INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE

WAGES AND PAYROLL
STATISTICS

Report prepared for the Seventh International
of Labour Statisticians
(Geneva, September 1949)

GENEVA
1949

Conference

STUDIES AND REPORTS
New Series, No. 16

P U B L I S H E D B Y THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR O F F I C E

Geneva, Switzerland

Published in the United Eangdom for the INTERNATIONAL
by Staples Press Limited, London

LABOUR OFFICE

PRINTED BY " IMPRIMERIES RSUNIES S.A.", LAUSANNE (SWITZERLAND)

CONTENTS
Page
INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER I :

1

Work of the International Labour Office in the Field
of Statistics of Wages

3

CHAPTEB I I :
Statistics of Establishments
Sample
Coverage
Procedure
Computation
Publication

11
11
22
31
37
42

CHAPTEB I I I :

Censuses

46

CHAPTEB IV :

Social Security Statistics

53

CHAPTER V :

Estimates of Total Wages and Salaries

64

CHAPTEB VI :

Social Charges

74

CHAPTEB VII :

Convention (No. 63) concerning Statistics of Wages
and Hours of Work, 1938

85

CHAPTEB V I I I : Proposed Resolutions

116

Appendices
I. Texts of Convention No. 63, of Recommendation of the 5th International Conference of Labour Statisticians, and of Resolutions Adopted
by tlie 24th Session of the International Labour Conference . . .

126

H . Summary of Statistics of Wages and Hours of Work Published
by Countries which have Ratified Convention No. 63

137

III. Wage Statistics in Inland Transport

177

INTRODUCTION
The Sixth International Conference of Labour Statisticians
(Montreal) adopted the following resolution on 12 August 1947 * :
Resolution concerning Statistics of Workers' Earnings
The Sixth International Conference of Labour Statisticians,
Recognising that the methods and practices which it has recommended
in its resolution concerning statistics of employment, unemployment
and the labour force will, when applied, facilitate the compilation of
accurate statistics of payrolls, but being strongly of the opinion that
fuller and more comprehensive consideration should be given at the
earliest possible moment to the formulation of international standards
for statistics of workers' earnings ;
Requests the Governing Body of the International Labour Office
to place on the agenda of an early International Conference of Labour
Statisticians the subject of statistics of workers' earnings with special
reference to payrolls and aggregate wages and salaries.
The Governing Body of the International Labour Office,
accordingly, decided at its 104th Session (Geneva, 15-20 March
1948) to place the following item on the agenda of the Seventh
International Conference of Labour Statisticians :
2. Statistics of Payrolls and Earnings. Methods of obtaining
statistics of earnings as well as of total wages and salaries from
payroll data.
This report on Wages and Payroll Statistics is divided into
eight chapters. Chapter I describes the work accomplished in
the past by the International Labour Office in the field of statistics of wages. Chapter I I deals with statistics of establishments
and is divided into five sections as follows : Sample ; Coverage ;
Procedure ; Computation ; and Publication. Chapter I I I discusses
some of the problems raised b y wage statistics derived from
censuses of manufactures, of production, etc. Chapter IV describes
wage statistics derived from social insurance returns. Chapter V
is entitled " Estimates of Total Wages and Salaries ". Chapter
VI discusses methods for obtaining data on social charges. Chapter
1

INTERNATIONAL

Labour Statisticians
1948), p . 66.

LABOUB OFFICE :

The

Sixth

International

Conference of

(Studies and Reports, New Series, No. 7, P a r t 4), (Geneva

2

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

VII appraises the results obtained by Convention No. 63 concerning statistics of wages and hours of work, 1938. Chapter VIII
contains proposed resolutions. Finally, the text of Convention
No. 63 is reproduced in Appendix I, the main statistics of wages
and hours of work published by countries having ratified Convention No. 63 are contained in Appendix II, and some of the
resolutions adopted by the Inland Transport Committee at its
Second Session are reproduced in Appendix III.
Statistics of wages in agriculture raise an entirely separate
set of problems, and it is for that reason that agricultural wage
statistics have been disregarded in this report ; the same apphes
to statistics of rates of pay. Both subjects are briefly discussed,
however, in connection with the work of the Office in the field
of wage statistics (Chapter I) and in connection with Convention
No. 63 (Chapter VII).

CHAPTER I
WORK OF THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE
IN THE FIELD OF STATISTICS OF WAGES *
MONEY WAGES

The subject of wages was one of the topics on the agenda
of the First International Conference of Labour Statisticians in
October 1923, for which the Office submitted a report entitled
Methods of Statistics of Wages and Hours of Labour.2 This Conference adopted resolutions covering the types of wages or earnings
statistics to be collected, as well as index numbers of wages, which
are discussed in the next section of this chapter.
The two Conferences of Statisticians convened by the Social
Science Research Council3 in 1929 and 1930 considered the question
of wage data in conjunction with the index numbers of wages
and the difficult problem of international comparisons, a subject
which is discussed further in a later section of this chapter. Following these conferences, the Fourth International Conference of
Labour Statisticians, in 1931, in a series of resolutions addressed
to the Office and reviewing the problems of international comparisons of real wages, included as part of this broader topic
details as to the wages data to be collected. Of special importance
was its recommendation that the question of the supply of data
on wages and the cost of living required for international comparisons of real wages should be considered with reference to
the framing of a Convention that -would bind Governments ratifying it to collect and supply information at regular intervals.
1

See INTERNATIONAL LABOUR O F F I C E : The International

Standardisation

of

Labour Statistics (Studies and Reports, Series N, No. 25) (Montreal, 1943).
2
Studies and Reports, Series N, No. 2 (Geneva, 1923). F o r t h e discussions
at this Conference, see INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE : International Conference
of Labour Statisticians (Studies a n d Reports, Series N , No. 4) (Geneva, 1924),
pp. 30-47.
3
See International Wags Comparisons. (Documents arising out of Conferences,
held a t the International Labour Office in Jan. 1929 and May 1930, convened b y
the Social Science Research Couaeil of New York.) (Manchester University
Press, 1932.) An account of t h s First Conference is also contained in " An International Conference on Wage Statistics ", International Labour Review, Vol. X I X ,
No. 4, Apr. 1929, p . 522.

4

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

Following up this suggestion, the I.L.O. Committee of Statistical
Experts, itself organised in accordance with a recommendation
of this Fourth Conference, considered the plan for a Convention
at its second session in December 1935 ; the Fifth International
Conference of Labour Statisticians, in September-October 1937,
formulated a proposed Convention concerning statistics of wages
and hours of work for the consideration of the International
Labour Conference ; and the 24th Session of the International
Labour Conference, meeting in June 1938, adopted the Convention.
which is given in full in Appendix I. The Convention sets forth
a minimum programme of wages and hours statistics to be compiled by each ratifying State, the results of which were to be
forwarded to the International Labour Office.1
*

Before the First Conference of 1923, the Office had begun
the study of wages and wage changes in different countries. The
International Labour Review for January 1923 contained the
first of a series of such studies2, while in 1922 a first report was
published under the title of Wage Changes in Various Countries,
1914-1921? In these special reports, emphasis was laid upon
the difference between wage rates and earnings, and on real earnings
as distinct from money earnings. Further, in these early articles
and reports, wages and hours of labour were treated country
by country. This arrangement was continued in articles published
in the International Labour Review between May 1928 and May
1929.
The number of countries supplying information gradually
increased, and in 1929 an international table was issued covering
twelve countries and showing changes in the general level of
1
For a discussion of this Convention, see J . W. N I X O N : " An International
Convention on Statistics of Wages a n d Hours of Work ", in Journal of the Royal
Statistical Society, Vol. CI, P a r t IV, 1938, p . 730. See also " The Twenty-Fourth
Session of the International Labour Conference ", in International Labour Review,
Vol. X X X V I I I , No. 3, Sept. 1938, p . 350 ; and International Labour Conference,
Twenty-Fourth Session, Geneva, 1938, Record of Proceedings, p p . 34, 292, 646.
B y 30 J u n e 1949 the Convention was in force for Australia, Canada, Denmark,
Egypt, Finland, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden,
Switzerland, the Union of South Africa and the United Kingdom.
2
International Labour Review, Vol. V I I , No. 1, J a n . 1923, p . 80.
3
I.L.O. : Studies and Reports, Series D, No. 2 (Geneva, 1922) ; No. 10, Wage
Changes in Various Countries, 1914-1922 (Geneva, 1923) ; No. 16, Wage Changes
in Various Countries, 19H-1925 (Geneva, 1926).

WORK OF THE I.L.O. ON STATISTICS OP WAGES

5

wages within each country.1 In 1931 international tables 2 were
issued showing the movements of wages in the principal industries
and occupations in different countries. Data on wages in a number
of specific occupations in the principal cities in October of each
year have been obtained since 1924 by means of special enquiries
addressed to the statistical offices of the different countries, and
have been published in the International Labour Review. 3 Since
the publication of the Year Book of Labour Statistics (and its
predecessor, Vol. II : Labour Statistics of the I.L.O. Year-Book,
for 1934-35), these tables have been incorporated in it.
Special monographs relating to specific industries were published for the textile industry and agriculture.4 In addition,
special enquiries have been made into wages and hours of labour
in the coalmining industry, by means of questionnaires, in 1925,
1927, 1929, 1931, 1933, 1935 and 1936. The questionnaires,
drawn up with the aid of a special committee, were sent to the
various Governments, together with details of the terms used.
By this means it was sought to obtain internationally comparable
data. 5 Special reports on the world textile industry and on the
world coal mining industry included data on wages and hours
of work in different countries in these industries.6 The Maritime
Statistical Handbook"1, published in 1936, included details of
wages and wage rates for the merchant marine personnel in all
the maritime countries of the world. The Office has also published
from time to time summaries of the results of general wage censuses.
1
International Labour Review, Vol. X X , No. 1, July 1929, p . 113 ; Vol. X X I ,
No. 1, J a n . 1930, p . 117.
2
International Labour Review, Vol. XXIV, Nos. 2-3, Aug.-Sept. 1931, p. 294 ;
Vol. XXVC, Nos. 2-5, Aug.-Nov. 1932, pp. 255, 431, 562 and 716.
3
U p to 1930 the d a t a were obtained a t more frequent intervals.
4
" Wages and Hours of Work in the Textile Industry (Cotton a n d Wool) ",
in International Labour Review, Vol. X X X , No. 3, Sept. 1934, p . 387 ; " Statistics
of Wages of Agricultural Workers in Various Countries, 1927-1934 ", ibid.,
Vol. X X X , Nos. 5-6, Nov.-Dec. 1934, pp. 692 and 844.
6
The results of the first enquiry were published by the I.L.O. in a volume
called Wages and Hours of Work in the Coal-Mining Industry, Studies and Reports,
Series D, No. 18 (Geneva, 1928), those for 1927, 1929, and 1931 in the International Labour Review, Vol. X X , No. 4, Oct. 1929, p . 539 ; and No. 6, Dec. 1929,
p . 840, errata, p . 903, and Vol. X X I , No. 1, J a n . 1930, p . 89 ; Vol. X X I I I , No. 5,
May 1931, p . 644, errata, p . 937 ; and Vol. X X V I I I , No. 3, Sept. 1933, p . 371-394 ;
and those for 1933, 1935 and 1936 were published in I.L.O. : The World GoalMining Industry, Studies and Reports, Series B , No. 31, 2 vols. (Geneva, 1938).
See also " The European Lignite Industry ", in International Labour Review,
Vol. X X I I , No. 6, Dec. 1930, p . 752 ; Vol. X X I I I , No. 1, J a n . 1931, p . 25.
6
I.L.O. : The World Textile Industry : Economic and Social Problems, Studies
a n d Reports, 2 vols., Series B, No. 27 (Geneva, 1937) ; The World Coal-Mining
Industry, 2 vols., Series B, No. 31 (Geneva, 1938).
7
I.L.O. : Studies and Reports, Series N, No. 21 (Geneva, 1936).

6

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS
I N D E X NUMBERS OF W A G E S

The resolutions of the First International Conference of Statisticians of October 1923 included a recommendation to the effect
t h a t " index numbers should be computed to show the general
course of changes in nominal wage rates and in actual earnings ". 1
The two Conferences of statisticians called by the Social
Science Research Council adopted a series of resolutions dealing
with index numbers of wages. The first Conference (1929) divided
the subject into three main topics and considered index numbers
of wages as measuring fluctuations (1) in one of the elements
determining the standard of living, (2) in the remuneration per
hour of work, and (3) in the labour cost per unit of production.
In detail, its recommendations were designed to throw light upon
six different aspects of wage index numbers : (1) changes in the
standard of living of the working classes as a whole ; (2) changes
in the fluctuations in the standard of hving as between different
industries and occupations in the same country ; (3) as an aid to
forecasting economic conditions ; (4) to measure earnings per hour
in respect of work of comparable character and efficiency ; (5) for
measuring labour cost per unit of production ; and (6) to measure
variations in the proportion of the national income formed by
wages.
The second Conference called by the Social Science Research
Council (1930) emphasised certain specific points important in the
collection and organisation of the data, stressing in particular the
differences between rates and earnings, the importance of the
industries covered, the problem of including or excluding women's
rates in a general index, and the influence on the index of changes
in the relative proportions of the industries, etc., which are included
in the index number.
The Convention concerning statistics of wages and hours of
work, 1938, includes articles prescribing index numbers of the
general movement of earnings per hour, and where possible per
day, week or other customary period, and of the general movement
of rates of wages per hour or per week to be compiled by the
countries ratifying the Convention (Articles 12 and 21).
With special reference to index numbers of real wages, t h a t is,
indices combining indices of nominal wages with those of the cost
1
For a discussion of the resolution on wage index numbers and a synoptic
analysis of the methods of compilation then in use in different countries, see
J . W. N I X O N : " Index Numbers of Wages : a Survey ", in Bevile de l'Institut
international de statistique, Vol. I, No. 1, J a n . 1933, p . 39.

WORK OF THE I . L . O . ON STATISTICS 0¥ WAGES

7

of living of wage earners' families, the First International Conference of Labour Statisticians, in October 1923, included a general
recommendation to the effect that the changes in actual earnings
should be related to changes in the cost of living. The resolutions
of the Fourth Conference of Labour Statisticians, in 1931, though
directed specifically to the problems of international comparisons
of real wages, contain many recommendations applicable to the
compilation of national indices of real wages.
Index numbers of nominal and real wages are published at
quarterly intervals in the International Labour Review and in
the Year Book of Labour Statistics. At the date of their first
publication only twelve countries were included ; in the Year
Book for 1947-48 they extend over twenty-eight countries, in many
cases with separate series for different industries, for both sexes,
for males and females, and showing wage rates or earnings per hour,
or earnings per day, week or month.
TOTAL WAGES AND SALARIES

The first Conference of Statisticians called by the Social Science
Research Council in 1929 adopted resolutions dealing with the
measurement of changes in the proportion of the national income
formed by wages, or by the remuneration of labour as a whole.
In a resolution appended to Convention No. 63 (see Appendix
I), the 24th Session of the International Labour Conference (1938)
referred to the desirability of compiling, if possible at annual
intervals, statistics showing the aggregate amount of wages paid
per annum in each of the principal industries in mining, manufacturing and building and construction.
A special study of the statistics of total wages and salaries was
published in the International Labour Review for September 1936.1
Annual figures on the subject have been given in the Year Book
of Labour Statistics since 1937.
TOTAL LABOUR INCOME

The Year Book of Labour Statistics, 1947-48, for the first time,
contains a table showing figures on total labour income from
1937 to 1947 in nineteen countries and its percentage of the total
1
" Statistics of Total Wages a n d Salaries ", International
Vol. X X X I V , N o . 3, Sept. 1936, p . 391.

Labour

Review,

8

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

national income. For the first time, also, a chapter on social
security statistics contains information on benefits paid out by
various social security schemes in each country in 1946 and 1947.

INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS OF REAL WAGES

In the First and Second International Conferences of Labour
Statisticians (1923, 1925) the problem of international comparisons was raised in connection with the work of the Office in
carrying further the international comparisons of real wages in
selected cities begun by the British Ministry of Labour. In particular, the Second Conference adopted a resolution embodying
certain suggestions for the work of the Office.1 The whole problem
was considered further by the first and second Conferences of Statisticians (1929, 1930) called by the Social Science Research Council.
The Fourth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (1931)
reviewed the whole subject and adopted a series of resolutions
addressed to the Office on various specific details of methods to
be followed in comparing, internationally, money wages and real
wages.
This outline of the development of the resolutions, however,
needs to be supplemented by a review of the development of the
statistics.
The enquiry of the British Ministry of Labour, which was taken
as the starting point, consisted in ascertaining the wages of adult
male workers in a series of about thirty occupations in a large
number of towns, together with the retail prices of a number of
articles of common consumption, in order to permit calculations
of the purchasing power of wages. In 1924 the Office undertook
its first enquiry of this type ; the results, published in October 19242,
attempted to express the relative purchasing power of average
wages or earnings for a standard (48-hour) week in the different
cities with reference to London as a base.
The elements in this method included the wage data, on the
one hand, and the cost-of-living data — a list of important food
items, with an adjustment for rents — on the other, in conjunction
1
For t h e discussions a t t h e Second Conference, see I.L.O. : The Second International Conference of Labour Statisticians, Studies and Reports, Series N, No. 8
(Geneva, 1925), pp. 21 a n d 37.
2
" Comparison of the Levels of Real Wages in Certain Capital Cities ", in
International Labour Review, Vol. X, No. 4, Oct. 1924, p . 630.

WORK OF THE I.L.O. ON STATISTICS OF WAGES

9

with a method of expressing the final results in terms of an index,
with London as a base.
It was soon found, however, that the wage data were not
homogeneous or strictly comparable in all respects ; some of
the data were for earnings, some were for wage rates ; in some
cases they referred to minimum, in others to predominant, rates ;
and moreover, the money wages themselves did not always fully
express the total remuneration of the workers — the amount of
which is affected by payments for holidays, family allowances,
allowances in kind, and the value of the social insurance contributions.
In carrying out the successive studies, a series of improvements
was introduced in the techniques and methods — as discussed in
the reports of these investigations.
Tables of these international indices of wage comparisons were
published during the period from 1924 to 19301 in conjunction
with data on wages, retail prices of important food items, and
percentage spent for rent as shown in family budget studies. These
indices were presented as merely rough indications of relative
wages, and their defects were of course apparent.
The first plan adopted to secure materials usable for purposes

of comparison involved obtaining wage data for a list of selected
occupations in specific industries at a given time in the chief cities
of the principal countries. This was commented upon in the
resolutions of the Second Conference (1925) ; the first Conference
of Statisticians called by the Social Science Research Council
proposed certain additions to the list. The Fourth Conference
(1931) also urged the extension of these materials.
For the rest, the Fourth Conference and the Convention concerning statistics of wages and hours of work urged the development of
the basic statistics of time rates of pay and actual earnings as
fundamental to international comparisons of real wages.
ELEMENTS OF REMUNERATION OTHER THAN WAGES

This question was touched upon in one of the resolutions of
the Fourth Conference relating to wage comparisons between
countries operating under different systems of social insurance,
1
See in particular, in addition to the article cited in the preceding footnote :
" Wage Rates a n d Retail Prices in Various Cities ", in International Labour
Review, Vol. X I , No. 1, J a n . 1925, p . 103 ; Vol. X I , No. 4, Apr. 1925, p . 561 ;
Vol. X I I , No. 1, July 1925, p . 96 ; and " Comparison of Real Wages in Various
Countries ", ibid., Vol. X X I , No. 4, Apr. 1930, p . 557.

