349 1,005 3,741 3,333 320 2 9 6 431 1,181 1,609 Machine tools, mfg Metal wire, etc., mfg. 5 . . . . Machine tools, mfg. 8 Total [Si 4,496 13,488 3,837 Aluminum and brass foundry . . Motor car, mfg. 1 DETROIT 43 44 45 46 47 (205) 48 (194) 49 50 (198) 51 (200) 52 54 (207) 55 56 397 2,146 715 239 3,no 10,904 73i 897 4,028 287 4,484 1,004 1,887 650 1,191 6,438 2,145 717 9,330 32,712 2,193 2,691 12,084 86 1 13,452 3,012 5,661 i,95o 2,389 4,724 2,405 562 8,695 5,071 i, 006 1,365 4,120 1,737 10,033 1,827 912 9i Motor car, gasoline, mfg Transmissions and gears, mfg. . . Motor car, mfg. ...... Motor car, mfg Motor car, mfg Motor car, mfg Motor car, mfg Motor car, mfg Motor car, mfg. Automobile parts, mfg Adding machine mfg Public utilities: Gas mfg Total .... [14] 3i,479 94,437 44,937 APPENDIX 175 A Continued ESTABLISHMENTS, 1913-14 AND 1917-18 14 LABOR CHANGES NUMBER RATE PER FULL-YEAR WORKER INDUSTRY OR NATURE OF BUSINESS SEPARA- TOTAL ACCES- SEPARA- FLUX TIONS SION TION CINCINNATI Machine tools, mfg. * 748 1,419 1.41 1.56 2.97 970 283 2,252 504 2.04 34 1.56 43 3-60 77 Machine tools, mfg. * Engineering specialties, mfg. 2,001 4,175 1.23 1.14 2-37 Total CLEVELAND 454 774 30 45 75 Clothing mfg. 430 270 726 701 39 1.29 * 93 2.IO Clothing, men's, mfg. Machine tools, mfg. 876 2,057 .96 .69 1.65 Metal wire, etc., mfg. 5 1,825 3,434 1.44 1.65 3-09 Machine tools, mfg. 3,855 7,692 .84 .87 1.71 Total DETROIT 2,145 4,534 6.03 5.40 "43 Aluminum and brass foundry 5,255 9,979 2.19 2.46 4-65 Motor car, mfg. l 1,709 4,114 3-36 2.40 5-76 Motor car, gasoline, mfg. 532 1,094 2-34 2.22 4.56 Transmissions and gears, mfg. 8,629 17,324 2.79 2.76 5-55 Motor car, mfg. 6,508 n,579 .48 .60 i. 08 Motor car, mfg. 1,101 2,107 1.38 1.50 2.88 Motor car, mfg. 1,411 2,776 1.56 3-09 Motor car, mfg. 2,895 7,oi5 1.02 .72 1.74 Motor car, mfg. 3,087 6.06 4.71 10.77 Motor car, mfg. 13,256 1,918 1,583 202 23,289 3,745 2,495 293 2.25 1.83 48 15 2.97 1.92 .84 30 5-22 3-75 1.32 45 Motor car, mfg. Automobile parts, mfg. Adding machine, mfg. Public utilities: Gas mfg. 48,494 93,43i 1.44 1-53 2-97 Total i 7 6 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE LABOR MOBILITY IN INDUSTRY OR NATURE OF BUSINESS Excavating machinery, mfg. Electrical appliances, mfg. Total Crackers and biscuits, baking Cotton specialties, mfg. . . . Printing presses, mfg. . . Mail order house ..... Life insurance 6 ...... Locks and hardware, mfg. l . . Paper products, mfg. . . . . Public utilities: Street railways 6 . Telephone service Total Rubber goods, mfg. 7 . . (Ohio) Rubber tires, mfg. 6 . . (Ohio) Sheet-metal ware, mfg. 6 . (N Y.) Elevating machine, mfg. . (Ohio) Lighting apparatus, mfg. . (Ohio) Cash registers, mfg. . . Ohio) Silk, mfg Conn.) Insurance Conn.) Typewriters, mfg. . . . Conn.) Cotton and worsted, mfg. . (N. H.) Automobile mfg. . . . (Mich.) Agricultural implement mfg. 6 (111.) Hat mfg (Pa.) Electrical apparatus, mfg. x (Pa.) Bleaching and dyeing . . (R. I.) Machine tool mfg. 8 . . (R. I.) Electrical apparatus, mfg. (N. Y.) Total ESTABLISH- NUMBER OF LABOR HOURS MENT NUMBER* FULL- YEAR WORKERS (THOU- SANDS) ACCES- SIONS MILWAUKEE 57 955 2,865 419 58 (257) 642 1,926 361 [2] i,597 4,791 780 NEW YORK 59 i, in 3,333 2,032 60 785 2,355 1,177 61 1,438 4,3i4 i,479 62 624 1,872 1,071 63 3,679 11,037 780 64 3,596 10,788 3,943 65 i,778 5,334 1,620 66 3,622 10,866 2,595 67 19,051 57,153 7,862 [Q] 35,684 107,052 22,659 OTHER CITIES 68 5, 2 46 15,738 11,676 69 639 i,oi7 903 70 564 1,692 1,149 71 1,632 4,896 968 72 1,087 3,261 I,I2O 73 5,034 15,102 i,749 74 3,967 11,901 1,260 75 971 2,913 394 76 2,894 8,682 885 77 i3,79i 4i,373 u,75i 78 477 i,43i 3,625 79 517 i,55i 1,059 80 4,496 13,488 811 81 10,665 31,995 12,429 82 i,5i6 4,548 1,074 83 4,323 12,969 4,087 84 13,064 39,192 1,323 [i7l 70,883 212,649 56,263 APPENDIX 177 A Continued INDIVIDUAL ESTABLISHMENTS 14 LABOR CHANGES NUMBER RATE PER FULL-YEAR WORKER INDUSTRY OR NATURE OF BUS'TNESS SEPARA- TOTAL ACCES- SEPARA- FLUX TIONS SION TION MILWAUKEE 563 982 45 .60 1.05 Excavating machinery, mfg. 665 1,026 57 1.05 1.62 Electrical appliances, mfg. 1,228 2,008 .48 .78 1.26 Total NEW YORK i,39S 3,427 1.83 1.26 3-09 Crackers and biscuits, baking 1,055 1,217 2,332 2,696 1.62 1.02 i.35 .84 2.97 1.86 Cotton specialties, mfg. Printing presses, mfg. 936 2,007 I.7I 1.50 3-21 Mail order house 266 1,046 .21 .06 .27 Life insurance 5 3,363 7,3o6 I. II 93 2.04 Locks and hardware, mfg. l 1,642 2,770 3,262 5,365 .90 .72 93 75 1.83 1.47 Paper products, mfg. Public utilities: Street railw's 5 10,320 18,182 42 54 .96 Tel. service 22,964 45,623 .63 .63 1.26 Total OTHER CITIES 8,070 19,746 2.22 1-53 3-75 Rubber goods, mfg. 7 (Ohio) 1,028 i,93i I.4I 1.62 3-03 Rubber tires, mfg. 6 (Ohio) 1,072 2,221 2.04 1.89 3-93 Sheet-metal ware,mfg. 6 (N. Y.) 919 1,887 .60 57 1.17 Elevating mach., mfg. (Ohio) 1,063 2,l83 I. O2 99 2.OI Lighting appar., mfg. (Ohio) 3,451 5,200 .36 .69 1.05 Cash registers, mfg. (Ohio) 1,152 2,412 33 30 63 Silk, mfg. (Conn.) 2 93 687 .42 30 .72 Insurance (Conn.) 948 1,833 3 33 .63 Typewriters, mfg. (Conn.) 12,300 24,051 .84 .90 1.74 Cotton & worsted,mfg. (N. H ) 3,424 7,049 7-59 7.20 14.79 Automobile mfg. (Mich.) 847 1,906 2.04 1.65 3-69 Agricul. impl. mfg. 6 (111.) 1,101 1,912 .18 .42 Hat mfg. (Pa.) 16,748 29,177 1.17 1.56 2-73 Elec. apparatus, mfg. 1 (Pa.) 1,300 2,374 .72 .87 i-59 Bleaching and dyeing (R. I.) 3,275 7,362 .96 75 1.71 Machine tool mfg. 8 (R. I.) 4,754 6,077 .09 36 45 Elec. apparatus, mfg. (N. Y.) 6i,745 118,008 .78 87 1.65 Total i 7 8 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE LABOR MOBILITY IN 1917- INDUSTRY OR NATURE OF BUSINESS ESTABLISH- MENT NUMBER* NUMBER OF FULL- YEAR WORKERS LABOR HOURS (THOU- SANDS) ACCES- SIONS Motors and railway supplies, mfg. 9 . Car works . CHICAGO* 1 101 102 (25) I0 3 104 105 (20) 106 (21) 107 108 109 no in 112 "3 (26) 114 ii S (30) 116 H7 (28) 118 119 1 20 121 122 123 124 125 126 (34) 127 128 1,954 7,287 6,027 764 4,211 5,759 611 335 I4,73i 1,042 2,031 5,092 402 283 390 667 733 95 520 1,099 258 4,728 4,725 13,604 3,909 8,730 14,320 5,219 5,862 21,861 18,081 2,292 12,633 17,277 i,833 1,005 44,193 3,126 6,093 15,276 1,206 849 1,170 2,001 2,199 2,850 1,560 3,297 774 14,184 14,175 40,812 11,727 26,190 42,960 15,657 4,46o 18,837 5,731 Sio 2,865 5,486 782 880 13,792 1,358 3,485 12,283 446 590 1,208 1,879 2,105 2,867 1,703 4,837 944 5,193 6,527 9,524 3,201 19,050 32,374 20,014 Clothing, men's, mfg. Printing presses, mfg. Agricultural implements, mfg. . . Agricultural implements, mfg. . . Machinery (coal mining), mfg. . . Machinery (specialties), mfg. . . Mail order house .... Mail order house Mail order house Mail order house Structural steel fabricating 10 . . . Brass and metal specialties, mfg. Iron wheels and castings, mfg. 10 . . Office appliances, mfg. 9 .... Electrical supplies, mfg Iron castings, mfg. Screw machine products, mfg. u . . Steel forgings 12 . Electrical supplies, mfg Public utilities: Electricity . . . Gas mfg Telephone service Street railways 13 Slaughtering and meat packing . . Slaughtering and meat packing . . Slaughtering and meat packing 10 Total [28] 110,381 331,143 182,931 Soap, glycerine, etc Ink mfg. CINCINNATI 6 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 i,953 708 400 234 330 275 467 no 5,859 2,124 1,200 702 990 825 1,401 330 4,046 2,062 1,924 187 354 675 728 304 Soap, glycerine, etc Clothing, women's, mfg Textiles (cotton), mfg Mill work (building material) Leather goods mfg Rubber goods, mfg APPENDIX 179 A Continued INDIVIDUAL ESTABLISHMENTS 18 LABOR CHANGES NUMBER RATE PER FULL-YEAR WORKER INDUSTRY OR NATURE OF BUSINESS SEPARA- TOTAL ACCES- SEPARA- FLUX TIONS SION TION CHICAGO a 3,996 20,642 8,456 39,479 2.28 2.58 2.04 2.82 4-32 5-40 Motors and ry. supplies, mfg. 8 Car works 7,240 12,971 .96 1.20 2.16 Clothing, men's, mfg. 471 981 .66 .63 1.29 Printing presses, mfg. 2,962 5,827 .69 .69 1.38 Agricultural implements, mfg. 4,729 10,215 .96 .81 1.77 Agricultural implements, mfg. 764 i)546 1.29 1.26 2-55 Machinery (coal mining), mfg. 967 1,847 2.64 2.88 5-52 Machinery (specialties), mfg. 15,784 29,576 93 i. 08 2.OI Mail order house 1,332 2,690 1.29 1.29 2.58 Mail order house 3,332 6,817 1.71 1.65 3.36 Mail order house 12,333 24,616 2.40 2.43 4.83 Mail order house 370 816 i. ii 93 2.O4 Structural steel fabricating 10 536 1,126 2.IO 1.89 3-99 Brass and metal spec'l's, mfg. 858 2,066 3-09 2.19 5-28 Iron wheels and castings, mfg. 10 1,712 3,59i 2.82 2.58 5-40 Office appliances, mfg. 9 1,965 4,070 2.88 2.67 5-55 Electrical supplies, mfg. 2,767 5,634 3-03 2.91 5-94 Iron castings, mfg. i, 68 1 3,384 3-27 3-24 6.51 Screw machine products, mfg. 11 2,734 7,57i 4.41 2.49 6.90 Steel forgings 12 868 1,812 3-66 3.36 7.02 Electrical supplies, mfg. 6,234 11,427 i. ii 1.32 2-43 Public utilities: Electricity 6,300 12,827 1.38 1.32 2.70 Gas mfg. 11,454 20,978 .69 .84 i-53 Tel. service 3,809 7,010 .81 .96 1.77 Street rys. 13 16,062 2.19 1.83 4.02 Slaughtering & meat pack'g. 27,890 17,418 60,264 37,432 2.25 3-84 1-95 3-33 4.20 7.17 Slaughtering & meat pack'g. Slaughtering & meat pack'g. lo 177,210 360,141 1.65 1.62 3-27 Total CINCINNATI * 3,270 7,3i6 2.07 1.68 3-75 Soap, glycerine, etc. 1,658 37*> 2.91 2.34 5-25 Ink mfg. 1,834 3,758 4.80 9-39 Soap, glycerine, etc. 1 80 367 .81 .78 i-59 Clothing, women's, mfg. 369 7 2 3 i. 08 i. ii 2.19 Textiles (cotton), mfg. 70S 1,380 2.46 2-55 5-oi Mill work (building material) 886 1,614 1.56 1.89 3-45 Rubber goods, mfg . 300 604 2.76 2-73 5-49 Leather goods, mfg . i8o LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE LABOR MOBILITY IN 1917- INDUSTRY OR NATURE OF BUSINESS ESTABLISH- MENT NUMBER* NUMBER OF FULL- YEAR WORKERS LABOR HOURS (THOU- SANDS) ACCES- SIONS Machine tools, mfg CINCINNATI 137 138 139 140 141 (36) 142 143 144 (35) 145 146 (37) 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 127 602 669 407 883 602 1,443 1,194 310 1,150 418 440 529 244 767 617 721 1,769 i,330 38i 1, 806 2,007 1,221 2,649 1, 806 4,329 3,582 930 3,450 1,254 1,320 1,587 732 2,301 1,851 2,163 5,307 3,990 103 622 847 502 1,363 1,020 2,444 2,146 786 2,030 1,051 1,138 1,850 82 667 2,212 361 777 636 Machine tools, mfg. Machinery (specialties), mfg. . . Machinery mfg. Machine tools, mfg. Machine tools, mfg. Electrical machinery, mfg. Machine tools, mfg. Machine tools, mfg. Engineering specialties, mfg. . . . Office appliances Foundry (stoves and furnaces), mfg. . Tin can mfg. ... Printing and publishing (books) . . Printing and publishing (misc.) . . Printing and publishing (etc.) . . Public utilities: Gas and electric . . Telephone service Street railways 14 Total [27] 18,699 56,097 30,917 Automobile and motor truck mfg. 16 . Automobile and motor truck mfg. . Automobile and motor truck mfg. Street railway cars, mfg Tractors, mfg. 16 .... CLEVELAND" 156 d 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 1 66 167' 168 169 170 171 172 (40) 173 174 175 4,456 i,4i7 2,173 344 384 5i8 770 267 1,987 105 1,610 i,43i 1,004 i,5i4 2,430 984 1,263 940 98 870 13,368 4,251 6,519 1,032 1,152 i,554 2,310 801 5,961 3i5 4,830 4,293 3,012 4,542 7,290 2,952 3,789 2,820 294 2,610 3,552 2,643 5,179 1,016 1,746 2,280 4,484 568 6,075 324 6,036 1,611 3,378 3,4io 3,5io i,575 3,520 2,691 280 3,548 Auto, parts, mfg. 17 Auto, frames, steel stampings, mfg. 18 Paint and varnish mfg Storage batteries, mfg Paint and varnish mfg Storage batteries, carbon products, 11 . Clothing, women's mfg Bags (paper and cloth), mfg. . . . Woodw'k, sewing machine cabinets 19 Automatic screw machinery, mfg. Machinery (heavy), mfg. . . . . . Machine tools, mfg Machinery (heavy), mfg Molding machinery, mfg. 20 . . . Motors, mfg. 21 APPENDIX 181 A Continued INDIVIDUAL ESTABLISHMENTS 18 LABOR CH ANGES NUMBER RATE PER FULL- YEAR WORKER INDUSTRY OR NATURE or BUSINESS SEPARA- TIONS TOTAL ACCES- SION SEPARA- TION FLUX Continued 73 176 .81 57 1.38 Machine tools, mfg. 592 1,214 .02 .99 2.OI Machine tools, mfg. 860 1,707 .26 1.29 2-55 Machinery (specialties), mfg. 567 1,069 2 3 1.38 2.61 Machinery mfg. 1,166 2,529 53 1.32 2.85 Machine tools, mfg. 980 2,000 .68 1.62 3-30 Machine tools, mfg 2,396 4,840 .68 1.65 3-33 Electrical machinery, mfg. 1,982 4,128 1.80 1.65 3-45 Machine tools, mfg. 815 1,601 2-55 2.64 5-19 Machine tools, mfg. 1,989 903 4,019 i,954 1.77 2.52 i.74 2.16 3-51 4.68 Engineering specialties, mfg. Office appliances 1,109 2,247 2.58 2.52 5-10 F'dry (stoves and f urn's), mfg. 1,969 119 3,8i9 2OI 3-5i 33 3.72 .48 6.23 .81 Tin can mfg. Printing and publishing (books) 811 1,478 .87 1.05 1.92 Printing and publishing (misc.) 2,228 4,440 3-6o 3.60 7.20 Printing and publishing (etc.) 382 743 Si 54 1.05 Public utilities: Gas and elec. 1,491 45 39 .84 Tel. service 847 1,483 .48 .63 i. ii Street rys. 14 29,704 60,621 1.65 i.59 3-24 Total ( CLEVELAND e 2,878 6,430 .81 .63 1.44 Auto, and motor truck mfg. 16 2,923 5,566 i!86 2.07 3-93 Auto, and motor truck mfg. 6,289 11,468 2.37 2.88 5-25 Auto, and motor truck mfg. 1,038 2,054 2.94 3.03 5-97 Street railway cars, mfg. 3,286 4.56 4.02 8.58 Tractors, mfg. 16 2^332 4,612 4.41 4-50 8.91 Auto, parts, mfg. 17 4,152 8,636 5.82 540 11.22 Auto, frames, steel stampings 18 548 1,116 2.13 2.04 4.17 Paint and varnish mfg. 5,589 11,664 3.06 2.82 5-88 Storage batteries, mfg. 376 700 3-09 3-57 6.66 Paint and varnish mfg. 5,789 11,825 3.75 3.60 7-35 Storage batteries, carbon u 1,129 2,740 1.14 .78 1.92 Clothing, women's, mfg. 3,698 7,076 3.36 3.69 7-05 Bags (paper and cloth), mfg. 4,566 3,037 7,976 6,547 2.25 1.44 5-28 2.70 Woodw'k, sewing cabinets 19 Automatic screw-mach'ry,mfg. i,338 2,913 1.59 1-35 2.94 Machinery (heavy), mfg. 2,556 6,076 2.79 2.01 4.80 Machine tools, mfg. 2,393 5,084 2.85 2.55 5-40 Machinery (heavy), mfg. 278 558 2.85 2.85 5-70 Molding machinery, mfg. 20 3,234 6,782 4.08 3.72 7.80 Motors, mfg. 21 182 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE LABOR MOBILITY IN 1917- INDUSTRY OR NATURE OF BUSINESS ESTABLISH- . MENT NUMBER * NUMBER OF FULL- YEAR WORKERS LABOR HOURS (THOU- SANDS) ACCES- SIONS Metal wire, etc., mfg CLEVELAND e 176 177 178 (41) 179 180 181 182 (42) 183 184 (41) 185 1 86 187 1 88 189 190 191 192 193 917 3,124 699 590 393 1,031 1,649 937 709 2,712 2,222 163 149 304 753 IO2 1,368 1,267 2,751 9,372 2,097 1,770 1,179 3,093 4,947 2,811 2,127 8,136 6,666 489 447 912 2,259 306 4,104 3,801 1,286 5,004 i,5io 1,281 941 2,887 5,n8 3,077 2,392 9,3i3 14,734 225 247 219 674 132 2,328 2,200 Steel works a Sewing machines, mfg Electrical appliances, mfg. . . . Steel works Oil stoves, mfg Malleable iron castings .... Metal wire, etc., mfg. Forgings . Steel works 10 ... Printing and publishing (book and job) Printing and publishing (job) Public utilities : Gas (clerical force) . Gas mfg Tel. serv. (cler. force) Tel. serv. (op. force) Tel. serv. (pl'nt dept.) Total .... [38] 43,654 130,962 110,994 Automobile mfg. 23 DETROIT 194 (48) 195 