10

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

family allowances, holidays with pay and other points, and
was referred by it to the Committee of Statistical Experts. The
Committee adopted a resolution on the subject at its first meeting
(Geneva, 12-15 December 1933).
Statistics dealing with the subject are meagre. The principal
materials available in the Office publications are a special report
dealing with wages, hours of work and other factors in the remuneration of workers in certain towns in October 19321, and the reports
dealing with wages of workers in coal mines in the series of studies
already referred to. 2

1
" Wages, Hours of Work and Other Factors i n t h e Remuneration of
Workers in Certain Towns in October 1932 I " (Money Wages, Hours of Work),
in International Labour Review, Vol. X X V I I , Ko. 6, J u n e 1933, p . 815 ; " I I "
(Family Allowances, Holidays with Pay, Employers' a n d Workers' Contributions
to Compulsory Social Insurance Schemes), ibid., Vol. X X V I I I , No. 1, July 1933,
p . 104 ; " I I I " (The Interpretation a n d Combination of the Data, Conversion of
the D a t a for the Purpose of Comparison between different Towns a n d Countries),
ibid., Vol. X X V I I I , No. 2, Aug. 1933, p . 265.
See also " Holidays with P a y for Private Employees ", ibid., Vol. X X I V ,
No. 6, Dec. 1931, p . 713, a n d references therein cited.
For special problems of non-monetary remuneration of agricultural workers,
see " Statistics of Wages of Agricultural Workers in Various Countries, 19271934 ", ibid., Vol. X X X , Nos. 5-6, Nov.-Dec. 1934, p p . 692 a n d 844. Also, for
example, " Allowances in Kind given to F a r m Labourers in t h e United States ",
ibid., Vol. X X , No. 4, Oct. 1929, p . 562.
2
See " Annual Holidays with P a y for Miners Employed in Coal Mines ", in
International Labour Review, Vol. X X I , No. 2, Feb. 1930, p . 219.

CHAPTER

II

STATISTICS OF ESTABLISHMENTS
Statistics of both total payrolls and average earnings will be
discussed in this and the two following chapters, estimates of
total wages and salaries being reviewed in Chapter V.
A word on terminology may be in order here. The expression
" total payrolls " is used throughout in this report to describe
the aggregate amount of wages or of wages and salaries paid
during a given period by all reporting establishments ; " estimates
of total wages and salaries " include payrolls of non-reporting
establishments and payrolls of establishments in branches of
economic activity not covered by the basic series ; " labour income ", besides total wages and salaries, covers such transfer
payments as unemployment compensation, sickness insurance
benefits, etc.
Sample
I n this section the criteria for inclusion of establishments
in the sample will be illustrated. The economic scope of the
series will be brieñy surveyed and the methods of obtaining the
list of establishments and the names of newly created establishments will be described. Finally, the degree of representativeness
of the samples will be analysed.
CRITERIA FOR INCLUSION

The criteria used for inclusion of establishments in the sample
are almost as numerous as the series themselves.
In Australia, all persons, firms and authorities (except Commonwealth departments, public hospitals, charitable and benevolent institutions) paying more than A.£1,040 per annum in wages, salaries,
commissions, directors' fees, etc., must lodge payroll tax returns.
In Canada, the requirement for inclusion in the monthly surveys is the
employment of a staff of fifteen persons or more in the industries covered
in the enquiry ; this Hmitation is dictated largely by reasons of economy
of time and money. In Chile, the sample includes all establishments
having a capital of more than 100,000 pesos or an annual value of produc-

12

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

tion of over 250,000 pesos ; this means that, with few exceptions, the
sample includes establishments where more than five workers are
employed. In Colombia, the establishments included in the annual
series are those with a value of production per year of 6,000 pesos or
more, or employing at least five wage earners ; the monthly sample is
based on the " most representative " establishments. Earning statistics
in Finland and Norway are based on returns of establishments belonging
to employers' associations. In France, all establishments in principle
are to report the total taxable earnings of every one of their workers
once a year to the Ministry of Finance. In the British Zone of Germany,
selection has been arranged to ensure an average representation of 10
per cent. The classification of the individual establishments as regards
size, geographical location, industrial distribution, is designed to cover
in every labour office area the industries typical of the area. In India,
the series is based on the Payment of Wages Acts ; for purposes of these
Acts a " factory " is defined as any premises, including the precincts
thereof, where twenty or more workers are working and in any part of
which a manufacturing process is carried on with the aid of power ;
" mines " means any excavation where any operation for the purpose
of searching for or obtaining minerals has been or is being carried on ;
in addition, railways and plantations are covered ; no limitation in
terms of number of workers employed, etc., is observed in these last two
cases. The definitions used are basically the same in Pakistan. In
Italy, all establishments are included if belonging to certain industrial
branches, and all establishments employing at least ten persons are
included if belonging to certain other industrial branches. In Japan,
the survey covers all plants with one hundred or more workers, and
10 per cent, of those employing between thirty and ninety-nine workers.
In most of the industries surveyed in the Netherlands, the establishments
employing less than ten persons are excluded ; in other branches where
the number of small establishments is important (building, bakeries,
motor repair shops, laundries, bookbinding, etc.) some establishments
employing less than ten persons are also included in the sample. For
Portugal, all establishments where two or more persons are employed
are included. In the United Kingdom the questionnaire, in 1938, was
sent to all firms employing more than ten workers and a small proportion selected at random of smaller firms ; the enquiry was on a voluntary basis and replies were received from between 60 and 70 per cent.
of the firms ; at subsequent dates the enquiries have been addressed
to those firms which gave information in 1938 and continue to do so.
Finally, in the United States, the criteria for selection of the establishments are those provided to the individual States by the Bureau
of Labor Statistics under co-operative agreements. These criteria
specify inclusion of every establishment of one hundred or more
employees and a minimum of 30 per cent, coverage in terms of employment in each industry to be measured. In actual practice it is frequently
necessary to go much lower than one hundred employees to secure better
representation in particular industries.
I n most countries the criteria of selection of establishments
are stated in terms of the number of workers employed, although
the figure below which the establishment is not to be included
varies very much from one country to another and sometimes
also from one industrial branch to another ; for a few countries

STATISTICS OF ESTABLISHMENTS

13

the criterion is stated in terms of a percentage ratio of representation (10 per cent, of the workers in each branch in the case of
the British Zone of Germany) ; in a third group of countries the
criteria are stated both in terms of minimum numbers of workers
employed and in terms of minimum percentage representation
(for instance, in the United States) ; only a few countries state
the criteria of inclusion in terms of monetary values ; in a few
others the criterion is membership of an employers' association.
The system whereby both the minimum number of workers and
the minimum percentage of representation are stated would seem
to yield the most clear cut and best results, but it would appear
advisable to leave the exact figures both of the number of workers
and of the minimum percentage to the judgment of the individual
countries, since both will depend very much on the average size
of the establishments in the national economy. I t is, of course,
obvious t h a t statistics based on the larger establishments only
(as is likely to be the case when the statistics are obtained under
an arrangement with employers' associations, for instance) will
show different trends and different absolute amounts of payrolls
and earnings from statistics based on a representative sample of
establishments. I t would therefore seem advisable to recommend,
as is actually the practice in Canada, in the British Zone of Germany,
and in other countries, t h a t the criterion used for inclusion in
the sample of establishments should be a rather low number of
employees, for instance, fifteen, or that, alternatively, if the
criterion used is a higher number of employees, for instance, one
hundred, a minimum percentage of inclusion in terms of employment (in the case of the United States, 30 per cent.) should be
specified. Finally, if the criterion used for inclusion is a rather
large number of employees only, it would seem essential to compare the results of such series with periodic enquiries having a
wider coverage used as benchmark data (industrial censuses,
censuses of production, etc.).

INDUSTRIAL SCOPE

For some of the countries surveyed, the industrial coverage
of the series on total payrolls and average earnings is as follows
(an asterisk indicates t h a t the group is represented by a few
branches only) :
Australia.
Complete, except for Commonwealth Departments,
public hospitals, and charitable and benevolent institutions.
2

14

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

Canada. Logging, mining, manufacturing, construction and maintenance, transportation, communications, trade, financial institutions,
personal services* (hotels, restaurants, laundries and dry-cleaning
establishments).
Chile. Manufacturing,* public utilities.*
Colombia. Monthly enquiry : Manufacturing.* Annual enquiry :
Manufacturing,* public utilities.*
Finland. Mining, manufacturing.*
France. Complete, except for agriculture, civil servants and domestic
service.
Germany (British Zone). Manufacturing, building.
India. Plantations, mining, manufacturing,* and railways.
Ireland. Manufacturing.*
Italy. Mining, manufacturing and public utilities.
Japan. Manufacturing.
Netherlands. Fishing, mining, manufacturing,* building, public
utilities, transportation* (permanent dock workers).
Norway. Mining, manufacturing, construction.
Pakistan. Manufacturing.*
Portugal. Fishing, mining, manufacturing.
Sweden. Mining, manufacturing, building, commerce, transportation,* public services.
Switzerland. Manufacturing, transportation, commerce, banking.
United Kingdom. Mining,* manufacturing, building, public utilities,
transportation. *
United States. Mining, manufacturing, construction, public utilities,
trade, finance, personal services* (hotels and laundries).
Several countries have plans to extend the scope of their
series in the near future. In Canada, for instance, it is planned
to cover certain highly specialised branches for which data have
not yet been collected ; in Finland, data will be collected for
some of the branches not covered at present (food industries, leather,
shoes and clothing industries, and printing and bookbinding
industry) ; certain industries of importance. to the British Zone
of Germany, like the food industries (only partly covered at
present) and the tobacco and spirit manufacturing industries,
are to be included. I n Ireland it is planned to extend the scope
of the survey conducted twice a year to cover the whole range
of industries covered by the yearly census ; it will therefore be
necessary to include branches like sugar, brewing, distilleries,
•bread and creameries in the manufacturing group and cover
building, government and local authorities works, transportation
and public utilities.
I t is of course difficult to arrive at an internationally standardised coverage of industries in this field. Each country includes
in its series the major groups and industrial branches of importance
for its economy. The first step is to recommend that data, for
manufacturing industry at least, should be based on a represen-

STATISTICS OP ESTABLISHMENTS

15

tative list of industrial branches and t h a t they should be computed and published in such a way that figures can be adjusted
to fit the major groups of the international standard classification
of industries. The second step would be to extend the coverage
to additional major branches of economic activity, also defined
in accordance with the international standard classification,
in such a way t h a t average earnings for these major branches
would be on a comparable basis.
REPORTING U N I T

The next question to be discussed is whether payrolls and
average earnings statistics based on a sample of establishments
use firms, establishments or departments of establishments as the
basic unit for their returns.
In general, the monthly statistics in Canada are collected on an
establishment basis. The Canadian definition of an estabUshment is
similar to that of the United Nations as set forth i n " International
Standard Industrial Classification of all Economic Activities ", i.e. :
" The concept usually referred to as the establishment is that of the
individual factory, workshop, mine, farm, store, or commercial office.
This may be, and in the majority of cases will be, identical with the
' enterprise ', but it will be much more easily assignable to one particular branch of economic activity. Such a unit will normally be able
to provide all the principal statistics required in censuses of manufacture,
distribution, etc., namely, numbers employed (including administrative
staff), wages and salaries, cost of materials, fuel and power, value of
production or sales, value of stocks of materials or value of stocks of
finished goods. A unit of this type may include activities which are
ancillary to the main business, such as a small power plant serving a
factory or mine, or a garage housing and maintaining the delivery lorries
of a retail store, but these ancillary activities will be regarded as part
of the main unit ".
In the case of the United States, data are collected on an establishment
rather than a firm or company basis. An establishment is defined as
the site or location at which an employer carries on his business activities.
An establishment may be a store, shop, plant, factory, mine, construction site, office, school, church, navy yard, mill, or private home. Such
an establishment has also to be distinguished from a department or
other operating division within a single operating unit. If a single
physical location comprises two or more places or operating units engaged
in, distinct or separate activities, each one is treated as a separate
establishment, for industrial classification procedure requires that such
units shall be assigned to different industries. When a company operates
several establishments in a community, all of which are engaged in the
same manufacturing activity or a similar line of trade or business, a
combined report is acceptable.
The practice of basing statistics of payrolls and average earnings
on returns from individual establishments, rather than from

16

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

firms or companies, is very generally accepted. When, within
an establishment, departments have their own separate bookkeeping, the practice is usually to request a return for each department. I n some countries where the returns are obtained
by means of an agreement with an employers' association, such
a practice may be difficult to apply. I n view of the importance
of assigning each establishment to its proper industry classification, however, it is to be recommended t h a t wherever possible
the establishment be used as the basis for the returns, and t h a t
in any case the same practice as t h a t applied to employment
statistics be used in the case of payroll and average earnings
statistics.
Another question is the problem of assigning a given establishment to its proper industrial branch in the case of establishments
producing a multiplicity of goods.
In Canada and Switzerland, establishments producing different
lines are asked to furnish monthly statistics for the several lines. If
the establishments are unable to make the required breakdown of thendata, the total figures are classified in the branch of industry which
employs most of the workers.
In Finland, establishments are not classified according to their
product, but on the basis of their membership or non-membership of a
certain employers' association. Each industrial branch has its own
association. The departments of an establishment, or establishments
of a firm producing different lines, can belong to different employers'
associations and the fact is then taken into account in the statistics,
but otherwise the several lines of production of certain establishments
are disregarded for classification purposes.
In the case of the Federation of Employers' Associations in Norway,
the classification is based on the agreements on wages and other conditions of work, so that when an establishment has several lines of production and a special agreement for each line, the establishment is divided
into several parts for purposes of classification.
In the United States, industrial classification of the establishments
is based upon the major product or line of activity during the past
calendar year. This is determined on the basis of gross value of the
product rather than on the number of workers.
I n the case of establishments having several lines of production, an effort is usually made to get returns on each line;
if this is not possible, the most important line will be used as a basis
for classification. But whereas the United States measures the
importance of each line mainly on the basis of the gross value
of the product during the past year, the majority of countries
measure t h a t importance in terms of numbers employed in each
line. Although these different methods of measuring the importance
of each line of production will lead to some discrepancies in the

STATISTICS OP ESTABLISHMENTS

17

results obtained for average earnings by industrial branch, the
discrepancies will probably not be such as to warrant special
recommendations on t h a t point.
L I S T OF ESTABLISHMENTS

One important question to be considered is how in the various
countries the list of establishments from which returns are required
are compiled and kept up to date.
In Canada, the list of establishments used in the monthly survey
has been built up over many years, the names of firms being obtained
from various sources, including the annual census of industry, directories,
hst of public utilities (railways, power companies, etc.), chambers of
commerce, trade publications, the press, etc. The suitability of the
establishment for inclusion in the survey is determined from a special
nature-of-business questionnaire which it is asked to complete before
its name is added to the mailing list.
In Chile, the hst of establishments is that of the Department of
Manufacturing Industries, completed by municipal rolls and the Hst
of the Society for Industrial Development.
In the countries where the returns are obtained by agreement with
employers' associations (Finland, Norway, etc.), the list of membership
of each association is used as the mailing hst for the schedules.
In the British Zone of Germany, the Hst of estabHshments was obtained
from the labour offices' indexes of firms ; no sampling methods or
special questionnaires were necessary ; no difficulties arose in this connection, as labour offices are acquainted with the firms in their areas.
The labour offices notify the chosen firm to the Eegional Statistical
Office, which controls the degree of representation on the basis of employment figures and makes improvements where necessary by instructing
the particular office to cover one or more additional estabHshments in
the branch in question.
In the Netherlands, the Hst of estabHshments was originaHy drawn
up on the basis of the last available census returns (1930) ; in the civil
engineering industry, the building trades, and some other branches,
Hsts of membership of employers' associations were used.
In Sweden, the questionnaires sent out are based on a Hst of addresses
kept by the Social Board. This Hst was originaHy compiled from a
Board of Trade register of undertakings. From time to time the Hst
is supplemented by the addition of addresses obtained from the Provincial Labour Committees, and in so doing estabHshments employing
less than ten persons are not usually included. The Hst of estabHshments was also originaHy based on the Hsts of membership of various
employers' associations and on the Hsts they keep of estabHshments
not belonging to them ; other sources canvassed have been the Hsts of
the labour inspectors, commercial directories, etc.
In the United States, the selection of the estabHshments used to be
made primarily on the basis of trade directories and telephone directories, and certain other incidental sources. However, since the beginning,
in 1945, of a co-operative programme of employment, hours and earnings
statistics, conducted largely through State unemployment compensation agencies, the principal source for sample selection has been the

18

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

lists of establishments paying taxes on payrolls under the unemployment
compensation laws.
Statistical agencies in the various countries draw upon a
variety of sources t o compile the basic lists of the establishments
from which returns on payrolls will be requested. The main
question to be raised in this connection is how such a list, once
compiled, is kept up to date.
In Canada, the monthly surveys' coverage of industry increases
from year to year as additional information is obtained regarding
business enterprises and as better co-operation is accorded by industrialists. The general increase in the number of co-operating establishments
approximates five per cent, per year ; this includes both newly created
and newly reporting establishments. The sample increases as industry
expands, as additional sources of information are discovered, and as
constantly improving co-operation is obtained from firms. The names
of newly formed establishments are obtained from press reports, lists
furnished by public utilities, trade associations, etc.
In the Netherlands, new firms considered important for the branch
have been added, their names being drawn from lists published by the
chambers of commerce, from the registers of membership of " industrial
groups " (compulsory industrial organisations), production censuses,
reports from regional employment exchanges, etc.
In the case of Norway, the series has hitherto been limited to members
of employers' associations, but plans have been set up to cover nonmembers also and, at the same time, to improve the methods of calculation. This plan, however, has not been put into effect as yet ; but an
extensive census of wages for some important industries covering almost
all firms, whether members or not of the Central Employers' Association,
Government and municipal plants, as well as co-operative establishments,
was carried through in 1948. The results of this census are expected
to give a new basis for the construction of a more satisfactory wage
series in Norway.
As has already been indicated, the list in Sweden is supplemented
by the addition of addresses obtained from the provincial labour committees ; no other arrangements are made for the inclusion of newly
created establishments.
In Switzerland, newly created firms are included in the survey from
the moment they get their licence from the authorities.
Until recently new establishments were not added to the list in the
United Kingdom ; steps are now being taken to extend the enquiries
in the case of industries in which the sample is below average.
Continuous efforts are being made in the United States to strengthen
the sample in those industries where it is noticeably weak. Establishments are being. added rapidly in those segments of transportation,
finance, and service where the sample in the past has been virtually
non-existent. Before the present arrangement with State unemployment
compensation agencies came into operation, it was very difficult to
secure a comprehensive list of names of newly formed establishments
as the names of such firms did not generally appear in directories until
the company had begun operations. During the last war the names of
many new war material firms became available from lists of Government contractors, and these firms were contacted for monthly reports.