196 197 198 (50) 199 200 (5l) 201 202 203 204 205 (47) 206 207 (54) 208 209 2IO 31,950 783 6,337 850 2,504 224 9,869 86 1,944 114 135 11,125 2,574 3,379 416 121 314 95,850 2,349 19,011 2,550 7,512 672 29,607 258 5,832 342 405 33,375 7,722 10,137 1,248 363 942 14,924 1,629 16,696 2,427 7,683 800 34,779 301 7,332 433 477 4i,i74 n,578 15,296 1,614 606 i,574 Automobile parts, mfg Automobile mfg Automobile parts, mfg. 24 .... Automobile parts, mfg Automobile parts mfg Automobile mfg . Automobile parts, mfg Automobile mfg Automobile mfg. 23 .... Automobile parts, mfg ^ . . . . Automobile parts, mfg Automobile mfg. 16 Automobile mfg Automobile parts mfg *' APPENDIX 183 A Continued INDIVIDUAL ESTABLISHMENTS 18 LABOR CHANGES NUMBER RATE PER FULL- YEAR WORKER INDUSTRY OR NATURE or BUSINESS SEPARA- TOTAL ACCES- SEPARA- FLUX TIONS SION TION Continued 1,386 2,672 1.41 1.50 2.91 Metal wire, etc., mfg. 4,956 9,960 1-59 1-59 3-18 Steel works ^ 1,520 3,030 2.16 2.16 4-32 Metal wire, etc., mfg. 1,290 776 2,571 1,717 2.16 2.40 2.IQ 1.98 4-35 4-38 Sewing machines, mifg. Electrical appliances, mfg. 2,841 5,728 2.79 2.76 5-55 Steel works 5,081 10,199 3-09 3.09 6.18 Oil stoves, mfg. 3,o9i 6,168 3-27 3.30 6-57 Malleable iron castings 2,334 4,726 3.36 3-30 6.66 Metal wire, etc., mfg. 9,630 13,050 18,943 27,784 3-42 6.63 8 6.96 12.51 Forgings Steel works 10 265 490 1.38 1.62 3.00 Prin'g & pub'sh'g (book & job) 232 158 479 377 1.65 72 1.56 .51 3-21 1.23 Printing and publishing (job) Pub. utilities: Gas (cler. force) 573 1,247 .90 .75 1.65 Gas mfg. 140 272 1.29 1.38 2.67 Tel.serv.(cl.f'rc) 2,262 2,889 4,590 5,089 1.71 1.74 a 3.36 4.02 Tel.serv.(op.f'e) Tel.serv.(pl'td't) 108,157 219,151 2-55 2.49 5-04 Total DETROIT 14,631 29,555 .48 45 93 Automobile mfg. 23 2,123 3,752 2.07 2.70 4-77 Automobile parts, mfg. 17,048 33,744 2.64 2.70 5-34 Automobile mfg. 2,267 4,694 2.85 2.67 5-52 Automobile parts, mfg. 24 6,861 14,544 3-06 2.73 5-79 Automobile mfg. 670 1,470 3-57 3.00 6.57 Automobile parts, mfg. 30,191 64,970 3-5i 3-06 6-57 Automobile mfg. 298 599 3-5i 348 6.99 Automobile parts, mfg. 6,787 14,119 3.78 348 7.26 Automobile mfg. 423 856 3-8i 372 7-53 Automobile parts, mfg. 537 1,014 3-54 3-99 7-53 Automobile mfg. 45,8o8 86,982 3-69 4.11 7.80 Automobile mfg. 23 9,120 20,698 4-50 3-54 8.04 Automobile parts, mfg. 25 15,130 30,426 4-53 447 9.00 Automobile parts, mfg. i,744 3,358 3-87 4.20 8.07 Automobile mfg. 18 613 1,219 5.01 5-07 10.08 Automobile mfg. i, 680 3,254 S-oi 5-34 10.35 Automobile parts, mfg. 18 i8 4 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE LABOR MOBILITY IN 1917- INDUSTRY OR NATURE OF BUSINESS ESTABLISH- MENT NUMBER* NUMBER OF PULL-YEAR WORKERS LABOR HOURS (THOU- SANDS) ACCES- SIONS Automobile parts, mfg ..... 211 Automobile parts, mfg. 18 . . . . 212 Coke and chemicals, mfg. 9 . . . 213 Chemicals and drugs, mfg. 9 . . . 214 Paints, mfg. 26 ....... 215 Clothing and overalls, mfg. . . . 216 Furniture mfg ........ 217 Machine tools, mfg ...... 218 Machine tools, mfg. 27 ..... 219 Steam engine, etc., mfg ..... 220 Iron and steel (small parts), mfg. . 221 Heating devices, mfg ...... 222 Iron and steel castings, mfg. . . . 223 Electrical appliances, mfg. . . . 224 Steel forgings ....... 225 Heating devices, mfg. 9 .... 226 Steel castings ....... 227 Structural steel, mfg ...... 228 Electrical appliances, mfg. . . . 229 Steel forging ....... 230 Screw-machine products, mfg. . . 231 Screw-machine products, mfg. . . 232 Machine appurt nances, mfg. 28 . . 233 Machine appurtenances, mfg. 18 . . 234 Public utilities: Gas mfg ........ 235 Telephone service (Comm. dept). 236 Telephone service (Clerical force) 237 Telephone service (Installation) . 238 Telephone service (Traffic dept.) 239 Telephone service (Construction) 240 Slaughtering and meat packing . . 241 Total [48! 814 2,925 668 434 480 5" 630 585 726 218 497 675 159 316 637 390 161 213 241 187 438 540 39i 1,933 161 138 2,167 456 92,281 3,309 2,442 8,775 2,004 ,302 ,440 ,533 ,890 ,755 2,178 654 1,491 2,025 477 948 1,911 1,170 483 639 723 1,620 5,799 483 414 6,501 993 1,368 276,843 DETROIT 6,044 6,798 2,332 1,037 821 686 1,642 i,773 2,472 3,59i c 1,437 377 910 1,781 1,296 543 744 968 821 1,967 2,832 2,292 1,585 104 167 533 3,347 628 1,851 211,928 APPENDIX 185 A Continued INDIVIDUAL ESTABLISHMENTS 81 LABOR CHANGES NUMBER RATE PER FULL-YEAR WORKER INDUSTRY OR NATURE OF BUSINESS SEPARA- TIONS TOTAL ACCES- SION SEPARA- TION FLUX Continued 5,795 ",839 5-49 5.25 10.74 Automobile parts, mfg. 6,534 13,332 8-34 8.04 16.38 Automobile parts, mfg. 18 2,527 4,859 .81 1.68 Coke and chemicals, mfg. 9 I,I3 2,168 1.56 1.68 3-24 Chemicals and drugs, mfg. 9 757 i,578 1.89 1-74 3-63 Paints, mfg. 26 978 1,664 1.44 2.04 348 Clothing and overalls, mfg. 1,765 i,433 3,407 3,206 3-21 2.82 23 6.66 5.10 Furniture mfg. Machine tools, mfg. 2,418 4,890 4-23 4.14 8-37 Machine tools, mfg. 27 3,584 7,175 4-95 4-95 9.90 Steam engine, etc., mfg. 384 77 6 i. 80 1.77 3-57 Iron and steel (small p'ts), mfg. 1,167 2,001 1.68 2.34 4.02 Heating devices, mfg. 1,642 3,079 2.13 243 4-56 Iron and steel castings, mfg. 391 768 2-37 2.46 4-83 Electrical appliances, mfg. 695 1,605 2.88 2.19 5-07 Steel forgings i,7i4 3,495 2.79 2.70 5-49 Heating devices, mfg. 9 i, 066 2,362 3-33 2.73 6.06 Steel castings 567 I, IIO 3.36 3.51 6.87 Structural steel, mfg. 744 1,488 348 3.48 6.96 Electrical appliances, mfg. 899 1,867 4.02 3.72 7-74 Steel forging 710 i,53i 4-38 3.81 8.19 Screw-machine products, mfg. 2,057 4,024 4.50 4-71 9.21 Screw-machine products, mfg. 2,712 5,544 5-25 5.01 10.26 Machine appurtenances, mfg. 28 2,208 4,5oo 5.85 5.64 11.49 Machine appurtenances, mfg. 18 Public utilities: 1,040 106 2,625 2IO .81 .66 32 1-35 1.32 Gas mfg. Tel. serv. (Comm. dept.) 141 308 1.20 i. 02 2.22 Tel. serv. (Clerical force) 5io 1,043 1.23 1.17 2.40 Tel. serv. (Installation) 3,oi5 6,362 1.56 1.38 2.94 Tel. serv. (Traffic dept.) 633 I,26l 1.89 1.92 3-8l Tel. serv. (Construction) 1,874 3,725 4-05 4.11 8.16 Slaughtering and meat packing 207,128 419,056 2.31 2.25 4.56 Total i86 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE LABOR MOBILITY IN 1917- INDUSTRY OR NATURE OF BUSINESS ESTABLISH- MENT NUMBER * NUMBER OF FULL- YEAR WORKERS LABOR HOURS (THOU- SANDS) ACCES- SIONS Motor vehicles and parts, mfg. . . Automobile parts, mfg MILWAUKEE/ 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 (58) 258 259 260 261 262 1,665 1,246 346 876 820 468 3,168 1,275 638 4,732 524 998 1,300 238 464 1,181 542 540 1,163 839 3,643 4,995 3,738 1,038 2,628 2,460 1,404 9,504 3,825 1,914 14,196 i,572 2,994 3,900 714 1,392 3,543 1,626 1,620 3,489 2,517 10,929 2,435 4,157 470 5,66o 790 950 6,228 4,859 931 6,374 704 2,093 2,634 165 574 3,050 1,496 i, 608 6,945 i,7i3 56,894 Chemicals, mfg. 10 Chemicals, mfg. 10 Textiles, mfg. 10 . . . Textiles, mfg. 21 Leather, mfg Rubber goods, mfg Machinery (heavy), mfg Machinery (heavy) mfg Machinery (heavy), mfg Machinery (heavy), mfg. 21 . . . Machinery (heavy), mfg Heating devices, mfg Electrical appliances, mfg. . . . Electrical appliances, mfg. 29 . . . Castings, mfg. 29 Household metal ware, mfg. 10 . . Household metal ware, mfg. 27 . . Public utilities: Gas mfg Street railways, etc. 30 Total [21] 26,666 79,998 Oil refinery SAN FRANCISCO 263* 264* 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 421 i,259 i,795 173 2,224 500 85 244 899 669 308 i,i73 3,424 1,046 1,263 3,777 5,385 519 6,672 1,500 255 732 2,697 2,007 924 3,519 10,272 3,138 1,141 3,566 10,818 261 4,912 860 138 435 1,674 2,904 174 i,254 8,205 1,167 Sugar refinery 81 Explosives, mfg. 32 Machinery, mfg u Agricultural implements, mfg. 10 . . Structural iron and steel, mfg. 33 . Mercantile, establishment " . . . Mercantile, establishment 34 . . . Mercantile, establishment 35 . . . Structural iron and steel, mfg. . . Gas and electricity (Main office) . . Gas and electricity (Metrop. Dis.) 33 . Gas and elec. (Country Dists.) 