19

STATISTICS OF ESTABLISHMENTS

Except in countries where the series is based on identical
establishments (Chile, Guatemala, etc.), all countries make an
effort to obtain the names and addresses of newly created establishments in order to keep the coverage of their series in each
industrial branch up to date. This can happen systematically
from well defined sources of information, as in Switzerland (licences
obtained by persons intending to open a new business) or in a
more haphazard way, from trade directories, commercial publications, etc. Whatever the method, the inclusion of newly created
establishments is to be recommended in order to avoid a bias
in the results and a progressive decrease of coverage in the series.
REPRESENTATIVENESS AND SIZE

The last consideration in this section is a review of the available
information on the degree of representativeness of the sample of
establishments in the various countries. This can be done from
various points of view : industrial distribution, size distribution,
sex distribution, age distribution, regional distribution, etc., but
the present review will be limited, in the main, to the degree of
representativeness expressed as a percentage of employment in
the major industrial groups.
In Australia, the coverage is between 65 and 100 per cent, of totals
employed, in most groups. The coverage has been expanding continuously since mid-1947 owing to the rise in the level of money earnings
compared with the fixed level of exemption ; since mid-1947 a further
influence has appeared, namely, thorough checks by the Taxation
Department to discover evasion. In August 1948, the 57,000 returns
tabulated monthly covered 86 per cent, of males and 79 per cent, of
females in private employment (excluding rural industry and females in
private domestic service) ; Government employees are covered completely
by direct collections.
In Canada, for all manufacturing establishments, the number of
employees per establishment in 1946 averaged 34 according to the records
of the annual census of manufactures ; in the monthly surveys the average per establishment in the same year was 112. The following table
shows the percentages of employees covered by the monthly surveys
in the various industrial branches at 1 September 1948 :
Industries

Logging
Mining
Manufacturing

Estimated
percentages '

62.1
92.9
88.6

1
The percentages in mining and manufacturing are based on the Annual
Census of Industry, 1946 totals of employees as 100. I n the remaining industries,
t h e percentages are based on t h e Decennial Census totals of employees a t work a t
1 J u n e 1941, as 100.

20

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

Industries

Estimated
percentages

Construction
Transport and communications
Trade
Wholesale
Retail
Finance
Hotels, restaurants, laundries and drycleaning plants

84.0
89.8
56.1
59.3
54.4
76.2
50.7

For man-hours and hourly earnings of production workers in manufacturing, the corresponding percentage is approximately 81 per cent.
The percentage for the whole of Canada at the same date is 82.2 per
cent., ranging from 42.7 per cent, for Prince Edward Island to 87.3
per cent, for Ontario.
In Finland the sample includes approximately 35 per cent, of the
workers employed in mining and manufacturing industry.
At the present time approximately 4,800 undertakings employing
368,329 workers in June 1948 are covered in the British Zone of Germany.
Selection has been arranged so as to ensure an average representation
of 10 per cent.
Approximately 1,000 concerns are included in Ireland and in March
1948 the number of wage earners indicated was 75,000, i.e., approximately
80 per cent, of employment in manufacturing industry.
In Italy, the series covers approximately 17,000 establishments
employing some 1,700,000 workers. For some industrial branches the
coverage is complete ; for the others, it is extremely difficult to state
how representative the sample actually is, since the latest industrial
census covers the years 1939-1940 and the war has brought profound
changes since then.
At present about 1,170,000 workers are covered in Japan out of a
current total in manufacturing employment of approximately 5,780,000
workers. Of the covered workers, approximately 845,000 are males
and 326,000 are females ; the figures for total manufacturing are currently
about 4,120,000 males and 1,660,000 females.
In the Netherlands, the average size of the establishment in the sample
is larger than in the universe ; the sample is said to compare reasonably
well with the universe in geographical location and in industrial
distribution. Percentages of complete coverage of workers in each
branch are not available ; some of the industries are covered almost
completely (coal mines, brick-making, boot and shoe making, papermaking, several branches of the metal and textile industries, gas and
electricity works, beet sugar mills, etc.) ; in none of the other branches
covered does the percentage of workers included in the sample fall below
50 per cent. ; the average percentage for manufacturing as a whole is
approximately 65 per cent.
In Sweden, in January 1948, the returns comprised 611,108 wage
earners ; of these 485,240 were included in manufacturing and mining
and 61,695 were employed in building and construction (including
railway and other construction works undertaken by the State, and
municipal building and public works). As regards the representative
character of these returns, it may be pointed out that in 1946 the total
number of workers in the industrial undertakings covered by the industrial statistics of the Board of Trade (which do not include building and
public works) was 664,109. The percentages covered in each size of

21

STATISTICS OF ESTABLISHMENTS

establishment group in 1947 is given in the following table, the data
being based on the Board of Trade industrial statistics for 1945 :
Number of employees

Establishments
Wage earners

Total

1-10

11-50

51-200

201-500

Over 500

13.4
20.0

58.8
63.6

83.7
85.0

98.6
97.9

82.8
87.6

34.0
77.5

With regard to the quarterly series on payrolls and total hours
worked of wage earners, these statistics covered 553,709 wage earners,
including 445,587 wage earners in mining and manufacturing, at the
reporting date of May 1948.
Over 50,000 establishments and nearly 6,000,000 wage earners are
covered in the survey conducted in the United Kingdom. The industrial
distribution of the sample firms varies to some extent, and some industries, e.g., building, are represented less fully than others.
The sample in the United States has an establishment average size
considerably higher than that of the universe ; it is fairly well distributed
geographically ; it is disproportionately distributed by industry, as
indicated in the table below, but in the average earnings data for all
workers this is corrected by proper industry weighting.
Industries

Percentages

Mining
Manufacturing
Construction
Public utilities
Trade :
Wholesale
Retail
Service :
Hotels
Power laundries, cleaning and dyeing
Total

49
58
25
69
15
17
24
19
52

The percentages covered b y the sample in the different countries and the variations in these percentages b y industrial branches
are summarised in the list below :
Australia
British Honduras
Canada
France
Finland
Germany
Ireland
Japan
Netherlands
Sweden
United States

65- 84-100
100
51-82-93
100
35
10
80
20
50- 65-100
70
15-52-69

22

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

The degree of representativeness of the sample by industrial
branch, b y sex and by size of establishment has an influence
on the absolute amounts and trends of payrolls and average
earnings, the importance of which need not be underlined here.
I t is to be strongly recommended t h a t in the cases where figures
on earnings are biased by lack of representativeness of samples
from the point of view of industrial distribution, the bias should
be lessened b y proper weighting wherever possible. I t would
appear also essential t h a t sample enquiries into payrolls and
earnings should be supplemented wherever possible from other
sources (social insurance statistics, etc.) and be adjusted as often
as possible to benchmark data with a wider coverage. This procedure, highly to be recommended in the case of index numbers
of total payrolls and earnings, becomes essential in all cases where
payrolls and average earnings are published in absolute amounts.
I n any case, the publication of breakdowns of the sample of establishments, comparing the sample with the universe from the
point of view of industrial distribution, size, distribution b y sex,
etc., is highly to be recommended, so t h a t a fair appraisal of the
value of each of the series published in the various countries
may be made.
Coverage
The first point to be discussed under the heading of coverage
is, in what countries do the forms sent in periodically by establishments call for information on each individual worker and for what
countries do they call only for total payrolls of various categories of
workers. The second main question to be discussed in this connection is, how the various countries define the categories of
workers for which payroll figures are asked; whether only wage
earners are covered, or wage earners and salaried employees ;
whether working foremen, sales personnel, etc., are included; and
whether higher technical personnel, directors and working proprietors are also covered. The third point is, how the various
countries define payroll figures ; what payments are included,
what others are not ; whether cost-of-living bonuses, family
allowances, payments for piece work, allowances for travel, night
work, shift work, etc., are included.

STATISTICS OF ESTABLISHMENTS

23

INFORMATION R E Q U I R E D B Y FORMS

With regard to the first series of points, the following information is submitted :
In Australia, the schedules to be turned in monthly under the
Pay-roll Tax Assessment Act call for the number of employees (separately
by sex) on the last day of the last pay period of the current month
and for the total wages paid or payable in respect of pay periods ending
during the month ; the returns relate generally to periods of four or
five weeks.
The schedule used in Canada asks for a statement of the amounts
currently disbursed in wages by each establishment ; it does not ask
for data by age, by degree of skill, by industrial status, nor by occupation. The time period covered is the last pay period in the month
for all employees, grouped according to the duration of their regular
pay periods ; provision is made for the separate entry of data for persons
paid weekly, fortnightly, twice a month and monthly, but not for
the entry of figures for the quarter or for the year. The data asked
for is the same for all branches of industry included in the monthly
survey. Loss in earnings due to the occurrence of an unpaid holiday
in the last week of the month is accepted as a fact, the reduced figures
of payrolls being tabulated. If the reported pay period exceeds a
week and a holiday is celebrated in that part of the pay period which
does not come within the normal period of observation, an adjustment
is made by applying a reduction factor making allowance for the holiday.
In Finland, the schedules used by the different employers' associations are different ; nevertheless, for official purposes data are called
for separately for adult males and adult females (above eighteen years
of age) ; the schedule calls each quarter for the number of wage earners,
the total number of hours worked and for total payrolls ; in most cases
payrolls cover a two-week period, but in some cases they cover the
second month of each quarter or the whole quarter.
In France, the schedule calls, separately for each individual worker,
for data on his name, sex, occupation, earnings during the year, taxes
deducted at the source, estimate of payments in kind, reimbursements
of travelling or other professional expenses, length of time worked
during the year, etc.
In the British Zone of Germany, separate figures are asked for at
each survey by sex and degree of skill (occupational groups), and at
every other survey, namely, in spring and autumn, supplementary
figures are asked by age (adults and juveniles) for individual skilled
occupations and for time and piece rates. The schedule asks for total
payrolls of a group of workers. The time period covered is one month
for all branches of industry. As, however, wages are paid weekly,
the following procedure is followed : on a calendar printed on the questionnaire the employer notes the days worked by the establishment
during the reporting period ; the weekly wage is worked out from

24

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

these particulars, whereby public holidays during the reporting period
are taken into account.
In India, returns from factories and railways show the average
daily number of persons employed and the total wages paid during
the year ; separate figures by age and sex are not obtained. In mining,
separate figures are obtained by sex as well as for certain major occupational groups ; total wages are for work done during December of
each year ; number of man-days worked during December are shown
as well. For plantations, data are collected for March and September
of each year ; they cover labourers only ; separately for men, for women,
and for children, the total number on the books, the average daily
number and the total monthly cash wages are ascertained ; no information is called for on rations, subsistence allowances and other
payments in kind.
In Ireland, particulars are obtained in respect of wage earners
(including home workers). The information asked for is as follows :
(a) total earnings of wage earners during the six months ended March
or September ; (b) number of wage earners (including juveniles), total
earnings and total number of man-hours worked in the pay week ending
nearest to 1 March or 1 September.
In Italy, the form calls, separately for each pay period ending during
the given month, for the number of workers employed at the end of
each pay period (separately by sex), the total number of man-days
worked during each period and the total number of man-hours worked
during each period.
In the Netherlands, separate information is asked for in regard to
each worker, namely, sex, age, occupation, degree of skill1, earnings,
number of hours worked and family allowances.
In Norway, the schedule sent out by the Norwegian Employers'
Association asks for payrolls and man-hours worked of groups of wage
earners of either sex, young workers (men under nineteen and women
under eighteen years of age) and workers over sixty years of age.
In Sweden, the enquiry into wages and salaries in commerce which
was initiated in 1948 and will be carried out in September of each year
is exceptional, in that information is requested on each individual
worker (sex, age, occupation, rate of pay, etc.). The other statistics
are based on summary information regarding groups of employees.
For the annual statistics of wages, separate data are requested in respect
of (male and female) working foremen, adult workers and juveniles
respectively. For the quarterly payroll statistics, a single pay period
is used ; that pay period is indicated on the return by its first and last
dates. No special adjustment is made if a holiday falls in the report
period, but periods including holidays are avoided wherever possible.
1
There are three groups : skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled. I n order to
obtain a classification of the occupations in these groups according to uniform
standards, stencilled lists of the occupations in each industrial branch and their
classification by degree of skill are added to the forms despatched. The skill
which t h e worker has attained personally is n o t considered, e.g., a worker
sixteen years old and just in training as a carpenter has t o be mentioned in t h e
form as skilled.

STATISTICS OF ESTABLISHMENTS

25

The schedule utilised in the October enquiry in Switzerland refers
to one pay period during the month, the particular period being left
to the choice of the employer. For each category of workers, total
wages paid and total number of hours worked are to be entered. Holidays are relatively rare in October ; if the pay period referred to contains
a holiday no adjustment is made.
In the United Kingdom, separate figures are asked for by age and
sex, but not by degree of skill, industrial status or occupation. The
schedule asks for the total numbers employed and the total wages
paid in one week. If the selected week is affected by holidays, firms
are asked to substitute the nearest normal week.
In the United States, no earnings data are reported by sex, age,
skill or occupation, and the schedule asks for total payrolls and not for
individual earnings. The period covered is one payroll period ending
nearest the 15th of each calendar month, and in most cases the period
reported is one week ; if the report covers a period other than one
week, or includes hohdays, or varies from a full work week for other
reasons, adjustments are made to put such reports on a one-week basis ;
this is done by means of a question on the schedule which secures
information on the number of days the majority of employees worked
both in the desired week and in the period actually reported.
I t will therefore be seen t h a t in a few countries earnings are
asked for for each individual worker ; to the examples given in
the case of the Netherlands and Sweden (in commerce), other
examples could be added, such as Bulgaria, Denmark and Mexico.
But in most countries the summary surveys conducted each
month, each quarter or twice a year call for the total wages paid
to certain groups of workers. The summary method requesting
data on payrolls, number of workers, man-days and man-hours
worked of certain categories of workers has decided advantages
in economy and speed in the publication of the results over the
method asking for information on each individual worker ; such
detailed enquiries could be reserved for more thorough surveys
to be carried out at suitable intervals in order to get complete
information on wages, salaries and other conditions of work.
The Conference will no doubt wish to make a recommendation
on t h a t point and a draft resolution is included for that purpose
a t the end of the report.

D E F I N I T I O N OF EMPLOYEES

The way in which the different countries define the categories
of workers t o be reported on the schedules is summarised in t h e
following table :

26

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

United States

Coverage

British
CaAustraHonnada
lia
duras

Wage earners . X
Foremen . . . X
W o r k e r s o n sick
leave . . . .
Workers on paid
vacations . .
H o m e workers . X
W o r k e r s o n mili t a r y service .
Strikers . . . . •

X

X

FinGer- GuateIreIndia1
France
many mala
land
land

X

X

.

.

"x4

Italy

NeSwit- United Mining
Swether- Norway
zer- King- and Other
2
den
lands
land dom manu- branfactur- ches
ing

X3
X

X

.

X
X

.

.

.

X

X

X
X

X

X

X

X
X

•

•

•

X

•
.

X

X

X

X

X
X

.

X
X

X

X

.

X

•
.

.

X

X
X

X
X

X

X

X

X

•
.

X

.

•

Salaried employX

Pensioners . . . .
P e r s o n s working
for commissions X
Technical a n d
professional
personnel . .
Senior supervisors
. . . .
Executives, man a g e r s , directors
. . . .
P r o p r i e t o r s , firm
members . .

X

.

.

•

•
.

X4

•

•
.

•

•
.

X6

.

.

X

•

X

X

X4

•

.

X

X

X4

•

X

X

•

•

.

X4

,

,

•

•

Note : A X indicates that the item is included, a dot that it is excluded. A blank indicates that no
information is available on this point.
1
Factories and railroads. s Annual series for wage earners ; a separate series for salaried employees is
carried out in September oí each year. 3 Full-time workers only. " All employees earning less than 3 s . 200 per
month. * Separate schedule.

I t appears t h a t in the majority of countries information is
requested on wage earners only, in the cases where the series
is restricted to manufacturing industry or to mining, manufacturing
and transport ; when the economic coverage of the series is broader,
both wage earners and salaried employees are usually included
in the returns. I n cases where the economic scope is a very broad
one, either wage earners or production workers are covered in
mining and manufacturing and both wage earners and salaried
employees are covered in the other branches (United States) or
both wage earners and salaried employees are included in the
returns for all branches of economic activity (Canada). As long
as, in the branches where information is asked both for wage
earners and for salaried employees, results are published separately,
no recommendation would seem necessary. I t is, of course, obvious

STATISTICS OF ESTABLISHMENTS

27

that, other things being equal, a series covering salaried employees
in addition to wage earners is to be preferred.
Workers on full time as well as workers on part time are
included in all countries (except the British Zone of Germany) ;
this minimises the work involved for the establishment when
making the returns and is in line with a previous recommendation
urging that summary surveys should request information on
total payrolls, etc., for certain categories of workers and not for
each individual worker. All countries include piece workers as
well as hourly-paid workers. If departments such as maintenance, shipping, power-house, etc., are found in an establishment, the workers employed in them are included in the returns
in all countries.
To achieve maximum international comparability, wage
earners up t o and including the working foreman level should
be covered. Wherever possible, data on salaried employees should
be published as well. As an example of complete and detailed
definitions, the ones used in the United States are reproduced
below :
Production and related workers include working foremen and all
non-supervisory workers (including lead-men and trainees) engaged
in fabricating, processing, assembling, inspection, receiving, storage,
handling, packing, warehousing, shipping, maintenance, repair, janitorial and watchman services, products development, auxiliary production for plants in use, e.g., power plant and record keeping and
other services closely associated with the above production operations.
Excluded are supervisory employees (above the working foreman
level), the clerical staffs and other groups of employees engaged in
the following activities : executive, purchasing, finance, accounting,
legal, personnel, professional, and technical activities, etc.
Employees (not above the working supervisory level) such as sales
persons, shipping and receiving clerks, stock clerks, labourers, caretakers, general office clerks, office machine operators, drivers, installation and repair men, demonstrators, alteration hands, elevator operators,
porters, janitors and watchmen and other employees whose services
are closely associated with those of employees listed above. Not included are proprietors, firms members, officers of corporations and other
principal personnel such as buyers, departmental heads, superintendents
and chain store managers, whose work is above the working supervisory
level.
Workers on paid vacations should be included, since vacation
pay is part of regular payrolls in most countries. With regard
to workers on sick leave, sick leave pay is paid by employers
in certain countries, whereas it is paid by a social security scheme
in others. Workers performing military service, strikers and
pensioners should be included only to the extent t h a t they were

28

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

part-time workers during the survey period and received pay
for their services. Home workers should be excluded.