33 Street railways, etc Total ....... [14] 14,220 42,660 37,509 APPENDIX A Continued INDIVIDUAL ESTABLISHMENTS 18 LABOR CHANGES NUMBER RATE PER FULL- YEAR WORKER INDUSTRY OR NATURE 01 BUSINESS SEPARA- ACCES- SEPARA- TIONS TOTAL SION TION FLUX MILWAUKEE/ 2,748 5,i83 1.47 1.65 3-12 Motor vehicles and parts, mfg. 3,677 7,834 3-33 2.94 6.27 Automobile parts, mfg. 610 1, 080 i-35 i.77 3.12 Chemicals, mfg. 10 3,742 9,402 6-45 4.26 10.71 Chemicals, mfg. 10 774 1,564 .96 93 1.89 Textiles, mfg. 10 859 1,809 2.04 1.83 3-87 Textiles, mfg. 21 6,618 12,846 1.98 2.10 4.08 Leather, mfg. 4,589 9,448 3-8i 3 .60 7.41 Rubber goods, mfg. 803 i,734 1.47 1.26 2-73 Machinery (heavy), mfg. 6,699 13,073 i-35 I.4I 2.76 Machinery (heavy) mfg. 780 1,484 1-35 1.50 2.85 Machinery (heavy), mfg. 2,100 4,193 2.10 2.IO 4.20 Machinery (heavy), mfg. 21 3,083 5,717 2.O4 2.37 4.41 Machinery (heavy), mfg. 219 450 384 1,024 .69 1.23 $ 1.62 2.19 Heating devices, mfg. Electrical appliances, mfg. 2,932 5,982 2. 5 8 2.49 5-07 Electrical appliances, mfg. 29 1,470 2,966 2.76 2.70 5.46 Castings, mfg. 29 1,662 3,270 2.97 3.06 6.03 Household metal ware, mfg. 10 7,026 I3,97i 5-97 6.03 I2.OO Household metal ware, mfg. 27 I,S6l 3,274 2.04 1.86 3-90 Public utilities: Gas mfg. 3,728 6,786 .84 1.02 1.86 Str'trys.,etc. 30 56,130 113,024 2.13 2.IO 4-23 Total BAY REGION a 980 2,121 2.70 2-34 5-04 Oil refinery 3,on 6,577 2.82 2.40 5-22 Sugar refinery 31 7,800 18,618 6.03 4-35 10.38 Explosives, mfg. 32 362 623 1.50 2.10 3-60 Machinery, mfg. 11 5,338 1,022 10,250 1,882 2.22 I.7I 2.40 2.04 4 .62 3-75 Agricul. implements, mfg. 10 Structural iron and steel, mfg. 33 121 259 1.62 I.4I 3-03 Mercantile, establishment ll 409 844 1.77 1.68 3-45 Mercantile, establishment 34 1,568 3,242 1.86 1.74 3-6o Mercantile, establishment ** 2,875 5,779 4-35 4.29 8.64 Structural iron and steel, mfg. 2OI 375 57 .66 1.23 Gas and electricity (Main ofc.) I,6 S 6 2,910 i. 08 1.41 2.49 Gas and elec. (Metr. Dis.) 33 8,556 16,761 2.40 2.49 4.89 Gas & el. (Coun'y Dists.) M 1,239 2,406 i. ii i. 20 2.31 Street railways, etc. 35,138 72,647 2.64 2.46 S-io Total i88 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY NOTES TO TABLE A Unless it is otherwise specified, the figures for 1913-14 refer to the year ended June 30, 1914, and the figures for 1917-18 refer to the year ended May 31, 1918. * Figures in parentheses are the 1917-18 numbers of such concerns as were reported in 1917-18 as well as 1913-14. t Each of the two mills which constitute this establishment was reported as a separate concern in 1917-18. a. This group of plants reported in a special article, "Labor Turnover in Chicago," 9 Monthly Labor Review, 652-667 (September, 1919). b. This group of plants reported in a special article, "Labor Turnover in Cincinnati," 8 Monthly Labor Review, 651-668 (March, 1919). c. This group of plants, together with those in Detroit, reported in a special article, "Labor Turn- over in Cleveland and Detroit," 8 Monthly Labor Review, 11-30 (January, 1919). d. This concern reported in detail in a special article, "Labor Turnover and Employment Policies of a Large Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Establishment," 7 Monthly Labor Review, 837-855 (October, 1918). e. The figures shown here are based upon the records of five individual establishments. They were secured in connection with another investigation carried on simultaneously in the cloak and suit industry of Cleveland. The results of this investigation were published in the Monthly Labor Review for August, 1918. /. This group of plants reported in a special article, "Labor Turnover in Milwaukee," 8 Monthly Labor Review, 999-1016 (April, 1919). g. This group of plants reported in a special article, ' ' Labor Turnover in the San Francisco Bay Region," 8 Monthly Labor Review, 303-380 (February, 1919)- h. This concern reported, with another oil refinery, in detail in a special article, " Labor Policies and Labor Turnover in the California Oil Refining Industry," 8 Monthly Labor Review, 969-998 (April, 1919)- i. This concern reported in detail in a special article, ' ' Employment Policies and Labor Mobility in a California Sugar Refinery," 9 Monthly Labor Review, 1802-1824 (December, 1919). APPENDIX 189 1 Calendar year 1913. 2 Not including special employees averaging 181 during the year. 3 Including student operators. 4 For nine months' period ended September 30, 1914. Calendar year 1915. Year ended November 30, 1914. 7 Year ended October 31, 1915. 8 Calendar year 1912. Year ended June 30, 1918. 10 Six months' period ended June 30, 1918. " Year ended April 30, 1918. 12 Ten months' period ended June 30, 1918. 13 Eight months' period ended June 30, 1918. 14 Figures cover conductors and motormen only. Year ended March 31, 1918. " Ten months' period ended May 31, 1918. 17 Eight months' period ended May 31, 1918. 18 Six months' period ended July 31, 1918. Period from August 20, 1917, to July 7, 1918, inclusive. 20 Six months' period ended May 31, 1918. 21 Seven months' period ended May 31, 1918. 22 Nine months' period ended May 31, 1918. 28 Year ended July 31, 1918. 24 Year ended January 31, 1918. 26 For 9^6 months ended August 12, 1918. 28 For 8H months ended August 15, 1918. 27 Eight months' period ended August 31, 1918. 28 For iY mfg. 1,019 1,332 II 12 77 Mail order house 8,012 12,333 4 29 3 64 Mail order house 316 370 ii 3 85 Structural steel, mfg. 490 536 2 6 92 Brass and metal spec's, mfg. 758 858 6 i 5 88 Iron wheels & cast'gs. mfg. i,i97 1,712 25 5 70 Office appliances, mfg. 1,408 1,965 17 6 6 Electrical supplies, mfg. 2,306 2,767 13 4 83 Iron castings, mfg. 1,504 1,681 5 6 89 Screw mach. products, mfg. 2,096 602 2,734 868 12 2O 2 4 9 7 77 69 Steel forgings, mfg. Electrical supplies, mfg. 4,3" 6,234 8 6 17 69 Public utilities: Electricity 6,642 n,454 19 15 8 58 Tel. serv. 2,176 3,809 29 14 57 Street rys. 6,994 16,062 49 4 3 44 Slaugh'g and meat packing 17,842 27,890 27 7 2 64 Slaugh'g and meat packing 12,978 17,418 7 3 75 Slaugh'g and meat packing 77,063 118,949 21 9 5 65 Total 198 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE TYPE OF SEPARATION {DISCHARGE, LAY-OFF, ENTRY INTO MILITARY SERVICE, OR 1913-14 AND 1917- INDUSTRY OR NATURE OP BUSINESS ESTAB- LISH- MENT NUMBER NUMBER OF WORKERS NUMBER EMPLOYEES LEAVING DURING WERE DIS- CHARGED WERE LAID OFF ENTERED MILITARY SERVICE Textile (cotton) mfg Millwork (building material) Machine tools mfg CINCINNATI 133 134 137 138 139 140 141 142 144 147 148 150 151 152 154 155 330 275 127 602 669 407 883 602 1,194 418 440 244 767 617 1,769 1,330 15 26 17 76 107 85 116 193 261 228 98 2 24 64 74 128 IO ii 18 I 40 10 30 7 no 80 21 no 64 130 76 9 35 105 64 77 Machine tools, mfg Machinery specialties, mfg. . . Machinery .nfg Machine tools, mfg Machine tools, mfg Machine tools mfg Office appliances, mfg. . . . Foundry (stoves and furnaces) . Printing and publishing (books) . Printing and publishing (misc.) . Printing and