DEFINITION OF PAYROLLS

The third question to be reviewed in this section is how the
various countries define the figures of payrolls to be furnished
by the establishments. The available information is summarised
in the following table :

Coverage

Cost-of-living b o nus
. . . .
Attendance bo-

British
CatastraHonnada
lia
duras

Swit- United
NeUnited
Swezer- KingItaly Japan ther- Norway
States
den 1
land dom
lands

'

V

X
X

A n n u a l , Christmas, etc. . .
Other
. . . .•

1

X
1

X

X

Vacation p a y .
Holiday pay. . X
Reimbursements
for o u t l a y . .
Dismissal p a y .
Commissions
X
D e d u c t i o n s , fines

X2

X

X

.

J

F a m i l y allowances . . . . X
Payments
in k i n d . . .

FinGer- GuatoIreFrance
India»
land
many mala
land

X

X

.

X

X
X

.

•

•

X

•

X

•

•

•

X
X

X
X

.
X

•

X

X

•

IX

•

•

X

X4

X

•

X

.
•

X
X

•
•

X

.

•

•

X
X

V

X

X

•

X
X

-

X

X

•
•
•

X

•

1

Jx

\x

'

'

•X'

•

X

x

•

X

.6

•

•

X
X

.
•

•

X
X

X

•

•
X

Noie : A X indicates that the item is included, a dot that it is excluded ; a blank indicates that no
information
is available on this point.
1
Annual or others. ' Except rent. * Factories and railroads only ; all cash payments are included, except
as indicated. * Reported separately. • Annual enquiry. « Except for hotels. ' If paid regularly.

In all countries (except the British Zone of Germany) payments
made to employees having worked at any time during the survey
period are included in the returns. All countries include payments
made to piece rate workers, in addition to those made to hourlypaid workers. Overtime pay is included in all countries.
With regard to bonuses, cost-of-living bonuses are included
in the returns in all countries for which information is available.

STATISTICS OF ESTABLISHMENTS

29

Other bonuses are also included, provided they are paid regularly
and at not too long intervals (from two months in J a p a n down
to every pay period in the United States). Annual bonuses,
Christmas bonuses, thirteen months' pay, etc., are usually excluded, as also are gifts and gratuities paid at irregular intervals
or paid for work not done during the pay period covered b y the
survey (dismissal pay, etc.).
I n certain countries (Scandinavia, Netherlands, etc.), wage
surveys are made for the purpose of checking up on the application
of collective agreements, etc., by employers' associations or the
State, and it seems unlikely t h a t any payments not in conformity
with such agreements or regulations would be reported.
The majority of countries include vacation and holiday pay
(in Italy, such pay is excluded from the computation, but information on this point is collected b y means of the same schedule) ;
only Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom exclude one
or both of these payments.
Payments in kind are included in some and excluded in other
countries. When they are included, the criteria used to estimate
the value of such payments are different. I n Australia, meals,
etc., are deemed to have a value of 15s. per week and quarters
are deemed to have a value of 5s. per week ; in Finland, such
value is estimated by employers on the basis of regulations published b y the Ministry of Social Affairs ; in Italy the local market
prices are used as a basis of valuation b y employers ; in Norway,
the practice of the taxation authorities is used by employers ;
for the other countries, no details on this point are available.
Since a good many countries exclude such payments after having
found it impossible to arrive at satisfactory estimates of their
value (France, Germany), it would seem advisable to recommend
that payments in kind should be shown separately in all countries
where such payments are included in the returns.
Family allowances are another item where treatment in the
various countries is different ; the reason is t h a t whereas in some
countries such payments are made by employers, in others they
are made by social security institutions, and in others still directly
by the State. Given this diversity of systems, it would appear
advisable, as has been done in the case of payments in kind, to
recommend t h a t in the countries where family allowances are
included in payrolls figures, they should be shown separately.
A feature of the Australian statistics is t h a t directors' fees
are included in the returns, as also are wages paid by employers
3

30

WAGES AND PAYEOLL STATISTICS

to their private domestic servants. I n the Netherlands, for certain
branches (building for instance), payments for travel hours are
included in total payroll figures and the number of hours spent
travelling by workers is included in the figure of man-hours.
Sweden includes in its annual enquiry sick pay and accident
compensation benefits paid by employers.
OTHER INFORMATION R E Q U E S T E D

One last point may be mentioned briefly in this section, i.e.,
to review what other questions are included in the schedule,
besides those relating to payroll figures and to number of workers
employed.
In Canada, the monthly questionnaire also asks for a statement
of the number of women employees, the number of wage earners for
whom the employer can furnish statistics of hours worked, the number
of hours actually worked by such wage earners in the last pay period
in the month, and the amounts which they receive in wages. Provision
is also made for the entry of data on man-days in the case of casual
workers. Where paid vacations or holidays fall within the reported
pay period, firms are asked to include the number of vacation or holiday hours paid for with the number of hours actually worked. The
hours reported are derived from payroll data for the individual wage
earners ; they are not computed on the basis of the number of hours or
days an establishment or a given department of an establishment has
been in operation.
In Finland, the figure of total hours worked is based on the hours
worked by each individual, hours spent on paid vacations or holidays
being based on the number of normal hours worked.
In the British Zone of Germany, the number of man-hours lost
as a result of vacation, sickness, or other reasons are separately computed in March and September of each year. The total number of
man-hours worked are computed by employers on the basis of the
payroll data for each individual worker.
In Norway, since payroll figures do not include vacation or holiday
pay, man-hours spent on paid vacation or holidays are not included.
The same is true for Sweden, where in the quarterly statistics periods
spent on vacation, on the sick fist, etc., are excluded.
In the United States, the schedule requests the number of workers
and the number of man-hours worked in addition to the amount of
payrolls. The man-hour figures reported include the employer's own
account of hours paid for but not worked, such as vacation hours.
The figure on man-hours worked is usually derived by the reporting
establishment from payroll records of the individual employees, and
is not a computed figure obtained by multiplying the hours of activity
of the establishment by the number of workers employed. Overtime
hours, even though paid for at premium rates, are not to be adjusted
to include " hours paid for and not worked " ; only the actual hours
worked are to be reported. Similarly, hours worked on Sundays or
holidays, even though higher rates may be paid on these days, are
considered straight time hours in computing the total of hours actually

STATISTICS OF ESTABLISHMENTS

31

worked. If employees are absent during the pay period reported,
but are on paid vacation or paid sick leave, the establishment is requested to estimate the number of such hours of absence and include
this estimate in the total number of hours actually worked. If an
employee elects to work during his vacation period and to receive
pay in lieu of vacation, the establishment is requested not to include
the paid vacation hours in such instances in the hours worked total
but to include only the hours the employee actually worked during
the period.
I n all countries for which information is available the figures
of the total number of hours actually worked are derived from
payroll records of individual employees and are not an estimate
based on the number of hours a certain plant or department of
an establishment has been in operation. The inclusion in or
exclusion from the total number of hours worked of hours spent
on vacation or holidays depends on whether payments for such
vacation or holidays are included in the payroll figures or not ;
estimates of hours spent on vacation or holidays are either left
to the individual employer (United States) or left to the employer
in accordance with certain definite rules (Finland).
Procedure
In this section the procedure used in the various countries
to prepare, send out, check and complete returns will be discussed ;
the various methods of indexing and classifying establishments and
their returns will be reviewed, and the procedure followed in treating
defaulting returns will be examined. Another point will be to
find out whether the same schedule is used for several enquiries
or whether a new schedule is used for each enquiry and, in the
latter case, whether the answer to the preceding enquiry is entered
on the schedule by the statistical agency or whether the preceding
answer, although not entered on the new schedule, is used later
on by the statistical agency to check the new information furnished
by the establishment. The legal or other means used by the
statistical agency to ensure the compliance of the establishments
included in the sample will also be briefly mentioned.
In Australia, the schedules are filled out each month by the employers and sent, together with their remittance, to the taxation
authorities. One copy stays with the branch of the Taxation Department in each State, one is sent to the Commonwealth Statistician, and
the third is returned to the employer as receipt, together with a new
blank form. Returns are identified by permanent registration certificate numbers ; the information shown is transferred on to punch
cards which, prior to this stage, had been mechanically placed in numerical (registration) order.

32

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

At the date of closing down for tabulation, some 10 to 15 per cent.
of current returns are generally outstanding ; in such cases, figures
punched for the previous month are reproduced automatically for the
current month ; outstanding returns represent less than 5 per cent, of
the total number of employees covered by payroll tax returns.
Routine checks of the consistency of figures shown on current
returns are made (a) by punchers who view the interpreting
machine's figures on the top edge of the card (the last month's figures
on a filled card are always automaticahy reproduced on the fresh card,
which then takes three more months' figures, which, together with
registration numbers and industry code, are automatically printed
along the top edge of the fresh card by an interpreting machine) ;
(b) by " needling " of punched cards prior to tabulation ; (c) by
examination of tabulated results for individual industries (in the case
of employment data). All large and irregular variations from previous
months' figures are queried and checked against the cards while they
remain in industry order. If necessary, queries are sent to liaison
officers located in each State.
In Canada, monthly card questionnaires, addressographed with the
name, address and serial numbers of the individual firms or branches,
are regularly sent in window envelopes to establishments ; the serial
numbers indicate the province, the general area, the city, the industrial
group and subgroup to which the establishments belong, as well as
the individual numbers assigned to them. The completed returns
are filed according to provinces by industry and in numerical order
of the serial numbers. When the products manufactured by the
establishments change, the firms are recoded in the new classification ;
in such cases the basic figures of the establishments concerned are
continued in the former code while the present figures are assigned to
the new code with " nil " basic figures, thus showing the decline in
activity in the original line of business and the increase in the new
line.
Firms whose returns are late are immediately followed up by
circular, personal letter, telegram and telephone, in that order. When
these steps do not produce results, personal calls by Bureau representatives usually prove effective.
The reports for defaulting firms are given different treatment, in
accordance with fixed rules. When the firm first falls into arrears,
its preceding month's return is usually continued for the succeeding
month ; if the defaulting establishment belongs in a highly seasonal
industry, the report for the preceding month will in periods of seasonal decline be reduced in accordance with the trends displayed
in past years by the same firm and those revealed in the current returns
from establishments in the same industry and area. If efforts to obtain
data from employers do not succeed, their figures will be dropped
from the tabulation. In general, however, excellent co-operation is
obtained from industrialists who are compelled under the Statistics
Act to provide information required by the Dominion Bureau of
Statistics.
New questionnaires are sent out monthly and used once only ; the
establishments' previous answers are not entered on the form before
despatch.
Communications to the Dominion Government are post free in
Canada ; stamped and addressed envelopes are provided for the return
of the monthly postcard questionnaires.
The data are checked by inspection for completeness and by inspec-

STATISTICS OE ESTABLISHMENTS

33

tion and reference to preceding reports for reliability and consistency ;
consistency and reliability are further checked by the calculation of
monthly averages of weekly salaries and wages, weekly hours of work
and hourly earnings for each establishment furnishing the data ;
where the current figures appear out of line without adequate explanation, confirmation or correction is requested from the firm. In such
cases a copy of the report in question with copies of preceding data
are sent to the employer to illustrate the discrepancies which he is
requested to explain.
In the case of Finland, each employers' association prepares, sends
out, and checks the questionnaires. Employers' organisations are also
concerned with the bringing in of late answers. Questionnaires are
used once only and the establishments pay for the return postage ;
they are legally compelled to furnish the employers' organisations
with the information requested.
In France, the returns are transmitted to the Statistical Institute,
after verification by the Finance Department. The Institute has a
register where every establishment has been given a twelve digit code
number, the first three for the industry, the next two for the region
(" department "), three for the municipality and one for the legal
form of the enterprise ; the three last digits are the identification
numbers of the establishment. After computation, the returns are
sent back to the taxation authorities.
In the British Zone of Germany, the questionnaires are sent out to
selected establishments via labour offices, and are assembled, subjected to preliminary check and forwarded to the Regional Statistical
Office for completion. There they are coded and filed by machine as
far as possible. After completion, the returns, classified according to
branches of industry, are preserved by the Lander.
A new form of the same type is used for each survey and is used
once only ; prepaid envelopes are not furnished to the reporting
establishments. Answers are checked for completeness and consistency by the labour offices acquainted with the firms and then by
the Regional Statistical Office prior to approval. Under Ordinance
No. 71, employers are legally bound to give complete and correct
particulars.
In Ireland, code numbers are used for the different establishments
in industries and returns are filed according to industry. Separate
forms are issued for each half-yearly enquiry and include the answers
furnished at the previous enquiry. Prepaid envelopes are used.
The answers are checked by comparison with the previous returns,
taking into account the relation between numbers employed and
earnings, changes in rates of wages during the period, the number of
workpeople affected by such changes and the total amount of any
increase or decrease for a full working week. A further check is provided by a new heading included in the form for the first time in connection with the enquiry for March 1948 ; this heading asks for the total
number of man-hours worked per week. Data which appear incorrect
are queried by correspondence (in such cases a copy of the return is
enclosed) and by telephone.
Compliance of employers is voluntary and information is usually
supplied directly by establishments, although in some cases the returns
are completed by public auditors.
In the Netherlands, a register card is made up for each establishment
showing municipality number, identifying number, name and address,
code number of the industry, and for each enquiry separately, the

34

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

number of workers by sex and the number of male workers by age
(adults and juveniles).1 The back of the card is designed to indicate for
each enquiry the dates on which the forms were despatched and
returned. Space is available for a period of about ten years. These
cards are inserted in boxes by municipality, each municipality by
industrial branch, and each branch by establishment identifying
number. Eorms to be sent out and returns are checked with this register.
If an establishment reports a change in site or product manufactured a transfer of the card to another municipality or industry is
made. A new identifying number is given in case of change of location
only. If an establishment comprises several locations in different
municipaUties or in different industries, a " total" address card is made
for the head office referring to the separate location cards, these in
turn referring to the " total " card. As a rule the forms for all locations
are sent to the head office of each firm.
As the operations of civil engineering and building firms are not
confined to the site of the head office, these firms are requested to send
in forms for each municipality separately where work is in progress ;
if necessary, forms will be sent in for each separate project. In this
way information is obtained on workers' wages at the site of the construction or building project.
The method of obtaining defaulting reports consists of reminders
by letter or telephone and, if necessary, by visits.
Schedules are used once only and prepaid envelopes are supplied.
In case the return needs checking, this is done by comparing it with
the preceding returns. If the return is incomplete, inconsistent or seems
unreliable, a copy of the return or a part of it is sent back to the reporting firm. A number of establishments have authorised the Central
Bureau of Statistics to send a copy of their returns to their respective
employers' association ; these firms are requested to fill in their return
in duplicate.
Compliance of establishments is voluntary. As a rule the information is sent in by post by the employers. In case of serious difficulties,
an agent of the statistical office gathers the information on the spot.
As a rule no checking by comparison with the actual payrolls of the
firm is done.
In Norway, the series is prepared on the basis of an agreement
between the Central Statistical Office and the various employers' associations. In the case of the Norwegian Employers' Association, schedules are sent out every quarter ; code numbers are used combining
establishment number with industrial branch and region ; returns are
filed by industry. The same returns are used four times a year and the
previous answer is used for comparison. Errors are investigated by
returning the answers to the firm. The establishments pay the postage.
The compliance of employers who are members of the Association is
compulsory, but membership is voluntary.
In the case of the National Association of Metal Manufacturers, the
statistics are divided into 24 industrial classes with subdivisions
bringing the total number of subgroups to 80 ; the grouping is done by
degree of skill, by occupation, by age and by sex. The schedule asks
for the earnings of each worker and the form asks for the payroll
1
A central system of registering reporting establishments, sending out forms
and checking returns for common use in several statistical surveys (production,
employment, wages, etc.) is in preparation.