publishing . . . Telephone service . . . Trainmen, street railways Total [16] 10,674 i,5i4 80 970 Automobile and motor truck mfg. Automobile and motor truck mfg. Automobile and motor truck mfg. Tractor mfg CLEVELAND 156 157 158 160 163 164 166 173 I7 I 176 178 179 182 184 191 192 193 4,456 1,417 2,173 384 267 1,987 1,610 940 870 917 699 590 1,649 709 IO2 1,368 1,267 156 1 88 1,095 200 So 429 763 58 573 ii 96 84 275 206 23 353 20 22 6 470 66 4 406 IS 288 26 18 118 45 i 513 529 66 274 158 20 3i5 57 166 123 42 79 45 200 156 9 2 147 Paint and varnish mfg. . . . Storage batteries, mfg. . . . Storage batteries, carbon prod. Machinery (heavy) mfg. . . . Motors, mfg Metal wire, etc., mfg. . . . Metal wire, etc., mfg. . . . Sewing machines, mfg. Oil stoves mfg . . Metal wire, etc., mfg. . . . Telephone service (Clerical) . . Telephone service (Operation) . Telephone service (Plant) . . Total [i7l 21,405 4,58o 2,592 2,388 Less than H APPENDIX 199 B Continued VOLUNTARY QUITTING) IN INDIVIDUAL ESTABLISHMENTS AND SPECIFIED CITIES, 1917-18 18 OF PER CENT THE YEAR WHO EMPLOYEES LEAVING DURING THE YEAR WHO INDUSTRY OR NATURE OF RTTCTWTTGC LEFT WERE WERE ENTERED LEFT VtMUHKIM VOLUN- TOTAL DIS- LAID MILITARY VOLUN- TARILY CHARGED OFF SERVICE TARILY CINCINNATI 344 369 4 __ 3 93 Textile (cotton) mfg. 649 705 4 4 93 Millwork (building mat'l) 49 73 23 10 67 Machine tools, mfg. 406 592 13 18 69 Machine tools, mfg. 673 860 12 9 79 Machinery specialties, mfg. 461 567 IS 4 81 Machinery mfg. 930 1,166 IO ( l ) 9 80 Machine tools, mfg. 723 980 2O 6 74 Machine tools, mfg. i,S9i 1,982 13 7 80 Machine tools, mfg. 588 93 25 I 8 65 Dffice appliances, mfg. 960 1,109 9 2 3 86 Foundry (stoves and furn's) 98 119 2 I 15 82 Prin'g and pub'g (books) 752 2,059 811 2,228 3 3 4 5 93 92 Prin'g andpublish'g (misc.) Printing and publishing 536 714 IO 6 9 75 Telephone service 642 847 15 9 76 Trainmen, street railw's 11,461 14,025 ii i 7 82 Total CLEVELAND 2,171 2,878 5 i 18 75 Auto. & motor truck mfg. 2,663 2,923 6 i 2 9i Auto. & motor truck mfg. 4,450 6,289 17 7 4 7i Auto. & motor truck mfg. 5i8 i,540 13 43 10 34 Tractor mfg. 478 548 9 4 87 Paint and varnish mfg. 4,439 5,589 8 7 6 79 Storage batteries, mfg. 4,969 5,789 13 i 86 Storage batteries, etc. 2,154 2,393 2 i 7 90 Machinery (heavy) mfg. 2,250 3,234 18 9 4 70 Motors, mfg. 1,307 i,386 i 2 3 94 Metal wire, etc., mfg. 1,327 1,520 6 I 5 87 Metal wire, etc., mfg. 1,161 1,290 7 3 90 Sewing machines, mfg 4,488 5,081 5 2 4 88 Oil stoves, mfg. 1,927 2,334 9 2 7 83 Metal wire, etc., mfg 108 140 16 6 77 Tel. service (Clerical) 1,906 2,262 16 1 i 84 Tel. serv. (Operation) 2,209 2,889 i 18 5 76 Tel. s rv. (Plant) 38,525 48,085 10 5 5 80 Total of i per cent. 20O LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE TYPE OF SEPARATION (DISCHARGE, LAY-OFF, ENTRY INTO MILITARY SERVICE, OR 1913-14 AND 1917- NUMBER INDUSTRY OR NATURE OF BUSINESS ESTAB- LISH- MENT NUMBER OF EMPLC YEES LEAV ^G DURING NUMBER WORKERS WERE DIS- CHARGED WERE LAID OFF ENTERED MILITARY SERVICE DETROIT Automobile mfg 194 31,950 169 no 3,122 Automobile parts, mfg Automobile mfg Automobile parts, mfg. . Automobile parts, mfg. . . . Automobile mfg 195 200 202 203 2O4 783 9,869 i,944 114 135 116 4,886 965 1 20 C2 306 2,085 1,879 260 63 2,304 362 30 4 2 Automobile mfg 2O5 11,125 C.IIC 3,799 2,727 Automobile mfg. .... 2O9 121 148 3 2 64 Automobile parts, mfg. . . . Automobile parts, mfg. . . . Chemicals and drug mfg. Clothing and overalls, mfg. . Machine tools, mfg Iron and steel (small parts), mfg. Steel forgings mfg 210 211 214 216 218 221 22^ 314 1,103 668 480 630 218 316 88 747 112 55 "3 18 IO2 52 242 26 10 028 Less than APPENDIX 2OI B Continued VOLUNTARY QUITTING) IN INDIVIDUAL ESTABLISHMENTS AND SPECIFIED CITIES, 1917-18 18 OF PER CENT THE YEAR WHO EMPLOYEES LEAVING DURING THE YEAR WHO INDUSTRY OR NATURE or BUSINESS LEFT WERE WERE ENTERED LEFT VOLUN- TOTAL DIS- LAID MILITARY VOLUN- TARILY CHARGED Off SERVICE TARILY DETROIT 11,230 14,631 I I 21 77 Automobile mfg. 1,368 2,123 5 14 3 77 Automobile parts, mfg 20,916 30,191 16 7 8 69 Automobile mfg. 3,58i 6,787 14 28 5 53 Automobile parts, mfg. 273 423 28 7 65 Automobile parts, mfg. 183 537 10 48 8 34 Automobile mfg. 34,i67 45,8o8 IT 8 6 75 Automobile mfg. 369 613 24 5 10 60 Automobile mfg. 1,512 i, 680 5 3 2 90 Automobile parts, mfg. 4,489 5,795 13 4 5 77 Automobile parts, mfg. 924 1,131 10 8 82 Chemicals and drug mfg. 898 978 6 3 92 Clothing & overalls, mfg. 1,190 i,433 8 9 83 Machine tools, mfg 344 384 5 6 90 Iron & st'l(sm'l p'ts.), mfg. 290 695 15 36 8 42 Steel forgings, mfg. 912 1,066 6 2 6 86 Steel castings, mfg. 482 567 8 5 3 85 Structural steel mfg. 694 899 IS 8 77 Steel forgings, mfg. 1,805 2,057 8 4 88 Screw mach. products, mfg. Public utilities: 809 1,040 9 13 78 Gas mfg. 68 106 14 3 19 64 Tel. serv. (Comm. dept.) 95 141 9 14 9 67 Tel. serv. (Clerical) 3i8 5io 13 7 17 62 Tel. serv. (Installation) 2,463 3,oi5 18 0) 82 Tel. serv. (Traffic) 453 633 8 4 17 7i Tel. serv. (Construction) 1,464 1,874 19 2 78 Slaugh'g and m't pack ng 91,564 125,117 ii 7 8 73 Total of i per cent. 202 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE TYPE OF SEPARATION (DISCHARGE, LAY-OFF, ENTRY INTO MILITARY SERVICE, OR 1913-14 AND 1917- INDUSTRY OK NATURE OF BUSINESS ESTAB- LISH- MENT NUMBER NUMBER OF WORKERS NUMBER EMPLOYEES LEAVING DURING WERE DIS- CHARGED WERE LAID OFF ENTERED MILITARY SERVICE Motor vehicles and parts, mfg. . Automobile parts, mfg. . . . Chemicals, mfg. .... MILWAUKEE 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 262 1,665 1,246 346 876 820 468 3,168 1,275 638 4,732 524 998 1,300 238 464 1,181 542 540 3,643 216 362 14 250 60 134 604 298 123 431 62 202 116 105 270 120 90 460 170 323 350 22 30 22 8 6 48 28 80 55 280 233 52 318 26 224 216 63 453 56 140 146 22 ,g 10 60 350 Chemicals, mfg Textiles, mfg Textiles, mfg. . Leather mfg Rubber goods mfg Machinery (heavy) mfg. . . . Machinery (heavy) mfg. . . . Machinery (heavy) mfg. . . . Machinery (heavy) mfg. . . . Machinery (heavy) mfg. . . . Heating devices Electrical appliances, mfg. . . Electrical appliances, mfg. . . Castings mfg Household metal ware mfg. . . Public utilities: Street railw's, etc. Total [19] 24,664 3,917 1,142 2,842 SAN FRANCISCO 265 267 268 269 270 271 273 274 275 i,795 2,224 500 85 244 899 308 i,i73 3,424 812 436 IOO 24 42 62 28 26 2,044 250 14 86 43i 52 i,35o 3,864 318 372 71 2O 18 27 128 1,278 Agricultural implements, mfg. . Structural iron and steel, mfg. . Mercantile establishment Mercantile establishment . . Mercantile establishment . . Public utilities: Gas and elec. (Main office) Gas and elec. (Metro, district) Gas and elec. (Country dist.) . Total . ... [ 9 ] 10,652 6,047 i Less than J APPENDIX 203 B Concluded VOLUNTARY QUITTING) IN INDIVIDUAL ESTABLISHMENTS AND SPECIFIED CITIES, 1917-18 18 OF PER CENT THE YEAR WHO EMPLOYEES LEAVING DURING THE YEAR WHO INDUSTRY OR NATTTRI or JBUSXNESS LEFT WERE WERE ENTERED LEFT VOLUN- TOTAL DIS- LAID MILITARY VOLUN- TARILY CHARGED OFF SERVICE TARILY MILWAUKEE 2,082 2,746 8 6 IO 70 Motor vehic's & p'ts, mfg. 2,759 3,677 IO 9 6 75 Automobile parts, mfg. 544 610 2 9 89 Chemicals, mfg. 2,824 3,742 7 9 8 75 Chemicals, mfg. 692 774 8 3 89 Textiles, mfg. 699 859 16 3 81 Textiles, mfg. 6,618 9 IQ 3 87 Leather mfg. 4,'o53 4,589 6 :o 5 88 Leather goods, mfg. 609 803 15 i 8 76 Machinery (heavy) mfg. 5,8i5 6,699 6 7 87 Machinery (heavy) mfg. '662 780 8 7 85 Machinery (heavy) mfg. 