STATISTICS OF ESTABLISHMENTS

35

number of each individual in order to make an identification of each
individual worker possible for checking purposes.
Forms are sent in by the members of the National Association of
Metal Manufacturers each quarter. Returns are checked by the Statistical Department of the Association to find out whether they are in
conformity with the minimum wage requirements of the collective
agreement between the Association and the Norwegian Federation of
Labour. Returns are filed by region and by the number of the member.
As long as an establishment is a member of the Association, a change in
the goods produced does not affect its position in the statistics. Prepaid envelopes are not supplied. Compliance of all members of the
Association is compulsory, and members can be fined if they send in
their returns too late. No agent of the Association visits the plants to
help in the preparation of the returns.
In Sweden, the basic data for wage, salary and payroll statistics are
collected on printed forms which have been prepared with the help of
the employers' and workers' organisations particularly concerned. The
name, address and code number (including a provincial, branch and
establishment number) is entered in advance on the form, which is then
sent out by post together with a prepaid envelope. The data for wage
and salary statistics are returned directly to the Social Board ; the
returns for the payroll statistics are sent to the Provincial Labour
Committee which transmits them to the Social Board.
The returns are filed by branch ; they indicate the line of production in which the undertaking is engaged, and a check is made
to ensure that the code number agrees with this information ;
the code number registered in the list of addresses is also altered if the
Social Board learns from the Provincial Labour Committee or from
another source that an undertaking has changed its line of production.
The data received are compared with previous returns, with information supplied by other undertakings in the same branch and with
the general averages obtained. Any returns considered to be inaccurate are sent back to the undertaking with a letter of enquiry.
For annual wage statistics a new schedule is used each year and
previous data are not entered upon it ; for payroll statistics the same
form is used for the four returns in the year.
In the October enquiry in Switzerland the schedules are numbered
according to the association to which each establishment belongs, and
by means of this number the industrial branch of the establishment
can usually be ascertained. The completed forms are then classified by
association. Plants or departments of an establishment which do not
belong to the same industrial branch as the head establishment are
classified separately in the branch to which they belong. Establishments which have not returned the schedule are reminded twice in
writing ; if necessary, important establishments are contacted by
telephone. Schedules are used once only and establishments pay the
postage ; it is only when the statistical agency is sending back a return
for clarification or change that prepaid envelopes are used. The statistical agency checks the returns from large establishments, and in
doubtful cases the returns furnished are compared with those of the
preceding year ; discrepancies are settled by letter or by telephone.
The survey is based on the Act of 8 October 1920 which compels
employers to furnish the basic data.
In the United Kingdom, the questionnaires are despatched to the
firms by post. On receipt, the completed returns are scrutinised to
see that the information given is reasonable and where necessary the

36

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

returns are compared with those for previous dates. The firm's
previous return is not copied on to the current form. Where necessary
queries are sent by post to the firms. The enquiry is on a voluntary
basis and no steps are taken to obtain complete returns except by
reminder procedure ; no further steps are in fact necessary, owing to
the very extensive response to the enquiries. If the product of a firm
changes, the return is included in the figures for the new industry.
One return is used for each enquiry, and prepaid envelopes are furnished
for replies.
In the case of the United States, the basic procedure used is as
follows : each schedule carries data for twelve months and is returned
to the employer each month so that he may make his report for the
current payroll period. The form is frequently referred to as the
" shuttle " schedule. When the schedule is received in Washington
(or in the State agency collecting the da+a for the Bureau of Labor
Statistics), it is edited and sent to the Bureau's tabulating unit for
punching on I.B.M. cards. The schedules are then posted back to the
employer at the proper time for the next report. Tabulations are
prepared ' from the punched cards. Individual establishment records
are maintained by line posting of data (from listings prepared mechanically) on office record cards. The office record cards are filed by
industry and by State within industry. It is also necessary to maintain
a complete directory of reporting establishments in various sequences
for reference purposes. The Washington office and the various State
* agencies must maintain an addressograph file of plates for addressing
a new set of schedules once each year.
During the past war, the Bureau generally followed the principle of
maintaining establishments in their pre-war industries even though
shifts from one product to another took place in the plants. The
establishments are now being shifted to their current post-war products
and activities and it is contemplated that code changes will be made
once a year to keep the establishments classified properly.
Returns from defaulting establishments are estimated for one
month or possibly two months if of extreme importance, but extraordinary efforts are devoted to the securing of reports as soon as
possible. The usual routine is a telegram followed by additional telegrams, by telephone calls and, in most urgent instances, by
a personal visit by a Bureau of Labor Statistics field representative.
All reports to the Bureau are made at Government expense through
the medium of prepaid envelopes.
Data are carefully checked and edited for consistency and accuracy. As the same report carries information on employment and
length of work week and other pertinent data and remarks, it is frequently possible to detect errors in reporting. These are returned to
the firm for correction. The reporting is entirely voluntary (except
in a few States). No regular checking of employers' reports is made
against those of other agencies, but occasionally an opportunity arises
to make general comparisons aimed at determining the nature of the
reports being made and their general conformity to instructions. No
attempt is made in such checking to estabHsh an error against any
particular firm.
I t can be seen t h a t in most countries for which information is
available on this point, except Sweden, the United Kingdom and
the United States, reporting by employers is compulsory ; for the

STATISTICS OF ESTABLISHMENTS

37

few other countries where employers are not required to furnish
information, the statistical agency feels the need of some sort of
legislation making it compulsory for employers to furnish the
required data ; this is the case in British Honduras, in India and
in other countries. All kinds of procedures are to be found with
regard to the sending out and receipt of forms, from the use of the
form once only (as in Australia, for instance) to the use of a single
form over a period of time (the quarterly enquiry in Sweden,
amongst others) and passing through the system where a schedule
is used over a period of time but each month a part of the returns
is transferred to records of the statistical agency (Netherlands
and United States). All countries check on the completeness,
reliability and consistency of the returns by reference to previous
returns ; a few compare the returns with those in the same branch.

Computation
The points raised in regard to computation include the following :
how returns for pay periods of varying lengths are adjusted to the
length used as the basis for computation ; how defaulting returns are
estimated ; how returns for newly created or permanently closed
establishments are treated, etc. With regard to the computation
of average earnings, the questions to be examined are whether any
payments are deducted from the gross figures of payrolls before
the computation is carried out, whether the figures are weighted,
and if so what is the basis of the weights ; the question of how
detailed the computation is (whether by sex, industry, occupation,
region, etc.) will also be briefly reviewed. An important point is
to find out for what countries the results of sample studies are
adjusted on the basis of certain benchmark data (industrial censuses, social insurance returns, etc.). Finally, the question will be
raised whether the results of the statistics of establishments are
completed b y information drawn from other sources in the case of
certain industries like mining, Government service, etc.
In Australia, no appraisal of average earnings data from sources
other than payroll tax returns has been made ; the data on employment
by industrial groups are periodically adjusted to benchmark data
(census, annual factory production returns, etc.). Only average
weekly earnings for male unit employed are computed. Methods of
computation are explained in Chapter V.
In Canada the enquiry takes place monthly ; missing reports are
estimated in the preliminary monthly figures and are replaced by the
figures contained in the returns in the final tables. Losses due to tern-

38

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

porary or permanent closing of establishments are reflected in the
figures on employment, payrolls and man-hours ; seasonal activity such
as that in canning establishments is reflected in increased employment,
payrolls and man-hours ; when operations close down completely during
the period of seasonal inactivity, the names of the employers are taken
off the active mailing lists until operations are resumed during the
next season.
Where establishments report data for pay periods exceeding one
week in the case of any or afl of the employees, payrolls and the hours
reported are reduced by an appropriate proportion to give figures
which will represent the earnings or the hours in one week.
The only payments deducted from payroll figures (reduced to a
weekly basis) are retroactive pay or occasional or other payments
accumulated over a period exceeding a month. The average earnings
are computed by dividing the total amount of weekly salaries and wages
by the reported number of salaried employees and wage earners ; the
average hourly earnings result from the division of the amounts of
weekly salaries and wages by the total number of hours worked.
The figures are unweighted. Monthly averages are not computed
by sex nor by occupation but are computed by industry and by
region.
The results of the monthly surveys are not at the moment
adjusted to benchmark data. The matter of weighting the index
numbers of employment and payrolls is under consideration. The
monthly surveys do not make estimates for establishments, classes of
workers or industrial branches not covered ; the enquiries are supplemented by information from the annual censuses of industry in the
case of mining, manufacturing, construction, public utilities, etc.
Monthly information in respect of persons employed in the Dominion
Government service is available and steps are being taken to obtain
data for provincial Government employees. No appraisals and comparisons of earnings and aggregate payroll data from various sources
have been published by the Dominion Bureau of Statistics ; comparisons of the monthly data with those of the annual censuses of
manufacture are regularly made for Office purposes.
In the case of Finland, the enquiry takes place once a quarter
(twice a year in the textile industry, in which case quarterly figures
are estimated).
Average earnings are obtained in the various branches by dividing
total payrolls by the number of man-hours ; the general average is
based on current weights. All computations are made separately for
adult males and adult females (over eighteen years of age) in the
different industrial branches. Enquiries have not been supplemented
by estimates from other sources.
In France, aggregate wages are based on all returns. Average
earnings are computed on the basis of one worker for every fourteen
workers listed in the returns (each page contains fourteen lines) ; further,
one return out of every fourteen is utilised for firms with less than
fourteen employees, one return out of every seven for firms having
15-28 employees and every other return for firms having more than
28 employees. No breakdown by region is possible, since some returns
may cover several locations and no adjustment to benchmark data is
feasible.
In the British Zone of Germany the enquiry takes place quarterly
and the chain method is not utilised. Closed establishments do not
report and missing reports are not estimated. Establishments partially

STATISTICS OP ESTABLISHMENTS

39

closed during the reporting period (strikes, etc.) only report the payroll
for man-days worked which are crossed out in the calendar supplied
on the form. In case of bankruptcy the establishment is excluded ;
so also are seasonal establishments.
Comparisons between different branches of industry are possible,
since coverage hardly varies from one quarter to another. General
averages of groups of workers within the industrial groups are calculated with the figures of the workers covered, e.g., by current weights.
The averages in the industrial groups are computed with the help of
manpower division employment returns. As experience has shown that
the latter change little, this scheme of weights remains in force for
one year unless special circumstances render a change necessary. Total
averages are computed separately by sex and occupational groups on
the one hand, by industrial groups and trade groups on the other ;
each Land in the British Zone makes a separate report on which the
general returns for the British Zone are based.
The wages returns obtained by the survey cannot be compared
with other statistics, as these do not contain any figures on workers'
wages. Enquiries on earnings are not supplemented by information
from sources other than direct questionnaires, but the appraisal of
statistics of earnings in the British Zone has been undertaken by the
Statistical Office for the British Zone, and published.
In Ireland, missing reports—which are very few in number—are
estimated, and permanently closed establishments are deleted from the
scope of the enquiry. Average earnings per wage earner are obtained
by dividing total weekly earnings for each of the twelve industrial
groups by the total number of wage earners. The index number of
weekly earnings is computed to show what the changes in earnings
would be if the number of persons in the different individual industries
(125 in all) were unchanged. The average weekly earnings per wage
earner for each industry at the current enquiry are weighted by the
number of persons in the industry at the previous enquiry and
the index number calculated showing the changes between the two
dates. This index number is then multiplied by the index number
obtained at the previous enquiry in order to link back to the basis
(September 1939) ; the chain method is accordingly used for the
earnings index.
In Italy, payments for vacations, holidays, gratuities and family
allowances are deducted from the figures prior to computation ; current
weights are used.
Current weights are also used in Japan.
In the Netherlands the enquiry takes place once a year (once every
other year for gas and electricity workers). Missing reports are not
estimated and closed establishments are excluded. A separate punch
card is used for each worker ; punching comprises year of enquiry,
industrial group, province, municipality (site of work), group of municipality (six groups ranging from less than 10,000 inhabitants to
200,000 inhabitants and more), sex, age, occupation, category of skill
(skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled), earnings, hours worked and family
allowances, the last three characteristics being based on the returns
for one pay period of one week during the year.
Average hourly earnings are computed by adding in each group
the weekly earnings and the weekly number of hours worked and dividing
aggregate earnings by aggregate hours ; average weekly earnings are
computed by dividing aggregate weekly earnings by the number of
workers in the group concerned. Distribution of adult workers in a

40

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

number of wage groups is obtained on a sample basis. In computing
the absolute figures, no fixed weights are used ; in computing index
numbers the separate indices of the categories of workers are weighted
by fixed weights (number of workers).
In Norway there is no need to utilise the chain method, since compliance is compulsory ; only establishments in operation are covered
and no adjustment is made for seasonal fluctuations. Average earnings
are computed with current weights by sex and industry ; payments
with no reference to the figures of man-hours actually worked are
deducted before computation.
In Sweden the annual wage and salary statistics are based as a rule
on all the information collected, except that which on examination is
considered unreliable. For quarterly payroll statistics, calculation is
made of average hourly earnings on the basis of all data considered
reliable. Index numbers showing fluctuations are also calculated, by
comparing data for those undertakings only which have sent returns
relating to two successive dates.
The following rules apply to the annual wage statistics : if owing
to weather, strikes or other reasons, an undertaking has operated for
less than 240 days in the year, no calculation of annual earnings is made ;
the same rules apply to all undertakings of a seasonal character such as
peat cutting, stone quarrying and stone masons' work, timber floating,
sugar mills, constructional work and docking. In all other respects
identical methods of computation are used in all branches.
As has already been stated, index numbers are calculated according
to the chain method ; the index figure relating to a given base period is
obtained by successive multiplication of the index figures indicating
changes between one report period and the next. Where the material
relates to pay periods of varying lengths, it is recalculated so as to
relate to a one-month period in the case of salaries and a six-day period
in the case of wages.
All averages are based on current weights. Separate averages are
calculated for working foremen, adult workers (men and women separately) and juveniles, in various branches, geographic areas (provinces
or large towns) and cost-of-living zones.
It has not been possible to check or compare the Social Board's
wage statistics with other published statistics. As regards public
works, the Board's statistics have been supplemented by data provided
by the Railway Board and the Water Power Board.
In Switzerland the enquiry always covers the same establishments,
to which newly created firms are added. In case the closing down of
an important establishment has a material effect on the results, changes
are computed by the chain method by using two sets of identical establishments ; the same method is utilised in the case of any missing
returns. As the enquiry is an annual one, the data obtained from
seasonal industries always refer to approximately similar situations in
the seasonal variation of activity ; for hotels the enquiry is held for the
period of maximum activity ; months of enquiry are as follows :
February for establishments open in the winter only ; April for hotels
in the Tessiti, and July for the other hotels. Varying pay periods are
adjusted to pay periods of two weeks' duration.
Averages are obtained by sex, by industrial branch and by region
as well as for certain categories of workers (skilled, semi-skilled, unskilled) and for a certain number of individual occupations. Comparisons
with other sources have been made but not published.
In the United Kingdom returns are received in general from identical

STATISTICS OF ESTABLISHMENTS

41

establishments on each occasion and comparisons are made on the basis
of the returns actually received.
In calculating average earnings for groups of industries and for all
industries combined, the average earnings for each industry and for
each age and sex group are weighted by the estimated total number
of manual wage earners employed at the date of the enquiry. No
weighting is used in calculating the average earnings in each industry ;
they are derived directly from the returns received. Averages are
calculated for each industry, each group of similar industries, and all
industries combined, and for age and sex groups in each case. No
calculation is made by regions.
In the United States, identical establishments are compared on two
successive dates, but only to ensure comparability. The earnings
figures published represent the actual averages shown by the entire
list of reporting establishments in the current month. If the comparison
of the two samples indicates a significant change in the composition
of the sample in the current month, the identical sample is used to
compute a link and the current month average is estimated ; when the
missing reports have been received and the current sample is again
comparable, the figure is revised to the current reported average. If
for some reason the change in the sample is so marked that comparability cannot be established, the break or discontinuity is allowed to
stand and an explanation is furnished.
Average hours worked per week for each industry are derived by
dividing total man-hours by the number of employees ; average hourly
earnings for each industry are derived by dividing total payrolls by
total man-hours ; average weekly earnings for each industry are derived
by adding to the sample the reports for establishments which did not
report man-hours and then dividing total payrolls by number of
employees. In the immediate future, due to the small number of establishments now failing to report man-hours, the weekly earnings and
the hourly earnings will be based on the same sample.
To compute average hours worked per week for each industry
group, averages for the individual industries are weighted by current
employment estimates for each industry ; to obtain average hourly
earnings for each industry group, averages for the individual industries
are weighted by the weight aggregates (estimated man-hours) obtained
in the previous computation ; to obtain average weekly earnings for
each industry group, group hours are multiplied by group hourly
earnings. Total manufacturing, durable goods and non-durable goods
averages are similarly obtained at the next level of combination.
The earnings data are not adjusted to external data. Owing to the
predominance of large firms, there is some tendency for the averages
of earnings to be too high if earnings vary by size of firm. There is
insufficient evidence to determine whether this has produced a trend
bias which would need correction.
Most comparisons of these data with the data from censuses have
been handicapped because of the lack of census material since 1939.
Comparisons with the data from social security or unemployment
compensation statistics have been unsatisfactory because of great
differences in time coverage and class of worker coverage.
It can be stated in conclusion that in most countries average
earnings are computed by dividing total payrolls by total number
of man-hours worked during the same period, or by the number

42

WAGES AND PAYROLL, STATISTICS

of workers ; in other words, current weights are used ; this is
sometimes done at all levels, but in a good many countries, amongst
them the United Kingdom and the United States, the use of
current weights is restricted to the computation of average earnings
in individual industries ; at the next level of combination and at the
higher levels, the estimated number of workers in the different
industry groups, industrial branches, etc., are used as weights in
order t o compensate for the lack of representativeness of the
sample. I n the case of statistics of establishments, averages are
computed almost always by sex and by industry, sometimes by
regions, but scarcely ever by occupation ; the computation of
average earnings by degree of skill takes place in a good many
countries, but is far from general. I t can be said t h a t the method
of comparing identical establishments at two succeeding enquiries
is never used when computing average earnings ; it is only in cases
where returns for important establishments are missing t h a t the
provisional figures of average earnings are computed on the basis
of two sets of identical establishments ; when computing index
numbers of earnings, however, the chain index method is quite

often used.
I n all countries, the figures used in the computation are gross
figures, prior to deductions for social security contributions,
trade union dues, bonds, taxes, etc. In no countries are employers'
contributions to social security schemes, etc., added to payroll
figures before computation.
Publication
I n regard to publication, the main questions arising are as
follows : how often are the results of surveys into average earnings
and total payrolls based on samples of establishments published ;
what is the time-lag in publication in the different countries ;
what are the different industrial branches and classifications
(durable goods, non-durable goods, capital goods, consumption
goods, etc.) shown in the various countries ; what are the regions
shown separately ; are only absolute amounts published, or are both
absolute amounts and index numbers shown ; and, finally, are
figures on real wages and on take-home pay computed and published.
Australia publishes figures on aggregate weekly wages, etc., paid
and on average weekly earnings per male unit at quarterly intervals,
and index numbers of seasonally adjusted average earnings per male
unit at monthly intervals. The time-lag in publication is from seven
to eleven weeks.

STATISTICS OF ESTABLISHMENTS

43

In Canada the time-lag between the date of publication of the
advance statement of employment and payrolls and the date to which
it refers is about seven weeks. The time-lag beween publication of the
detailed tables and the dates to which their figures relate is two months
or more in the case of the monthly surveys of employment and payrolls,
and nine or ten weeks in the case of the monthly buUetins on man-hours
and hourly earnings.
The series is published for nine major non-agricultural industries,
manufacturing and non-manufacturing, and for approximately sixty
industrial branches of these major groups, including the durable and
non-durable categories of manufacturing and their components.
Index numbers of average hours, average hourly earnings and
average weekly wages will be published when the series has been in
existence long enough to make the selection of a suitable base period possible.
The Canadian statistics are published on a provincial basis and for
each city having a population exceeding 35,000. Data are not at
present published for census regions, although such an undertaking is
under consideration.
Figures on real wages are not published by the Dominion Bureau
of Statistics but are issued by the Department of Labour. No information
is published on take-home pay, income taxes and other deductions not
being estimated for that purpose.
In Finland, earnings in absolute amounts are published by sex for
each industrial branch ; the general average is published as an index
number only and is based on 1939 = 100 ; no separate figures are
published for the various regions.
Since 1937 the scope of the series has been materially increased ;
whereas in 1937 hourly and annual earnings were published once a
year, at present annual earnings are not published at all and hourly
earnings are published four times a year.
The enquiry in France is an annual one and took place for the first
time to cover the year 1947 ; time-lag of publication is expected to be
some ten months.
In the British Zone of Germany the time-lag between date of publication of the regular tables and the date to which they refer is two
months ; the classification into large groups, e.g., capital goods, consumption goods, etc., is not made. At present only absolute figures are
published.
Apart from returns for Länder (regional labour office areas), no
regional returns are made except in the case of the city of Hamburg ;
the report of the German Mines Director gives information on the regional
classification of miners' earnings.
In Guatemala only nominal wages are published ; to compute takehome pay the statutory deductions (social insurance deductions covering
sickness, unemployment, and invalidity insurance and income or wage
taxes) are deducted from gross wages. Deductable wage taxes are not
estimated but are noted in the questionnaire as a lump sum for the
workers covered and the average is then computed from this total tax.
In India the following information is published with a time-lag of
normally less than a year : (a) for factories : average annual earnings
for ten major industry groups, by provinces ; (b) for railways : average
annual earnings, separately for three zones ; (c) for mining : average
daily earnings in December for sixteen regions and sixteen occupational
groups ; (d) for plantations : average monthly cash earnings and average cash earnings per day, separately for eight districts in Assam.