1,758 2,100 IO 7 85 Machinery (heavy) mfg. 2,815 3,083 4 0) 5 Machinery (heavy) mfg. 197 33 2 219 45o 23 10 90 74 Heating devices Electrical appliances, mfg. 2,434 2,932 9 2 6 83 Electrical appliances, mfg. 1,470 8 2 i 90 Castings, mfg. 1,432 1,662 5 5 4 86 Household metal ware mfg. 3,728 12 I 77 Pub. utilities : Str't rys., etc. 39,642 47,543 8 2 6 83 Total BAY REGION 6,670 7,800 10 4 86 Explosives, mfg. 4,530 5,338 8 7 85 Agricul. implements, mfg. 601 1,022 IO 25 7 59 Struc. iron and steel, mfg. 63 121 20 12 16 52 Mercantile establishment 263 409 IO 21 4 64 Mercantile establishment 1,075 1,568 4 27 69 Mercantile establishment Public utilities: 94 201 14 26 13 47 Gas & elec. (Main off.) 152 1,656 2 82 8 9 Gas & elec. (Metr. dis.) 3,854 8,556 6 45 4 Gas & elec. (C'n'y dis.) 17,302 26,671 8 23 5 65 Total of i per cent. 204 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE NUMBER AND PER CENT OF EMPLOYEES IN THE UNSTABLE PART OF THE WORKING ACCESSIONS, SEPARATIONS, AND FLUX, IN INDIVIDUAL INDUSTRY OR NATURE o? BUSINESS ESTABLISH- MENT NUMBER TOTAL WORKING FORCE NUMBER IN CON- TINUOUS SERVICE OVER ONE YEAR UNSTABLE NUMBER Clothing men's, mfg CHICAGO 103 104 105 106 107 no 114 116 124 6,027 764 4,211 5,759 611 1,042 283 667 13,604 3,871 594 3,596 3,890 356 665 108 239 10,905 2,156 170 6l5 1,869 255 367 175 428 2,699 Printing presses, mfg Agricultural implements, mfg. Agricultural implements, mfg. Machinery (coal mining), mfg. Mail order house Brass and metal specialties, mfg. Office appliances, mfg Public utilities: Telephone service . Total ....... Motor vehicles and parts, mfg. . . Machinery (heavy) mfg Public utilities: Street railways, etc. , Total I9l 32,968 24,224 8,744 MILWAUKEE 242 250 262 1,665 638 3,643 819 392 2,300 846 246 i,343 [3] 5,946 3,5" 2,435 Automobile and motor truck mfg. . Automobile and motor truck mfg. Street railway cars, mfg Storage batt's and carbon prod's mfg. Woodwork, sewing mach. cabinets, etc. M^achine tools mfg CLEVELAND 156 158 159 166 169 172 173 176 179 180 183 191 192 193 4,456 2,173 344 1,610 i,5i4 1,263 940 917 590 393 937 IO2 1,368 1,267 2,795 298 123 757 964 592 448 a 194 401 44 914 372 1,661 i,875 221 853 S5o 671 492 312 214 199 536 58 454 895 Machinery (heavy) mfg Metal wire, etc., mfg Sewing machines, mfg Electrical appliances, mfg. Malleable iron castings, mfg. . Telephone service (Clerical force) Telephone service (Oper. force) . . Telephone service (Plant dept.) . . Total [14] 17,874 8,883 8,991 APPENDIX 205 FORCE, NUMBER IN CONTINUOUS SERVICE OVER ONE YEAR AND NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTS AND SPECIFIED CITIES, 1917-18 FORCE LABOR CHANGES INDUSTRY OR NATURE or BUSINESS PER CENT ACCES- SEPARA- TOTAL SION TION (FLUX) CHICAGO 36 5,731 7,240 12,971 Clothing, men's, mfg. 22 5io 471 981 Printing presses, mfg. IS 2,865 2,962 5,827 Agricultural implements, mfg. 32 42 5,486 782 4,729 764 10,215 i,546 Agricultural implements, mfg. Machinery (coal mining), mfg. t 1,358 590 1,332 536 2,690 1,126 Mail order house Brass and metal specialties, mfg. 64 1,879 1,712 3,59i Office appliances, mfg. 2O 9,524 n,454 20,978 Public utilities: Telephone service 27 28,725 31,200 59,925 Total MILWAUKEE 50 2,435 2,748 5,i83 Motor vehicles and parts, mfg. 39 931 803 i,734 Machinery (heavy) mfg. 37 3,058 3,728 6,786 Public utilities: Street railways, etc. 41 6,424 7,279 13,703 Total CLEVELAND 37 3,552 2,878 6,430 Automobile and motor truck mfg. 86 5,179 6,289 11,468 Automobile and motor truck mfg. 64 1,016 1,038 2,054 Street railway cars, mfg. S3 36 6,036 3,4io 5,789 4,566 11,825 7,976 Storage batt's and carbon prod's mfg. Woodw'k, sewing mach. cabinets, etc. 53 3,520 2,556 6,076 Machine tools, mfg. 52 2,691 2,393 5,084 Machinery (heavy) mfg. 34 1,286 1,386 2,672 Metal wire, etc., mfg. 36 Si 1,281 . 941 1,290 776 2,57i i,7i7 Sewing machines, mfg. Electrical appliances, mfg. 57 3,077 3,091 6,168 Malleable iron castings, mfg. 57 132 140 272 Telephone service (Clerical force) 33 2,328 2,262 4,590 Telephone service (Oper. force) 71 2,200 2,889 5,089 Telephone service (Plant dept.) So 36,649 37,343 73,992 lotal 206 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE NUMBER AND PER CENT OF EMPLOYEES IN THE UNSTABLE PART OF THE WORKING ACCESSIONS, SEPARATIONS, AND FLUX, IN INDIVIDUAL INDUSTRY OR NATURE OF BUSINESS ESTABLISH- MENT NUMBER TOTAL WORKING FORCE NUMBER IN CON- TINUOUS SERVICE OVER ONE YEAR UNSTABLE NUMBER DETROIT 204 216 221 222 225 227 228 22Q 235 236 237 2 3 8 240 135 480 218 497 316 390 161 213 i,933 161 138 43* 33i 51 248 163 179 164 156 82 73 977 98 76 253 149 84 232 55 3i8 152 234 79 140 956 63 62 178 182 Clothing and overalls, mfg. . . . Iron and steel (small parts), mfg. Heating devices mfg Stee' forgings mfg ..... Steel castings, mfg Structura' steel, mfg Electrical appliances, mfg. . . . Public utilities: Gas mfg Tel. serv. (Com. dept.) Tel. serv. (Cler. force) Tel. serv. (Installat'n) lei. serv. (Construc'n) Total [I3l 5,404 2,669 2,735 Textiles (cotton), mfg CINCINNATI 133 137 138 139 140 141 146 ISO I5i 330 127 602 669 407 883 1,150 244 767 280 85 272 328 274 606 670 2OI 508 5o 42 330 34i 133 277 480 43 259 Machine tools mfg Machinery (specialties), mfg. . . ^Machinery mfg ... I^tachine tools mfg . Engineering specialties, mfg. . . . Printing and publishing (books) . . Printing and publishing (miscel.) Total [9l 5,179 3,224 i,955 SAN FRANCISCO 263 264 266 269 270 421 1,259 173 85 244 158 420 71 42 119 263 839 102 43 125 Sugar refinery Mercantile establishment .... Mercantile establishment .... Total . . . [Si 2,182 810 i,372 APPENDIX 207 C Concluded FORCE, NUMBER IN CONTINUOUS SERVICE OVER ONE YEAR, AND NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTS AND SPECIFIED CITIES, 1917-18 FORCE LABOR CHANGES PER CENT ACCES- SIONS SEPARA- TIONS TOTAL (FLUX) INDUSTRY OR NATURE or BUSINESS DETROIT 62 477 537 1,014 Automobile mfg. 48 25 686 392 978 384 1,664 776 Clothing and overalls, mfg. Iron and steel (small parts), mfg. 64 834 1,167 2,001 Heating devices, mfg. 48 910 695 1,605 Steel forgings, mfg. 60 1,296 i, 066 2,362 Steel castings, mfg. 49 543 567 1,110 Structural steel, mfg 66 49 744 i,585 744 1,040 1,488 2,625 Electrical appliances, mfg. Public utilities: Gas mfg. 39 104 106 2IO Tel. serv. (Com. dept) 45 167 141 308 Tel. serv. (Cler. force) 4i 533 Sio 1,043 Tel. serv. (Installat'n) 55 628 633 I,26l Tel. serv. (Cons'n) 5i 8,899 8,568 17,467 Total CINCINNATI IS 354 369 723 Textiles (cotton), mfg. 33 103 73 I 7 6 Machine tools, mfg. 55 1,020 980 2,000 Machine tools, mfg. Si 847 860 1,707 Machinery (specialties), mfg. 33 502 567 1,069 Machinery mfg. 3i 1,363 1,166 2,529 Machine tools, mfg. 42 18 2,030 82 1,989 119 4,019 201 Engineering specialties, mfg. Printing and publishing (books) 34 667 811 1,478 Printing and publishing (miscel.) 38 6,968 6,934 13,902 Total SAN FRANCISCO 62 1,141 980 2,121 Oil refinery 67 3,566 3,0" 6,577 Sugar refinery 59 261 362 623 Machinery mfg. Si 138 121 259 Mercantile establishment Si 435 409 844 Mercantile establishment 63 5,54i 4,88 3 10,424 Total 208 LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE D LABOR MOBILITY BY MONTHS, FROM JANUARY, 1910, TO DECEMBER, 1919, INCLUSIVE XT_r^ LABOR ( CHANGES YEAR AND MONTH .NUMBER OF FULL- TOTAL LABOR HOURS NUMBER RATE PER FULL-TTM E WORKER YEAR WORKERS (Tnou- SANDS) ACCES- SIONS SEPARA- TIONS TOTAL ACCES- SION SEPARA- TION TOTAL (FLUX) IQIO January 9,684 2,421 1,025 1,004 2,029 1.26 1.23 2.49 February . 8,754 2,189 835 1,024 1,859 1.14 1.41 2-55 March . 9,630 2,407 ,573 ,445 3,018 i-95 1. 80 3-75 April 8,832 2,208 ,558 ,5i8 3,076 2.13 2.07 4.20 May . . 8,585 2,146 ,552 ,346 2,898 2.16 1.89 4-05 June . . 9,006 2,252 ,634 ,271 2,905 2.19 1.68 3-87 July . . 10,353 2,588 ,530 ,555 3,085 1.77 i. 80 3-57 August . . 6,937 1,734 ,141 ,218 2,359 1.98 2.10 4.08 September . 10,241 2,560 ,124 ,261 2,385 1.32 1.47 2.79 October 9,042 2,261 810 870 i, 680 1.08 1.14 2.22 November . 9,717 2,429 70S 844 1,549 .87 1.05 1.92 December . 8,334 2,084 344 411 755 Si .60 I. II 1911 January 13,727 3,432 699 839 i,538 .60 .72 1-32 February . 14,806 3,7oi 954 840 i,794 .78 .69 i-47 March . 13,770 3,442 1,136 888 2,024 99 .78 1-77 April . . 13,836 3,459 1,090 992 2,082 .96 .87 1.83 May 15,150 3,788 1,429 1,259 2,688 1.14 .99 2.13 June . . 13,923 3,48i i,3i3 1,286 2,599 1. 14 i. ii 2.25 July . . 14,013 3,503 1,070 1,222 2,292 93 1.05 1.98 August . 12,786 3, J 96 1,190 1, 08 1 2,271 i. ii 1.02 2.13 September . 14,015 3,504 709 932 1,641 .60 .81 .41 October 13,840 3,460 652 942 i,594 57 .81 38 November . 14,651 3,663 556 1,026 1,582 45 .84 .29 December . 13,049 3,262 344 878 1,222 33 .81 .14 1912 January 14,624 3,656 736 884 1,620 .60 .72 32 February . i3,43 2 3,358 75i 874 1,625 .66 .78 44 March . . 13,346 3,337 993 88 7 1,880 .00 .81 71 April . . 13,538 3,384 1,319 1,043 2,362 17 93 2.IO May . . 15,065 3,766 1,385 1,435 2,820 .11 1.14 2.25 June . . 13,778 3,444 1,611 1,049 2,660 .41 .00 2.31 July . . 15,127 3,782 i,756 1,400 3,156 .38 i. ii 2.49 August . 14,077 3,519 1,801 1,363 3,164 53 1.17 2.70 September . 15,832 3,958 1,886 1,362 3,248 44 1.02 2.46 October 16,307 4,077 2,059 i,395 3,454 S3 1.02 2-55 November . December . 19,613 17,435 4,903 4,359 1,996 i,585 1,368 1,172 3,364 2,757 3 .84 .81 2.07 1.89 See footnote on pa^e 211. APPENDIX 209 TABLE D Continued LABOR MOBILITY BY MONTHS, FROM JANUARY, 1910, TO DECEMBER, 1919, INCLUSIVE YEAR AND MONTH NUMBER OF FULL- YEAR WORKERS TOTAL LABOR HOURS (THOU- SANDS) LABOR CHANGES NUMBER RATE PER FULL-TIME WORKER ACCES- SIONS SEPARA- TIONS TOTAL ACCES- SION SEPARA- TION TOTAL (FLUX) 19*3 January 157,841 39,460 24,185 18,365 42,550 1.83 I.4I 3.24 February . 156,126 39,032 19,737 17,558 37,295 i-53 1-35 2.88 March . . 168,238 42,059 23,267 24,219 47,486 1.65 1.74 3-39 April . . 161,965 40,491 28,203 24,731 52,934 2.10 1.8 3 3-93 May . . 166,511 41,628 26,101 25,948 52,049 1.89 1.86 3-75 June . . 158,475 39,6i9 20,443 20,483 40,926 1.56 1.56 3.12 July . . 159,221 39,805 18,451 20,853 39,304 1.38 1.56 2.94 August . 167,001 41,750 14,847 17,203 32,050 1.08 1.23 2.31 September . I52,3H 38,078 13,453 16,650 30,103 1.05 1.32 2-37 October 157,428 39,357 11,607 13,233 24,840 .87 i. 02 1.89 November . I56,45 2 39,H3 9,456 io,45i 19,907 .72 .81 i-53 December . 153,208 38,302 7,061 9,048 16,109 54 .72 1.26 1914 January 43,125 10,781 2,513 2,126 4,639 .69 .60 1.29 February . March . 43,342 42,771 10,835 10,693 2,716 2,994 1,886 2,460 4,602 5,454 75 .84 $ 1.26 i-53 April . . 45,014 n,253 2,552 2,358 5,405 .69 75 1.44 May . . 39,793 9,948 2,423 4,108 6,53i .72 1.23 i-95 June . . 40,867 10,217 3,239 4,i68 7,407 .96 1.23 2.19 July . . 39,487 9,872 2,93i i,975 4,906 .90 .60 1.50 August . 42,512 10,628 3,37i 3,097 6,468 .96 .87 1.83 September . 44,116 11,029 4,364 2,323 6,687 i. 20 63 1.83 October 56,668 14,167 3,565 3,279 6,844 75 .69 1.44 November . 58,192 14,548 3,ooi 2,269 5,270 63 .48 i. ii December . 57,636 14,409 3,189 2,759 5,948 .66 57 1.23 1915 January 87,031 21,758 4,349 3,957 8,306 .60 54 1.14 February . 86,061 2i,5i5 5,199 4,620 9,819 .72 63 1-35 March . 91,589 22,897 6,400 6,096 12,496 .84 .81 1.65 April 86,224 2i,556 8,107 4,868 12,975 1.14 .69 1.83 May 89,519 22,380 6,767 5,227 11,994 .90 .69 i-59 June . . 96,801 24,200 7,08 1 4,867 11,948 .87 .60 1.47 July . . 93,7i6 23,429 6,058 5,879 n,937 78 75 i-53 August . . 94,034 23,508 6,597 S,4i9 12,016 .84 .69 i-53 September . 107,960 26,990 13,184 8,213 2i,397 1.47 .90 2.37 October 99,741 24,935 12,061 6,256 18,317 1.44 75 2.19 November . 67,672 16,918 n,558 6,268 17,826 2.04 i. ii 3-iS December . 92,223 23,056 11,796 6,077 17,873 1-53 .78 2.31 1 See footnote on page 211, 2IO LABOR TURNOVER IN INDUSTRY TABLE D Continued LABOR MOBILITY BY MONTHS, FROM JANUARY, 1910, TO DECEMBER, 1919, INCLUSIVE YEAR AND MONTH NUMBER OF FULL- YEAR WORKERS TOTAL LABOR HOURS (THOU- SANDS) LABOR CHANGES NUMBER RATE PER FULL-TIME WORKER ACCES- SIONS SEPARA- TIONS TOTAL ACCES- SION SEPARA- TION TOTAL (FLUX) January 46,885 11,721 8,649 4,994 13,643 2.22 1.29 3-51 February . 53,541 13,385 10,351 5,632 15,983 2.31 1.26 3-57 March . . 56,410 14,102 7,348 6,706 14,054 1-56 1.44 3.00 April 59,237 14,809 10,321 5,737 16,058 2.10 I.I7 3-27 May . . 58,143 14,536 8,518 7,091 15,609 1.77 1.47 3-24 June . . 58,152 14,538 6,730 9,280 16,010 1.38 1.92 3-30 July . . 57,505 14,376 5,346 4,678 10,024 I. II 99 2.10 August . . 57,866 14,466 7,727 5,733 13,460 T -59 1.20 2.79 September . 60,549 15,137 6,455 5,087 n,542 1.29 1.02 2.31 October 62,492 15,623 6,336 4,205 10,541 1.23 .81 2.04 November . 63,408 15,852 3,92i 3,821 7,742 75 .72 1.47 December . 64,424 16,106 5,499 3,884 9,383 1.02 .72 1.74 1917 January 33,675 8,419 3,568 4,439 8,007 1.26 1-59 2.85 February . 32,260 8,065 2,948 3,368 6,316 I. II 1.26 2-37 March . . 21,211 5,303 2,057 2,099 4,156 I.I7 i. 20 2-37 April . . 21,667 5,417 2,416 2,652 5,o68 1.47 2.82 May . . 28,487 7,122 4,871 4,700 9,57i 2.04 1.98 4.02 June . . 32,572 8,143 5,449 4,92i 10,370 2.01 i. 80 3.8l July . . 35,637 8,909 5,265 5,074 10,339 1.77 1.71 348 August . 37,398 9,350 6,661 6,i37 12,798 2.13 1.08 4.11 September . 37,723 9,431 6,288 6,022 12,310 2.01 1.92 3-93 October 38,583 9,646 6,746 5, I2 7 u,873 2.IO 1-59 3-69 November . 47,401 11,850 7,209 6,076 13,285 1.83 1-53 3.36 December . 39,994 9,998 5,307 6,488 n,795 i-59 1-95 3-54 1918 January 37,973 9,493 5,86o 5,238 11,098 1.86 1.65 3-51 February . 37,oo8 9,252 4,952 5,563 10,515 1.62 i. 80 3-42 March . . 37,387 9,347 6,636 6,447 13,083 2.13 2.07 4.20 April . . 37,924 9,48i 8,322 7,228 2.64 2.28 4.92 May 35,8i9 8,955 7,792 6,256 14,048 2.61 2.10 4.71 Tune 30,319 7,58o 5,537 4,789 10,326 2.19 1.89 4.08 July . . 24,446 6,111 4,652 4,024 8,676 2.28 1.98 4.26 August . . 23,877 5,969 3,953 4,320 8,273 1.98 2.16 4.14 September . 21,299 5,325 2,954 2,643 5,597 1.65 1-50 3-iS October 21,817 5,454 2,702 2,850 5,552 1.50 1.56 3-o6 November . 28,352 7,088 3,878 2,350 6,228 1.65 .99 2.64 December . 22,476 6,619 2,496 2,042 4,538 1.32 1. 08 2.40 I See footnote on page 211. APPENDIX 211 TABLE D Concluded LABOR MOBILITY BY MONTHS, FROM JANUARY, 1910, TO DECEMBER, 1919, INCLUSIVE VTT^m^ LABOR ( CHANGES YEAR AND MONTH NUMBER OF FULL- TOTAL LABOR HOURS NUMBER RATE PER FULL-TIM E WORKER YEAR WORKERS 1 (THOU- SANDS) ACCES- SEPARA- ACCES- SEPARA- TOTAL SIONS TIONS TOTAL SION TION (FLUX) 1919 January 20,989 5,247 2,408 2,517 4,925 1.38 1.44 2.82 February . 20,238 5,059 ,347 1,890 3,237 .81 I. II 1.92 March . 19,591 4,898 ,119 1,962 3,081 .69 1.20 1.89 April 18,835 4,709 ,137 1,741 2,878 .72 I. II 1.83 May . . 17,128 4,282 ,096 1,503 2,599 .78 I.O5 1.83 June 14,233 3,558 ,002 2,147 .84 .96 1. 80 July . . 13,979 3,495 1,238 '822 2,060 1.05 .72 1.77 August . 5,638 1,410 601 5 J 6 1,117 1.29 I. II 2.40 September . 5,785 1,446 710 478 1,188 1.47 .99 2.46 October 9,502 2,376 1,428 643 2,071 1. 