44

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

In the Netherlands, both absolute figures and index numbers are
published for seventeen main industrial groups and for a large number
of subgroups from seven months to one year after the date to which the
figures refer. Tables distinguish sex, age, occupation, degree of skill
and the various municipalities or groups of municipalities ; no real
wages or take-home pay have been published or computed.
In Norway the National Association of Employers does not publish
the figures, but passes them on to the Central Bureau of Statistics,
besides using them for internal purposes. The time-lag between the
date of publication and the last day of the pay period covered does not
usually exceed three months. Oslo is shown separately in all publications, the second geographical group being the rest of the country
and the third column showing national averages.
In Sweden the year book of wage statistics appears twelve months
or more after the end of the year covered ; preHminary results are
published about six months after the close of the enquiry. The published
results of the quarterly payroll statistics are available six months after
the end of the report period and are then sent to various authorities
and undertakings ; it is only after a further period of approximately
six months that the results are published officially.
Annual wage statistics are published for fourteen main industrial
groups and eighty-eight subgroups, showing average earnings per hour,
day, week and year, both in absolute amounts and, in the case of hourly
and yearly earnings, in the form of index numbers. Certain averages
are computed for the various provinces and cost-of-living zones and
for the cities of Stockholm, Goteborg, Malmö, and Norrköping.
Information regarding mining and the production of minerals is
published separately for Central and Northern Sweden.
For the purposes of wage and salary statistics, undertakings are
classified in cost-of-living zones according to the classification applied
in this regard to wage earners in public employment ; for 1935-1945
an old classification into nine zones was used ; from 1946 onwards, the
classification of 30 June 1947, providing for five zones, has been applied.
In Switzerland, partial results concerning certain industries are
regularly published in January, or almost three months after the date
to which the figures relate. Earnings both in absolute amounts and
index numbers are published. With regard to the regional classification,
the results are shown separately for urban, semi-urban and rural zones.
In the United Kingdom, results are published with a time-lag of
approximately six months. No major classifications, e.g., durable
goods, non-durable goods, etc., but only aggregations of industries of a
similar nature, e.g., metals, textiles, etc., are published. Both absolute
figures and index numbers based on 1938 —- 100 are published. A
revised industrial classification has been adopted, beginning with the
October 1948 enquiry.
For the United States, the earnings data are published about two
months following the date of reference and are revised in the two
succeeding months if additional reports received indicate that there is
a need for it. No index numbers of these data are published by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics. Both real wages and weekly take-home pay
are computed and published.
I n practically all countries information on average earnings
and total payrolls is published for major groups of industries,
industrial branches and quite often for individual industries.

STATISTICS OF ESTABLISHMENTS

45

The same applies to information on average earnings by sex.
In only a few countries is the information published separately
for each region or for certain groups of municipalities or towns ;
the breakdown according to cost-of-living zones is used in one or
two countries only. Finally, the United States, Guatemala, the
British Zone of Germany (and Austria) publish information on
take-home pay (or net wages) whereas the United States, Canada
and a good many other countries publish index numbers of real
wages.

4

CHAPTER

III

CENSUSES
In a good many countries periodic enquiries into average
earnings and total payrolls in a sample of establishments are
completed by more general surveys of all industrial establishments
or of the production of practically all industrial establishments.
A good many of the schedules used for such censuses ask for
information on employment and total payrolls.
Among the countries for which production censuses or censuses
of manufacturing establishments do furnish data on employment
and total payrolls are the following :
I n Australia, the annual census of manufactures covers all
establishments employing four persons or more, or using motive
power.
In Canada, on the other hand, all establishments in manufacturing industry (excluding electricity and water distribution)
are included in the census.
I n France, regular censuses are carried out only in mining
establishments, which have all been nationalised.
In India, the Directorate of Industrial Statistics of the
Ministry of Industry and Supply is responsible for conducting
annual censuses of manufacturing industry. The censuses so far
conducted since 1945 have not been complete ; the census forms
call for certain information on total wages paid during the year.
In Ireland, the census of industrial production is carried out
once a year and covers all establishments employing four persons
or more ; the industries covered are mining and manufacturing,
building and construction, utilities (gas, water, electricity),
transport (canals, docks, harbours and railways), local authorities
and Government Departments, and, finally, laundry, dyeing, and
cleaning establishments.
Norway does not obtain any information with regard to wages
based on production censuses.
I n the Philippines, owing to the destruction of pre-war records,
a new census of industry has had to be undertaken ; it will cover

CENSUSES

47

all industrial and commercial establishments employing twenty
persons or more.
I n Southern Rhodesia, the census covers every year all manufacturing and construction establishments employing six persons
or more ; the employers furnish the returns voluntarily. On the
other hand, for mining the census is a monthly one and is compulsory.
I n Sweden, since 1941, the Board of Trade has been collecting
information from undertakings regarding payrolls of wage earners
and salaried employees ; these data for 1941-1946 are now being
sifted, and will be published during 1949. From 1947 onwards,
payroll figures are included in the Board of Trade's annual industrial statistics.
I n the Union of South Africa, the census of manufactures
is compulsory and includes all establishments employing three
persons or more or using motive power.
I n the United Kingdom, no statistics of wages have hitherto
been collected on the form used for the census of production,
but the annual wage bill of each firm will be asked for in the
future.
I t appears that in a good many countries censuses of manufactures, production censuses, etc., furnish information on total
payrolls and sometimes on average earnings, but t h a t the economic
coverage of these surveys is, of course, much more restricted
than is the case with statistics based on a sample of establishments,
since in all countries the coverage is restricted to manufacturing
industry, except in Southern Rhodesia, where building and construction are included, and in Ireland, where several other industrial branches are covered. All countries obtain information
on total payrolls, but only in the minority of cases is information
on average earnings computed on the basis of censuses. To obtain
such statistics of average earnings, the number of wage earners
and/or salaried employees on the payrolls at a series of pay days
is necessary, and only in a few countries do the census schedules
ask for the number of persons on the payroll at, for instance,
quarterly intervals, to be given.
For Australia, the schedule calls on the one hand for the
numbers of persons on office and factory payroll on the pay day
nearest the 15th of each month (excluding working proprietors
and all persons engaged in selling and distribution) — separately
by sex — and, on the other hand, for the average weekly number
of workers — separately by sex — under the following headings :

48

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

working proprietors ; managerial and clerical staff, including
salaried managers and working directors ; chemists, draughtsmen and other laboratory and research staff ; foremen and
overseers ; workers in factory (skilled and unskilled) ; and carters,
messengers, and persons working regularly a t home for the establishment.
The Canadian schedule calls for separate information on
supervisory and office employees, and on wage earners ; under
the first heading the number of supervisory and office employees,
such as working proprietors, managers, superintendents, professional and clerical employees, and full-time travelling salesmen
are given as average numbers for the year ; owners are included
also ; on the other hand, supervisory or office employees engaged
on new construction work or employees on the wholesale or retail
side of an establishment should be omitted. The number of
wage earners is t o be given separately for each sex, for the last
day of each month or for the nearest working day ; only those
wage earners who are engaged on the manufacturing side of the
estabhshment, whether paid on a monthly, weekly, hourly or
piece-work basis, are to be included ; so also are foremen and
overseers who perform, work similar to the work of wage earners
under their direction, as well as workers engaged in delivery
work or in a warehouse ; wage earners employed on new
construction work are to be excluded.
In Ireland, information is to be given, separately by sex and
separately for employees under eighteen years of age, on the
number of persons engaged in the industry, trade or business
during the pay week ending nearest the middle of October of
each year ; the schedule calls for separate information on (a)
proprietors working in the business ; (b) all salaried employees
(including managing and other directors working in the business,
managers, clerks, typists, store book-keepers, travelling agents,
etc.) ; (c) industrial workers (including foremen) employed a t the
factory or at places where work is carried out by the firm ; (d)
storekeepers, cleaners, messengers, packers, carters, etc. ; and,
finally, (e) workers employed in their own homes on work for
the estabhshment (" outside piece workers " ) . A separate entry
in the schedule calls for the numbers of workers mentioned under
(c) and (d) during pay weeks ending nearest the middle of each
of the twelve months.
In Southern Rhodesia, figures on employment are collected
according to race and sex only ; with native employees it is im-

CENSUSES

49

possible to ascertain particulars of age, degree of skill or occupation. Payments and allowances to the " operative " staff and
the " administrative " staff are shown separately by race and
sex. All employees of the industrial firm are covered by the
census, including working proprietors, managers, superintendents,
etc. The number of workers stated as employed is the average
of the numbers employed at the end of each month.
I n the Union of Sovth Africa, distinction is made between
Europeans, natives, Indians and other Asiatics, and other coloured
persons, on the one hand, and between (a) working proprietors,
(b) managing directors, managers, accountants and clerical staff,
and (c) all other employees (including artisans and persons employed in their own homes), on the other ; the information is
requested separately for each sex and a special question is included
requesting information on the number of European apprentices
and juvenile employees (under eighteen years of age). Only
those engaged on the industrial portion of the business to which
the return relates should be shown ; clerks, salesmen, storemen,
drivers, travellers, collectors, warehouse hands, etc., exclusively
engaged in retail trade should not be included ; employees who
through their absence on military duty did not perform any work
during the period covered by the return must be omitted, even
though they may still figure on the payroll of the establishment.
The " average number of employees throughout the twelve
months " is asked for in each case.
I n the United States, the number of production workers on
the one hand, and the total number of employees on the other,
is to be reported for the pay period ending nearest the 15th of
each month. The definitions of " production and related workers "
and of " total number of employees " are those used in the Bureau
of Labor Statistics' establishment series (see preceding chapter).
For the pay period ending nearest 15 October 1947, the information was to be broken down according to sex, and the numbers
of " force account construction workers " were to be given; these
are employees engaged in construction of major additions or
alterations to the plant who are utilised as a separate work
force.
With regard to the categories of workers covered by the censuses of manufactures, production censuses, etc., it will be seen
t h a t in practically all cases either the average number or the
number at a certain date (for instance, 15 October) is requested
in all countries. I n the case of wage earners, production workers,

50

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

etc., numbers are usually requested for the pay period ending
nearest the middle or the end of each month. Finally, the scope
of the term " wage earner " and " salaried employee " is very
different in the various countries ; some countries include working
proprietors, others exclude them ; some include home workers,
others exclude them, etc. - The amount of additional details (by
age, by sex, b y race, etc.) also varies widely from one country
to another.
The same differences in scope and definition are, of course,
to be found in the case of the payroll figures to be reported.
I n Australia, amounts of remuneration of working proprietors
are not to be shown ; for total wages and salaries, the figures
should include overtime, bonuses, etc. No further instructions
have been issued on the subject of bonuses, etc., paid to employees,
but as they have to be included for payroll tax purposes, it is
probable t h a t most of such payments are included b y the firms
making the returns. Because social services in Australia are not
financed on the basis of tripartite contributions, the only contributions to social insurance funds would be of a voluntary nature ;
deductions would only be made by employers with express
authority from the employee, and such payments would naturally
be classed as wages by the employing firm. Taxes deducted a t
the source are included in the total of wages and salaries, but
there is a specific note directing the exclusion of payroll tax which
is payable by the employer. I n respect of allowances in kind
and family allowances, it is open to doubt whether they are included, but there is no reason to think t h a t they are of any particular importance in Australian manufacturing industry. (See the
preceding chapter for methods of estimating payments in kind
for payroll tax purposes.)
I n Canada, total salaries paid and total wages paid during
the calendar year include the actual money wages paid, all bonuses,
the value of room and board, where provided, deductions from
employees for income tax and for social services such as sickness,
accident, insurance, pensions, etc., as well as any other allowances
forming part of the employee's wage or salary.
I n the case of Ireland, figures on salaries exclude amounts
drawn by proprietors of unincorporated concerns working in the
business, but salaries paid to managing and other directors for
working in the business should be included ; in the case of wages,
the total amounts asked for distinguish between wage earners
not outside piece-workers, and outside piece workers. Besides

CENSUSES

51

these data referring to the whole year, the schedule asks for total
earnings during the pay week ending nearest the middle of October,
and for the aggregate number of hours actually worked during
that same week ; for this part of the schedule, outside piece
workers are excluded. A distribution of salaried employees and
of wage earners according to classes of earnings is also called
for. Under salaries and wages should be included all cash payments and bonuses received from the employer by the person
employed, national health and unemployment insurance contributions payable by the employed person and deducted by the
employer, and income tax and other taxes payable by the employed
person to a public authority and deducted by the employer.
In Southern Rhodesia, the annual payroll figure includes overtime, vacation and holiday pay ; it includes estimates for free
food, rent, fuel, working clothes and company's products furnished
in kind ; these estimates of the monetary value of payments in kind
are made by the individual firms. Cost of living, family allowances
and other bonuses earned and paid regularly are included. The
instructions issued to firms do not cover deductions for damaged
work ; commissions are not included in the figures.
In the Union of South Africa, total wages and salaries paid to
each one of the categories of workers mentioned above (European,
natives, etc. ; managing directors, managers, etc.) are to be shown
except that amounts drawn by working proprietors are not asked
for.
In the United States, wages and salaries are defined as the gross
earnings of employees, including commissions, dismissal pay, nonproduction bonuses, vacation and sick leave pay, and compensation in kind, and prior to such deductions as employees' social
security contributions, withholding taxes, group insurance, union
dues, and savings bonds. Besides asking for total wages and
salaries paid during the whole year, the wages and salaries earned
during the pay period ending nearest 15 October are distinguished
according to the length of the pay period used (weekly, bi-weekly,
semi-monthly, and monthly).
* * *

In all countries, data on total payrolls are requested for the
whole year, and not for a series of dates during the year. The only
additional information asked for (more particularly in the case of
Ireland and the United States) is for more detailed breakdowns
of total wages and salaries paid during the pay period ending

52

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

nearest 15 October of each year. Gross wages and salaries are to
be reported in all cases, and in all cases, also, overtime, bonuses,
allowances, etc., are to be included, as are payments in kind ; as
far as is known, estimates of the actual value of payments in kind
are left to the individual employer in all cases. Cost-of-living
bonuses would be included in all cases where such bonuses are
actually paid, whereas the inclusion of family allowances would
depend on the organisation of the family allowance scheme in the
various countries.

CHAPTER IV
SOCIAL SECURITY STATISTICS
The third important source of information on total payrolls,
and sometimes on average earnings, is social security statistics.
Social security schemes of one type or another are at present in
force in most countries, and in practically all of those some information a t least on total wages and/or average earnings can be
derived from their administration.
I n a first group of countries, which includes amongst others
Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, no information on total wages
or average earnings can be obtained, since the contributions are a t
a flat rate for each person. I n Ireland, for instance, contributions
and benefits under the compulsory insurance schemes embodied in
the Unemployment Insurance Acts, the National Health Insurance
Acts, the Widows' and Orphans' Pensions Acts and the Insurance
(Intermittent Unemployment) Act, are paid at flat rates, irrespective of rates of wages, and therefore no wage statistics based on
these schemes are available.
I n a second group of countries wage statistics, although possible, have not as yet been computed ; this group includes, inter
alia, Canada, India, Norway, Portugal and the United Kingdom.
I n France, no attempt has been made up to now to use the
returns furnished by employers to the social security administration
in order to gather information on total wages and salaries and on
average earnings ; the law prescribes a maximum insurable wage,
and any wage above t h a t maximum is not taken into consideration
when computing the contribution to be paid by the individual
concerned ; wages above t h a t maximum are therefore not included
in the employers' returns ; information obtained on that basis
would therefore be very incomplete, would be very late in becoming
available and is no more reliable than the returns made by the
employers at the end of each calendar year to the Ministry of
Finance (see Chapter II).
Information on wages derived from social insurance returns
has recently become available for Belgium.

54

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

Costa Rica has a compulsory sickness-maternity scheme which
applies to all workers below sixty-five years of age, in certain
provinces ; the maximum insurable wage is 400 colons per month.
Contributions are a fixed percentage of wages ; wage classes are not
used. Returns are furnished monthly b y employers and contain
information for each individual worker. Gross payrolls are reported,
but in practice it has been found impossible to check the inclusion
or otherwise of payments in kind. Monthly payrolls and average
monthly earnings are now published once a month, with a timelag of approximately eight to ten weeks ; they are based on total
payrolls of individual employers, whereas until recently the timelag in publication of figures based on individual workers was more
than twelve months. A scheme of old-age, invalidity and death
insurance also exists, with approximately the same coverage.
I n Mexico, the Institute of Social Security administers a compulsory scheme of sickness, maternity, accident, invalidity, oldage and death insurance ; mining, manufacturing, commerce,
transport and communications, and the professions are covered
by the scheme ; the scheme was put into operation first in the
Federal District of Mexico (July 1943) and was gradually extended
to the other important industrial centres of the country (Puebla,
Monterey, Guadalajara and Orizaba). By 31 December 1947,
365,664 workers were insured under the scheme (264,398 in t h e
Federal District). The only information available so far on wages
refers t o t h e number of workers distributed according to wage
classes ; up to 1947, there were nine wage classes ranging from less
than 1 peso a day to 12 pesos and more ; since then, the number
of classes has been increased to eleven, ranging from wages of less
than 2 pesos a day to wages of 22 pesos a day or more. Workers in
agriculture, forestry, trapping and fishing, workers employed by
the State and workers in family enterprises, as well as home workers
and domestic servants, are excluded from the insurance field.
There are no upper wage limits.
The schedule used by employers to liquidate their contribution
to the social security scheme calls, separately for each wage class,
for the number of weeks of contribution, separately for sickness
and maternity on the one hand, and invalidity, old age and death
on the other ; it also calls for a list of the workers employed,
giving for each worker the number of contribution weeks. Such
schedules are filled out b y employers once every two months.
From the distribution of workers according to wage classes it ought
to be fairly easy to compute average earnings, but the results of

SOCIAL SECURITY STATISTICS

55

such computations, if made, have apparently not been published as
yet. The daily wages on which the wage classes are based are
daily gross wages, and in cases where payments in kind occur, the
cash wage is to be increased by 25 per cent, when board only is
furnished, and by 50 per cent, when both board and lodging are
furnished ; when a worker is away in the Armed Forces, neither
the worker nor the employer pays contributions, the worker
remaining insured, however, for fifty-six weeks from the date of his
departure. Cost-of-living bonuses which are part of the wage are
included, b u t family allowances, Christmas bonuses, commissions,
etc., are not.
Statistics of total wages and salaries and daily earnings are
derived from accident insurance statistics in the Netherlands.
Workers in agriculture, ocean navigation and fishing are not
included in the scheme ; Governmental, municipal and similar
workers are included only if employed in establishments covered
by the Insurance Act (e.g., Government coal mines, printing
establishments, shipyards, municipal works and public utility
services) ; domestic servants are also excluded. Establishments
report their payrolls twice a year, although a number of big establishments have been authorised to report once a year only. The
schedule asks for data on individual workers : sex, date of birth,
occupation, total earnings, and number of days worked, these two
last items separately for each calendar week and per half year.
Earnings figures are gross earnings prior to deductions for social
insurance, wage tax, union dues, penalties, etc. Overtime, vacation
and holiday pay, all bonuses, whether regular or not, and commissions are included ; half pay for part-time workers is also
included, as also is the value of payments in kind (reported separately) ; value of board, lodging, housing accommodation, fuel,
electricity, water, clothes, is estimated according to uniform official
standards ; legal family allowances are not included, but family
allowances paid voluntarily by the employer above the legal
minimum are ; sick leave pay is included only for t h a t part which
exceeds the legal minimum compensation. The total number of
days worked asked for includes paid vacation days, holidays and
half-pay days ; days spent on sick leave are excluded.
The results are computed on the basis of the insured wage
only ; maximum insured earnings of each worker were 8 florins per
day during the period 1937-1946 ; this maximum was raised to
10 florins per day in 1947. Before the Second World War, it was
estimated that earnings were in excess of insured wages by 5 per

56

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

cent, on an average ; in 1946, the difference is considered to have
been much bigger, but even approximate figures on t h a t point are
lacking. Earnings are published for eighteen major industrial
branches in mining, manufacturing, construction, public utilities,
plus a last group including commerce, transport, banking, insurance,
the professions, etc. No averages are computed b y sex, age, occupation or region and the last year for which information is available
at present is 1947.
For the city of Panama, the social insurance fund provides
figures on total wages and on average monthly earnings by industry
and by sex. The returns on which these figures are based are sent
jointly to the Social Security Administration and to the Ministry of
Finance ; the schedule calls for a fist including each individual
worker, his occupation, his sex, the total of his salary or wage,
the number of months, of weeks, of days and the total number of
hours worked, separately on normal time and on overtime. All
workers whose wages are more t h a n 75 balboas per month, 2 balboas
per day or 0.25 balboas per hour are included. The total wage or
salary indicated for each worker includes payments in kind, bonuses,
dividends, emoluments, etc.
Information on total payrolls and average earnings is available
in Switzerland, based on the accident insurance returns, but,
whereas statistics of total payrolls are computed b y the insurance
fund itself on the basis of the payrolls submitted to it by all establishments covered, the statistics on average earnings are based on
information transmitted by the insurance fund to the Federal
Bureau of Industry and Labour, and refer to the wages of workers
who were victims of industrial accidents. The statistics of total
payrolls and of average earnings are thus based on two completely
different sets of returns. Agriculture, hotels and domestic servants
are not covered by the insurance. For inclusion in the insurance
scheme, an insured person's wage is counted up to 26 francs per
day and 7,800 francs per year. This maximum was 21 francs
from 1920 down to February 1945. Any wages in excess of these
maxima are not included in the returns. Earnings of apprentices,
trainees and family workers are also included.
With regard to coverage, all workers and salaried employees
of whatever age are included ; only employers and home workers
are not covered. Workers who are sick, on strike or on holiday
are taken into consideration only if they receive a t least 80 per cent.
of their normal wage while they are away; persons working on commission are also included. In the computation of average earnings,

SOCIAL SECURITY STATISTICS

57

on the other hand, only wage earners are taken into account ;
average earnings are computed for the following categories :
skilled and semi-skilled male workers eighteen years of age and
over ; unskilled male workers eighteen years of age and over ;
female workers eighteen years of age and over ; and, finally,
juveniles. All establishments employing one person or more, even
temporarily, are included in the insurance scheme. I t is estimated
t h a t in 1941 approximately 65 per cent, of the workers employed
in the fields covered by insurance were in fact insured ; on the other
hand, for the computation of average earnings, it is estimated
that in 1944 approximately 20 per cent, of the insured workers
were represented.
For the computation of total wages and salaries, the establishments hand in a return once a year. For the computation
of average earnings, " declarations of accidents " filled in by
the employer are transmitted by the insurance fund to the Federal
Bureau of Industry and Labour. For the computation of total
wages and salaries, wages include all payments in kind and all
regular supplementary allowances such as piece work, overtime,
payments for night work, clothing allowances, production bonuses,
seniority allowances, profit-sharing, tips, participation in profits
or percentage on sales, commissions and gratuities, etc.; costof-living bonuses, family allowances, children's allowances, winter
bonuses, etc., are all included ; as from 1949, paid vacations and
holidays are to be included, as well as the contributions to social
insurance and taxes deducted at the source by the employer.
On the other hand, wages paid during military service and wages
paid to pensioners are not covered. In order to obtain the average
earnings per unit of time, the total loss of wage incurred through
the accident is taken into account, including cost-of-living bonuses,
various benefits and other regular supplementary bonuses, but
excluding overtime ; payments in kind are also included, and their
value is estimated on the basis of the value which they have for
the insured person and not on their cost to the employer. The
returns made for each person who has been victim of an accident
include, besides the wages of the insured person, his occupation,
his industrial status, his industry, age, family status, date of
accident, hours of work at time of accident, and geographical
location.
With regard to the computation of average earnings, for each
individual industrial branch the average earnings for each category
of workers are obtained by means of an unweighted arithmetical

58

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

average ; averages for the seventeen branches and for the total
are obtained by weighting the average earnings of the individual
industrial branches and of the various groups of workers (skilled
and semi-skilled, unskilled, women, etc.). The number of
" standard units " fixed by the insurance fund for the year 1938
are used as weights. Yearly figures are published b y industry,
by category of workers, by sex, occupation, age, family status,
b y canton, b y region (urban, semi-rural and rural) and for several
individual towns.
Figures on total payrolls are published after an interval of
approximately eighteen months ; data on average earnings are
published seven months after the end of the year to which they
refer.
Payrolls and average earnings statistics derived from social
insurance in the United States are of two kinds : the first refers
to the Old Age and Survivors' Insurance Program of the United
States and the second refers to the combined Federal and State
Unemployment Insurance Program.
The Old Age and Survivors' Insurance Program is compulsory
and requires both employers and workers in covered employment
to provide information to the Bureau of Internal Revenue and
to the Bureau of Old Age and Survivors' Insurance of the Social
Security Administration. The coverage of the programme includes
any services performed by a worker for an employer within the
United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, or on an American
vessel, except services specifically included in the Railroad Retirement Act and Carriers Taxation Act, or specifically excluded
b y the Social Security Act and the Federal Insurance Contributions Act. The excluded employments consist mainly of agricultural employment, work for federal, State and local Governments, employment by non-profit organisations or institutions,
railroad employment, domestic service in private homes and
all types of self-employment. Wage earners, apprentices, salaried
employees and supervisory staff are all included in the category
of covered workers ; persons engaged in working on their own
account, home workers and domestic servants are all excluded ;
there are no age limitations, and the criteria are the same for
workers of both sexes ; workers on sick leave, on strike or on
vacation are covered, whereas persons performing military service
are not.
The returns filed by employers in covered employment include
all persons having worked any part of the period. The only

SOCIAL SECURITY STATISTICS

59

limitation on size of establishment is that the employer must
have at least one worker in covered employment. I t is estimated
that out of a total number of 71,000,000 persons employed at
some time during 1945, 46,392,000 persons were covered by oldage and survivors' insurance ; the figures for 1946 were 75,000,000
for the total number of persons employed at any one time and
49,500,000 for the number of persons covered by old-age and
survivors' insurance.
The information is obtained from the quarterly tax returns
which employers are required to prepare and submit to the Bureau
of Internal Revenue ; that Bureau in turn transmits the returns
to the Bureau of Old Age and Survivors' Insurance. The present
contributions represent 1 per cent, of the employee's wages and
an equal amount contributed by the employer.
The schedule requires that every taxable earning of individuals
shall be recorded ; in addition, the employer summarises the
individual employee's earnings and shows the total taxable payroll
figure. No figures are asked with respect to age, sex, degree of
skill, occupation or industrial status. Age and sex data are obtained
from the worker when he files his request for a social security
account number. The earnings figures include overtime, vacation
and holiday pay, workers' contributions to old-age, employment
and health (individual or group) insurance, withholding tax,
bonds, union dues, etc. ; they also include the value of earnings
in kind, which are estimated on the basis of reasonable rates
prevailing in the locality. The payroll includes payments to
employees who are away in the Armed Forces, payments of bonuses,
cost-of-living bonuses, commission, etc. ; it does not include
payments to pensioners and family allowances. In addition to
payrolls, the following items of information are also requested :
State of employment, number of employees on the payroll ending
nearest the middle of the last month of the calendar quarter,
and total number of workers listed on the t a x return ; this last
figure represents the total number of workers employed at any
time in the calendar quarter. Information on the number of
man-days or man-hours is not requested.
Gross figures are used in the computation of average earnings.
Average quarterly wages can be obtained directly from the employers' quarterly t a x returns ; in addition, it is possible to obtain
the annual average wage for workers by summarising the wages
reported b y all their employers for the year ; averages are computed on an aggregate basis by dividing the total wages by the

60

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

number of workers in a particular classification, such as age,
race, sex, industry or State, since there is no distinction made
between different contribution classes. Annual averages are
subject to qualification because of the $3,000 limit on the annual
wages received by a worker from any one employer in a calendar
year ; this qualification is overcome by computing median wages.
Tables showing a summary of wages, employment and benefit
data are released after a time-lag of approximately six months.
The series of annual tables showing workers' experience in the
current year is released after a time-lag of approximately two
to three years. In addition, each year a series of tables relating
to business establishments, employment and payrolls for the
first calendar quarter of the year is released after a time-lag of
approximately two years. A very small sample of workers is
tabulated each quarter in order to permit advance data to be
obtained.
Taxable wages include not only money, but the fair value
of any other thing received by the employee from the employer
in payment for work done, such as meals, lodging, clothing or
merchandise ; taxable wages also include the following : wages
paid to temporary or part-time employees, salaries or wages paid
to oificers of corporations, wages paid to employees over the age
of sixty-five years, commission paid to employees, meals furnished
to employees of restaurants and hotels, or to seamen on American
vessels, etc., bonuses, vacation allowances, wages paid by an
individual employer to a son or daughter who is twenty-one years
of age or more. Wages that are not taxable include amounts
over and above the first $3,000 of wages paid to each
employee by the same employer in any one calendar year ; compensation for services such as agricultural labour and certain
kinds of domestic service, which are not covered by the Act ;
dismissal payments which an employer is not legally required to
make ; and tips paid directly to the employee by a customer of
the employer, provided they are not accounted for by the employee
to the employer.
With regard to the Federal and State Unemployment Insurance Program, the Bureau of Employment Security of the
Federal Security Agency has general supervision over the separate
unemployment insurance programmes provided for by separate
laws in the 48 States, the District of Colombia and the Territories
of Alaska and Hawaii. Agricultural labour, casual labour, domestic service in private homes, service for certain members of

SOCIAL SECTJEITY STATISTICS

61

families, service for State and federal Governments and service
for non-profit institutions are, with minor exceptions, not covered;
employment on inter-State railroads is covered by a separate
programme. Employing units which have eight or more workers in
covered employment for a total of twenty or more days during
the calendar year, each day being in a different week, are subject
to the Federal Unemployment Insurance Program. With regard
to the State programmes, nineteen of them are the same, one
has reduced the number of weeks to fifteen, two have wage qualifications which are slightly more inclusive, and the remainder
(29) include part or all of the small firms not covered by the Federal
Act ; the number of workers in the employing units in these remaining 29 States is as high as six or more workers in twenty
weeks, and as low as one or more workers at any time.
I n the statistics of the Unemployment Insurance Program,
the term " wages " means all remuneration for employment,
including the cash value of remuneration paid in any medium
other than cash ; the term " taxable wages " means the portion
of wages taxed for unemployment insurance purposes, which is
the first $3,000 of wages paid by an employer to a worker for
employment performed during the calendar year ; both taxable
and total wage data are available for use in statistical studies.
Wage earners, salaried employees, supervisory staff, apprentices
and home workers are all covered if a legal relationship exists
between employer and employee ; self-employed persons are not
covered, because such a relationship does not exist. No distinction
is made between male and female workers, nor is age a factor,
except for minors who perform services for either or both parents ;
persons under eighteen years of age engaged in the distribution
of newspapers are not covered ; retired workers and pensioners
are covered at such time as they enter covered employment.
Workers on unpaid sick leave, on unpaid vacation, on strike or
in military service are not counted as employed ; persons who
have worked a part of the calendar quarter may or may not be
included in the employment count, depending upon the length
of their work, but any wages they earn during the quarter will
be reported.
Commission is to be included if it constitutes
a part of wages.
Tax returns are submitted by the employers to each State
agency of the Unemployment Insurance Program. The schedule
is divided into two parts, the first used for reporting total payrolls,
etc., and the second containing the earnings of each worker em5

62

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

ployed. The schedule is submitted each calendar quarter and
calls for the following information : employment on the payroll
nearest the 15th of the month for each month of the quarter,
total wages during the quarter, wages subject to taxation and
total contributions plus any interest due ; in most instances the
report also asks for the number of different people who were
employed by the employer at any time during the particular
quarter. The second part of the quarterly report is a list of the
persons employed during the quarter, their names and social
security numbers, and the taxable wages paid to persons who
are subject to the payroll tax ; several State agencies also obtain
the total wage paid to each person. Payroll figures include overtime and vacation pay and bonuses ; special payments such as
employers' payments into special welfare funds or group health
insurance are excluded.
No elaborate computations of earnings are made by the Federal
Administration at the present time, but average weekly wages
for each quarter and the annual wage figures are obtained for
internal purposes. The number of tables published and the amount
of detail furnished vary widely from State to State. Some prepare
various quarterly and annual studies of employment statistics.
Others publish detailed tables b y industry of employment and
payroll figures. Others still prepare wage studies by industry
and/or geographical area. Over half of the State agencies are
now working under a co-operative agreement with the Bureau
of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor and
are issuing monthly releases on current employment, hours and
earnings ; these States are using the unemployment insurance
employment and wage data as benchmark data and are projecting
estimates from the benchmarks by means of monthly information
from a sample of establishments (see Chapter II).
Employment and wage figures on a national basis are published
quarterly and annually by the Bureau of Employment Security ;
quarterly figures are released after a time-lag of usually seven
months ; in the case of the annual figures the time-lag is approximately one year. These figures are used as benchmark material
by various other federal and private agencies besides the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, such as the National Income Division
of the U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Association of Casualty Insurance Executives.
*

*

SOCIAL SECURITY STATISTICS

63

Statistics of payrolls and average earnings derived from social
security programmes are available for a certain number of other
countries also (Belgium, Czechoslovakia, etc.). I t must be admitted,
however, t h a t as a source of wage statistics, social insurance
returns have a number of serious drawbacks ; in most cases there
is a wage limit above which either the worker is not included at
all, or the wage is not taken into consideration. Furthermore,
given the very large numbers of persons covered, the results are
likely to be published only after a very lengthy time-lag ; as an
instance, the case of the Netherlands might be cited, where the
latest information available on daily earnings refers to the year
1947, and where, owing to technical arrangements, no preliminary
results based on a sample of returns can be obtained.
The main usefulness of such wage statistics, therefore, would
appear to be their value as benchmark data for wage statistics
based on establishments reporting and also their value for total
wages and salaries and national income statistics. Whatever
their limitations, it should be strongly recommended that the
information which can be derived from the administration of
such schemes should be computed and published and used as a
source of benchmark data for other wage statistics with a more
restricted coverage and with, therefore, a shorter time-lag in
publication.

CHAPTER V
ESTIMATES OF TOTAL WAGES AND SALARIES
The present chapter contains a brief review of the methods
followed by various countries to arrive at estimates of the amounts
paid out each year in wages and salaries ; it does not deal with
estimates of the total labour income which, besides total wages
and salaries, include such transfer payments as unemployment
compensation, sickness benefits, etc. The main points to be
analysed under this heading are the various sources of information
used, the methods of estimating the figures for branches of economic activity and categories of workers not covered by these
sources, etc.
I n Australia, estimates of the total wage bill are based primarily upon returns lodged under the Pay-roll Tax Assessment Act.
The basic series includes all wages and salaries subject to payroll
tax, including directors' fees; drawings by working proprietors
are excluded. I t will be recalled that, with few exceptions, all
branches of economic activity are covered and that all establishments paying £1,040 or more in wages and salaries per year have
to make returns. The field to be covered by the estimate of the
total wage bill is divided into three g r o u p s 1 : (1) Subject to
payroll tax. (2) Commonwealth Government, with five subgroups : (a) factories, (b) construction, (c) railways, (d) post
office, (e) others. (3) Private employees not subject t o payroll
tax, with three subgroups : (a) rural, (b) household domestic,
(c) others.
For group (1) the total wage and salary bill is as recorded in
the returns. I n general, for groups (2) and (3) the number of
males plus 45 per cent, of the number of females is multiplied by
an appropriate average earnings figure derived as follows :
For group (2) (a) total payrolls are known. For group (2) (b)
a constant amount of £440 per annum is assumed ; since the end
of the war the number of workers in this group has been small.
1

war.