80 .81 2.61 November . 16,400 4,100 I,OOI 2,514 i. ii .72 1.83 December . 10,327 2,582 620 404 1,024 .72 .48 1.20 Calculated as follows: 2,421,000 3000 12 INDEX Absenteeism, records, 167-169. Accessions, 8, 56-60; length of service and, 56. Annual data, 36. Attendance, as a basis of computation, n, 18. Automobile industry, turnover in, 25, 49, 50-53, 118-121. Average weekly service rates, 139-140. Base, in turnover computation, 9-11. Boston, turnover in, 47, 172-173, 190- 191. Broken time, effect of, on computa- tion, 9-11. Business cycles, labor mobility and, 34-35, 38. Car building industry, labor mobility in, 76-77, 108-109. Casual laborers, length of service of, 135-136. Causes of separation, 92-102; ambigu- ity of data, 96-97; difficulty of as- certaining, 93-96; in mercantile es- tablishments, 99-102; in metal trades, 96. Causes of turnover, 78-102. Chemical industries and refineries, length of service in, 118-121; turn- over, 50-53- Chicago, statistics of labor mobility in, 47, 172-173, 178-179, 190-191, 196- 197, 204-205. Cincinnati, turnover in, 47, 174-175, 178-181, 190-191, 198-199, 206-207. Cities, turnover in different, 47, 172- 187. Cleveland, turnover in, 47, 174-175, 180-183, 192-193, 198-199, 204-205. Clothing industry, length of service in, 118-121, 137; turnover, 49, 50-53. Common labor, mobility of, 72-74. Computation, 22-26; changes suggested, 15; relation between different meth- ods, 26; Rochester method, 9, 12. Cyclical fluctuations, 34-35, 38, 105- 106. Daily attendance, as base in computa- tion, n, 1 8. Definition of terms, 8, 21. Detroit, turnover in, 47, 174-175, 182- 185, 192-193, 200-201, 206-207. Discharge rates, effect of business con- ditions on, 34-35; effect of war con- ditions on, 84-85. Employers, in relation to labor sta- bility, 3. Employment policies, 29-33. Employment records, 163-169; need of, 30. Equivalent full-time worker. See "Full- year worker." "Floaters," 60, 133-136. Flux, meaning and use of term, 13, 15. Flux rates, for whole and for unstable parts of work force, 148-150. Force maintenance. See "Replace- ment." Formula for computation, 24. "Full-year worker," meaning of term, 15, 18; relation to pay-roll figures, 9-1 1. 213 214 INDEX Gas and electricity manufacturing, turnover in, 49, 50-53, 118-121. Identical establishments, changes in turnover in, between war and pre-war periods, 64-65. Industrial conditions, effect on turn- over, 34-35, 38, 105-106; effect on proportions of separations of differ- ent types, 80-87. Industrial Relations Association of America, 8. Industry groups, turnover in different, 49> 5o-53> 118-121; type of separa- tion and, 86-89. Instability, causes of, 78-102; difficulty of ascertaining causes, 93-96. Job replacement, frequency of, 159-162. Labor change, meaning of term, 12-13; rates, 13. Labor changes, estimated number, 42- 43 ; necessary and unnecessary, 43-46. Labor flux. See "Flux." Labor hours, use of, in computation, n, 15, 18, 22-24. Labor mobility, an establishment prob- lem, 3; general extent, 34-60; in in- dividual establishments, 6 1-7 7; mean- ing of term, 7. Labor policy, turnover and, 29-33. Lay-off rate, effect of business condi- tions on, 34-35; effect of war condi- tions on, 84-90. Leather and rubber goods, turnover in, 49, 50-53, 118-121. Length of service, statistics of, by in- dustries, 118-121; in war and pre-war periods, 117; of casual laborers, 135- 136; of male and female employees, 123-131; of skilled and unskilled, 132, 135-136, 158; in men's clothing industry, 137; record form for, 166- 167; statistics of, 115-141. Machinery manufacturing, turnover in, 49, 50-53, 118-121. Measurement of turnover, 7-28; stand- ard of, 9-11, 21-22. Men's clothing industry, length of serv- ice in, 137. Mercantile establishments, causes of separations from, 99-102; turnover in, 49, 50-53. Metal trades, causes of separations, 96; turnover in, 49, 50-53, 118-121. Methods of computation, 7-28. Milwaukee, turnover in, 47, 176-177, 186-187, 202-203, 204-205. Mobility rates, establishments classified according to, 63. Monthly data, 104-105, 107, 108-109, in, 208-211. National Association of Employment Managers, 8. National Personnel Association, 8. Necessary turnover, extent of, 43-46. New York City, turnover in, 47, 176- 177, 192-193- Night shift, turnover on, compared with day shift, 71, 107. Normal work force. See "Standard work force." Occupations, turnover in different, 76- 77, 108-109. Padded pay rolls, effect on computa- tion, 9-11. Pay-roll data, use of, in turnover com- putation, 9-10. "Percentage of turnover," 12. Personnel policy, and labor stability, 29-33- Plant curtailment, 21, 23. Printing industry, turnover of laborers in, 135-136. Printing and publishing, turnover sta- tistics, 49, 50-53, 118-121. INDEX 215 Prosperity and depression, turnover in, 34-35, 38, 105-106. Public utilities, turnover in, 49, 50-53, 118-121. Quitting rate, close correspondence of, with total separation rate, 81-83. Rates, use of, in reporting turnover, 12- 13, 22, 23-24, 26-27. Reasons for leaving, 92-102; in metal trades, 96; in mercantile establish- ments, 99-102. Records, of absentees, 168-169; of length of service, 166-167; of turn- over, 164-165. Reduction of turnover, 29-33. Rehirings, 58-59, 101. Replacements, importance of, 7-8, 13, 14, 15, 18. Responsibility for turnover, of different employee groups, 154-162. Rochester Conference, 8, 9. Rochester formula, 8, 26. Rubber goods manufacturing, turnover in, 49, 50-53, 118-121. San Francisco Bay region, turnover in, 186-187, 202-203, 206-207. Seasonal fluctuations, 103-114. Separation, types of, 78-92; proportion of different types, by industries, 86- 89; rate of, in relation to skill, 91. Separation rate, inadequacy of, 8. Sex, turnover data classified according to, 66-69, I2 4> I2 6, 128-131. Size of establishment, turnover and, 55. Skill, and stability, 73, 91, 132, 135-136, 158. Slaughtering and meat packing, turn- over in, 49, 50-53, 118-121. Stability of labor. See "Mobility." Stabilization of work force, record of ten selected firms, 29-33. Stable and unstable employees, 142-153, Standard of measurement, 9-11, 21-22. Standard work force, 15, 18. Street railways, turnover on, 49, 50-53, 118-121. Telephone service, statistics of turnover in, 50-53, 118-121. Textile manufacturing, clothing and, 50-53, 118-121. Transportation. See "Street railways." Turnover, causes of, 92-102; meaning of, 7-8, 12-15; among skilled and unskilled workers, 73, 91, 132, 135- 136, 158; of males and females, 66-69, 124, 126, 128-131; by cities, 47, 172- 207; by industries, 49, 50-53, 118- 121; in mercantile establishments, 50-53, 99-102; seasonal influences on, 103-114; the business cycle and, 34- 35, 38, 105-106; in identical plants, 64-65; necessary and unnecessary, 44-45; in different occupations, 76- 77, 108-109; i n war an d pre-war periods, 47, 51-53; labor policy and, 29-33; percentage, 12; records, 163- 169; size of plant, 55; responsibility for, 154-162. Types of separation, 78-92. Unemployment, turnover and, 2, 3. United States Bureau of Labor Statis- tics, 4-5, 8, 9, 13, 22, 26-27. United States Commission on Industrial Relations, 133. Unnecessary turnover, amount of, 44- 45- Unskilled workers, turnover among, 73, 91, 132, 135-136, 158. Volume of turnover, 34-60. Voluntary quitting, importance of, 79. Wisconsin Free Employment Office, 133. 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