A fourth group (" U.S and U.K. Governments ") has disappeared since the

ESTIMATES OF TOTAL WAGES AND SALARIES

65

Por groups (2) (c) and (2) (d) the figure is derived from the
Commonwealth budget. For group 2 (e) the total payrolls for
State and local Government officials is divided by the total
number of males plus 45 per cent, of the number of females.
For groups (3) (a) and (3) (b) an arbitrary amount, based on
the General Survey for 1942-1943, is assumed, and is varied on the
basis of the variations in average earnings per equivalent male
unit (males plus 45 per cent, of females) derived from payroll tax
returns. For group (3) (c) the estimated number of workers,
less 2 per cent, of males and 3 per cent, of females in employment
recorded b y payroll tax returns (to allow for temporary loss
of pay, etc.), is multiplied by an amount determined as in
group (3) (a), but varied b y half instead of by the whole variation.
Calculations are made monthly and are used to compute a
seasonally adjusted index of average earnings for Australia as
a whole ; absolute amounts are published for Australia and for
each State once a quarter. The time-lag in publication is from
seven to eight weeks from the end of the period covered.
I n Canada, total salary and wage payments as reported by
the annual census of industry are used wherever possible. Salaries
and wages in agriculture for 1941 are based on decennial census
data and are projected to other years on the trend indicated by
sample surveys carried out by the Agricultural Branch of the
Dominion Bureau of Statistics. Other cases where decennial
census data are used as a basis include fishing and trapping, trade,
and certain service industries. I n the case of trade, the payrolls
index prepared b y the Employment Branch, Dominion Bureau of
Statistics, has been available for projection since 1941 ; in other
cases, less satisfactory information is available and projections
are made on the basis of general indexes of employment and
wages.
Other sources of information used are the Canadian Bankers'
Association reports, reports of the Superintendent of insurance,
various provincial reports, the public accounts, etc. ; for municipal governments, the estimates are less satisfactory, being based
on decennial census data for 1941 and projected on the experience
of a sample of cities. Board and living allowances are estimated
separately for industries where they are important, e.g., agriculture, logging, and domestic service ; in the case of agriculture,
some information is available from the decennial census and from
sample surveys ; in other cases, the estimates are based on rela-

66

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

tively arbitrary assumptions, both as to the numbers involved
and as to the value of board.
In order to arrive at estimates of total wages and salaries in
the British Zone of Germany, it would be necessary to survey
the wages of workers in agriculture and forestry and of salaried
employees in the major economic branches. Such surveys have
not yet been undertaken, but the necessary forms have been
prepared, together with explanatory notes. They call for total
salaries of certain categories of salaried employees, separately by
sex, for employees in mining, manufacturing, construction, commerce, transport, banks and insurance. Other forms call for
total wages of all workers, separately in agriculture and in forestry,
for the financial year 1947-1948.
In Ireland, figures for wages, salaries and pensions of persons
with money incomes exceeding £150 per annun are shown separately and are supplied by the Revenue Commissioners ; for incomes
in money and kind below £150 per annum, the figures are those
resulting from the annual censuses of industrial production ; no
adjustment is made, and a separate item, largely conjectural, is
added to show total wages and salaries paid by establishments
not covered by the censuses. Estimates for agriculture are derived
from the 1936 census showing number of labourers and combined
with the official statistics of agricultural wages.
For Southern Bhodesia, information on total wages and salaries
is based on returns from the compulsory workmen's compensation
scheme. The Act covers all employees of all races whose earnings
are less than £720 per annum, with the exception of domestic
servants other than those employed in hotels and boarding houses,
out-workers and other classes usually exempted ; civil servants
are also excluded from the operation of the Act. The schedule
calls for the total amount of wages paid to each class of occupation
(such classes relating to the degree of industrial risk). For national
income purposes, the totals received in salaries and wages of
£720 per annum and under are completed with estimates of
total earnings of civil servants (based on civil service estimates),
and of earnings of persons receiving more than £720 per annum
(based on income tax statistics). No other adjustments are
introduced.
In Sweden, the Central Statistical Bureau compiles yearly
statistics of tax assessments and income distribution by industries. These include estimates of the aggregate earnings of civil
servants and casual workers as well as the aggregate and average

ESTIMATES OF TOTAL WAGES AND SALABIES

67

incomes of employed persons (wage earners and salaried employees)
in various industrial groups.
I n the United Kingdom, estimates of the aggregate earnings
of various classes of employed persons are made by the Central
Statistical Office, with the assistance of other Government departments, and are given in the annual White Paper, " National
Income and Expenditure of the United Kingdom ".
The estimates show separately total " salaries " and total
" wages ". The latter item only is analysed into about fifteen
to twenty industrial groups, for the majority of which quarterly
estimates of wages are given. The remuneration of employers,
working proprietors, etc., and professional earnings are excluded
from the wage and salary bills and are included in the White
Paper under the heading " Interests and Profits ".
The estimate of total earnings (i.e., wages plus salaries) is provided by the Commissioners of Inland Revenue from their
income tax statistics. Under the " Pay-As-You-Earn " system the
income t a x on employees' earnings is deducted by the employers,
and in this connection all employers have to provide returns of
their employees' total remuneration (including bonuses, etc.).
As will be seen below, a separate estimate can be made of
the total wages bill ; the data on levels of salary in the different
industries are at present insufficient to make an independent
estimate of total salaries ; the total salary bill given in the White
Paper is therefore taken to be total earnings estimates derived
from income t a x sources less the estimated wage bill, i.e., it is
merely a residual item.
The basic data used in the derivation of the estimated wage
bill are :
(a) an annual count of the number of persons insured under
the unemployment insurance system, analysed by sex, age and
industry. By subtraction of the numbers registered as unemployed, these statistics yield an annual figure (for July of each
year) of the number of insured persons employed. From March
1949 on, the annual count of insured persons in each industry,
etc., has been replaced by quarterly sample estimates ;
(b) monthly returns from employers in a majority of industries showing month to month changes in the level of employment.
The statistics derived from these returns are used in conjunction
with the annual figures described in (a) above to provide monthly
figures of the number of insured employed persons in each indus-

68

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

try. These monthly returns separate numbers employed into
wage earners and salary earners ;
(c) statistics of average weekly earnings (including bonuses)
of wage earners. I n the case of manufacturing industry and
certain other industries, such data are published for two weeks
in the year (one in April and one in October) with an analysis by
sex and by industry.
Broadly speaking, data under (a) and (b) provide statistics
of employment of males and females in each industry, (b) gives
the ratio of wage earners to the total number of employed
persons for each sex in each industry, and (c) gives average
earnings per wage earner. These sources therefore provide an
estimate of total wages in each industry.
The following refinements, however, are introduced :
(1) Certain categories of persons have in the past been
exempted from the unemployment insurance scheme (e.g., males
over sixty-five years of age, females over sixty ye ars of age, nonmanual workers earning over £420 per annum, certain permanent
employees of the Government and of local authorities, etc., and
private indoor domestic servants). An addition to the figures of
insured employed has had to be made in respect of these persons.
Under the new national insurance scheme, which came into effect
on 5 July 1948, all these categories of persons will, in future, be
covered and no correction will be required.
(2) A deduction has to be made from the estimates of
numbers employed on account of absence due to sickness ; this is
because' the figures of earnings refer to the average earnings of
those in receipt of wages in the particular week chosen, and do
not refer to the average earnings of all those " on the books ".
A similar deduction is made on account of absence due to strikes ;
this deduction is based on Ministry of Labour figures of numbers
of working days lost in the different industries.
(3) The Ministry of Labour's figures of earnings give average
earnings at two dates in the year ; for intervening months the
average wages earned in the different industries are interpolated by
means of wage rate indices compiled by the Ministry of Labour.
These indices take account only of changes in wage rates and
do not cover changes in earnings arising from alterations in
standard hours of work or from changes in amount of overtime
worked.

ESTIMATES OF TOTAL "WAGES AND SALARIES

69

(4) An addition to cash earnings has to be made for allowances
in kind ; this applies, for instance, to domestic service and coal
mining.
(5) The basic data described above relate only to Great Britain ;
the estimated wage bill for each industry group in Great Britain
is therefore multiplied b y a factor based on the ratio of the number
of insured employed persons in the United Kingdom to the corresponding number in Great Britain.
I n addition to the adjustments just described, there are deficiencies in the basic data for certain non-manufacturing industries.
I n many cases alternative sources of information are available
and special methods are then employed ; where alternative data
are not available a reasonable guess has to be made. Examples are
given below.
(a) The monthly returns on employment from a sample of
establishments are made only in manufacturing industry, and
hence in non-manufacturing industry the proportions of salary
earners and of wage earners have to be estimated from alternative
sources. The definitions of wage earner and salaried employee
are then adjusted to bring them into line with the alternative
source of information ; thus, in several cases where statistics
of employment analysed between " clerical " and " operative "
grades are available (e.g., for electricity and railways), the ratio of
salary earners to wage earners is assumed to be t h a t of clerical
workers to operatives. I n other industries where no other data
are available (e.g., shipping, distribution) the different occupations
identified in each industry in the 1931 census of population are
classified arbitrarily as salary and wage earning, and the ratio in
each industry of salary earners to wage earners is calculated from
the 1931 census figures of numbers of persons in the different
occupational categories.
(b) The Ministry of Labour's figures of earnings do not extend
to all non-manufacturing industries (e.g., they omit distribution,
commerce, railways, coal mining, domestic service, etc.). I n such
cases estimates of weekly earnings have to be made from other
sources, e.g., Ministry of Transport returns of earnings of various
grades of railway workers, National Coal Board returns of earnings
of coal miners. Where no other information is available estimates
are frequently based on minimum statutory wage rates or on wage
rates agreed between trade unions and employers.

70

WAGES AND PAYBOLL STATISTICS

(c) Estimates of wages and salaries in (i) certain branches of
central and local government service and in (ii) agriculture and
forestry are made as completely separate calculations. Statistics
of average earnings in Government industrial establishments are
included in the returns of earnings of the Ministry of Labour.
For other central government employees, estimates of numbers
employed and of average earnings are compiled from Treasury
returns and from the Civil and Defence Estimates. Estimates for
the Post Office are similarly derived. Estimates for certain classes
of local government employees are also given in the general
earnings statistics obtained by the Ministry of Labour. Rough
estimates must be made for other classes for which no firm data
exist. Estimates of agricultural earnings are based on sample surveys
periodically undertaken by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
So much for the total wage bill ; with regard to the estimate of
the salary bill, the numbers of salary earners in several industries
can be estimated from the unemployment insurance returns and
from the monthly returns from employers ; but except in a few
special industries, e.g., Government service, no figures of salary
levels are available, since the Ministry of Labour's statistics of
earnings relate only to wage earners. The nearest approach to an
enquiry on salary levels was a private investigation carried out in
November 1946 by the Office Management Association ; their
enquiry was, however, confined to clerical personnel, excluding
administrative and managerial personnel, and, moreover, the
information is now out of date.
The most recent census of production was in 1935, though
the results of a partial census (i.e., covering certain industries only)
relating to the calendar year 1946 are now becoming available.
The next complete census of production will relate to 1948. The
first census of distribution to be held in the United Kingdom will
relate to 1950.
Voluntary enquiries into total wages paid (but not salaries
paid) were made in connection with the 1935 census of production,
but only about two thirds of the wage earners in manufacturing
industry were covered. I n the 1946 partial census and in future
censuses of production, compulsory returns of total wages paid and
total salaries paid have been, or will be, given. Small establishments
will not, however, make these returns, and estimates (based on
employment) will have to be made in respect of them.
I t is envisaged t h a t the census of distribution will provide

ESTIMATES OF TOTAL WAGES AND SALAMES

71

estimates of total earnings (wages and salaries) in the distributive
and service industries. The censuses of production and distribution
will, however, still cover only a portion of total earnings, since they
will omit agriculture, central and local government service
and, in the first instance, several service industries, notably transport, entertainment and finance.
In the United States, the sources of information used to compile
the annual total wage and salary estimates are social insurance
statistics (old-age and survivors' insurance, railway retirement
programme and unemployment insurance) and statistics of establishments. Since 1939, social insurance statistics, with minor
exceptions, have been used to provide estimates of total wages and
salaries in most industries ; prior to that time it was necessary to
rely upon periodic censuses of establishments data to establish
levels of total earnings for particular years and upon sample statistics of establishments to carry this benchmark data forward.
The industries for which data are published are agriculture,
mining, manufacturing, construction, trade, transportation, communications and public utilities, finance, service and Government.
Separate data for salaried employees and wage earners are not
available for each group. The earnings of managers are included in
the estimates, but the earnings of directors, working proprietors
and other self-employed persons are excluded. The figures include
payments in kind (for example, in agriculture and for domestics in
private households) and tips (for example, in restaurants and taxicab
operation). The estimates have therefore been defined as including
the monetary remuneration commonly regarded as wages and
salaries, including executives' compensation, commission, tips,
bonuses and payments in kind, which represent income to the
recipient.
The social insurance data include all private industries with the
exception of agriculture, servants in private households and some
non-profit religious, charitable and educational institutions.
No adjustment is required for the data published by the Railroad
Retirement Board. I t is necessary, however, to make adjustments
to the other major source of information, the old-age and survivors'
insurance statistics, to correct for wage limitations ; the old-age
and survivors' insurance statistics report the aggregate amount of
taxable payrolls ; for each employee, taxable pay is the first $3,000
earned during a calendar year from each employer for whom he
works. I t is therefore necessary to adjust these data for earnings
above $3,000 ; data obtained from State unemployment compen-

72

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

sation agencies in connection with the administration of unemployment insurance are utilised for this purpose ; these agencies
secure data for both taxable and non-taxable earnings from establishments covered by their programmes. The addition of nontaxable payrolls of establishments reporting to the State unemployment insurance agencies to taxable payrolls covered b y old-age
and survivors' insurance provides a figure for wages and salaries
in covered employment which is complete except for non-taxable
payrolls in employment not covered by unemployment compensation laws.
This employment in the main consists of employment by firms
too small to be subject to unemployment compensation laws
(the State laws vary from coverage of employers having one or
more to employers having eight or more employees). Non-taxable
payrolls for this group are estimated on the assumption t h a t the
ratio of non-taxable to taxable wages is 46 per cent, as great as the
corresponding ratio for firms covered by unemployment compensation laws ; this ratio is based on a special sample study for 1943.
Farm payrolls are eliminated throughout, because it is desired to
treat farming in its entirety as a non-covered industry.
Estimates of payrolls in non-covered industries, primarily
employment in agriculture, domestic service and religious, charitable and educational institutions, and in Government, are based
on a variety of sources. Payroll estimates for agriculture and for
State and local governments are based on periodic censuses of establishments and have been extended by sample statistical studies
of establishments.
The data for wages and salaries are published annually after a
time-lag of seven months between publication of the data and the
period to which they refer. Monthly and quarterly estimates of
payrolls for only broad industry groups are also published after a
time-lag of approximately one month.
#

*

*

The analysis in Chapter I I has shown t h a t a good many countries compute and publish payroll index numbers ; these series are
usually based on a sample of establishments and can be published
each month, each quarter, or each year ; the advantage of such
series is t h a t they are published with a minimum time-lag ; their
drawback is obvious : since they are based on a sample of large
establishments there is no guarantee t h a t they measure accurately

ESTIMATES OF TOTAL WAGES AND SALARIES

73

the trends and variations of the total wage and salary bill in the
nation. From the moment it is desired to publish figures on total
wages and salaries, other methods have to be used. These methods
vary widely in the different countries, owing to the widely different
character of the statistical series used as sources.
The United Kingdom and the United States are examples of
the use of basically different methods to arrive at estimates of
total wages and salaries. Whereas the United Kingdom builds
up estimates on the basis of information on average earnings
per worker on the one hand, and on the number of persons in
employment on the other, the United States bases its estimates
on old-age insurance returns brought up to date b y means of the
results of statistics covering a sample of establishments. Australia
combines both methods by adding estimates based on average
earnings and employment figures to payroll t a x figures.
I t is difficult to have a definite preference for one or the other
method ; it must nevertheless be admitted t h a t the method by which
a complete census of total payrolls and salaries is furnished by social
insurance returns and brought up to date by statistics of establishments appears safer than estimates built up from the ground, so
to speak, and using figures on average earnings per worker in various
fields as raw material. The need to adjust such estimates to
benchmark data has been felt in the United Kingdom, and questions
on total payrolls have been introduced in the schedules of the censuses of production and of distribution to be carried out in the near
future.

CHAPTER VI
SOCIAL CHARGES
I n the last three chapters an attempt has been made to clarify
the term " wage " as it is used in the statistics of the various
countries, and to determine the various elements of pay which
are included in the figures of the gross amounts of wages entered
on the payroll of each worker prior to any deduction. There
is, however, still another concept, t h a t of labour costs, which
is of importance from the point of view both of employers and
also of the competitive position of countries in international trade.
I n Chapter I the fact was recalled t h a t the first Conference
convened in 1929 by the Social Science Research Council tried
to define the wage concept from several points of view, one of
which was t h a t of the labour cost per unit of production.
I n a document submitted by the Office to the Fourth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, 20-23 May
1931) the scope of the items included in the term " wages " was
discussed ; it was pointed out t h a t workers' social insurance
contributions are always included in the wage, i.e., the wage
figures obtained are those before deduction by the employer of
the worker's share of social insurance charges. The document
also pointed out t h a t as regards the payments made by employers
there had been considerable differences of opinion, but t h a t there
was no doubt t h a t such payments should be included in any
statistics in which attempts were made to compare the cost of
labour in different countries.
The further point was made t h a t it was impossible to obtain
comparable information on the amount of the contributions paid
by the State and local authorities per adult male or per married
worker ; even in respect of employers' contributions, information
was very difficult to obtain. The fact was recalled t h a t an attempt
had been made by the Office in J a n u a r y 1931 to obtain some
information as to the amount of such contributions, and Governments had been asked to indicate, for a list of thirty occupations,
the weekly amounts paid by employers in respect of social insurance charges ; the information received had been very meagre

SOCIAL CHARGES

75

and it had been impossible to take into account such fragmentary
replies.
The Office document also pointed out t h a t current (1931)
wage statistics made no allowance for holidays with pay, but
t h a t this factor was of rather minor importance and could be
disregarded when attempting to make international comparisons
of the real purchasing power of wages.
The tables appended to the Office document showed t h a t
employers' contributions to social insurance schemes for workers
in various occupations varied between 0.5 and 1.2 per cent, in
Spain, between 3 and 5 per cent, in France, between 1.5 and
3 per cent, in Ireland, between 3.5 and 12 per cent, in the Netherlands, between 0.5 and 6 per cent, in Sweden, and between 6.6
and 7.8 per cent, in Germany ; they amounted to 2.2 per cent.
in Great Britain (excluding accident insurance).
The Conference discussed the question of contributions to
compulsory and voluntary schemes of social insurance ; such
contributions consist of payments by workers, by employers
and by the community. As regards workers' contributions, there
was general agreement t h a t such payments should be included in
the workers' wages ; as regards the other two, though these payments are for the benefit of the worker, he does not actually
receive benefits as part of his weekly wage and if he is not sick,
injured or unemployed he may never receive any benefits at
all. As regards voluntary payments of this nature (charitable
societies, welfare schemes, etc.) no comparable information was
available. The Conference considered t h a t such information as
to social charges as might be available, especially on the compulsory
contributions of employers, should be collected and published by
the Office and should be taken into consideration where comparable
data are furnished. The Conference accordingly adopted the
following recommendation on this point :
In any statistics which may in future be compiled by the International
Labour Office as to the relative purchasing power of wages in different
countries, account should be taken of the diverse circumstances and
conditions of the workers in different countries resulting, for example,
from differences : (a) in systems of wage payments ; (b) in the nature
and amount of payments supplementary to wages, such as family
allowances and paid holidays, and (c) in systems of social insurance.
Alternative series of index numbers (of the relative purchasing power of
wages in various countries) should be so far as possible computed to
show the effect of the inclusion or exclusion of such items.
A further attempt to gather information on the elements of
remuneration other than wages was undertaken by the Office

76

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

in conjunction with the October 1932 enquiry into the wages and
normal hours of work of a list of thirty occupations and into the
retail prices of a list of foodstuffs. Information obtained related
to family allowances, holidays and vacations with pay, and workers'
and employers' contributions to compulsory social insurance
schemes. Family allowances applied to a family composed of
husband, wife and two children ; holidays and vacations granted
were expressed in terms of number of days paid for, separately
for holidays and for vacations ; workers' and employers' contributions were expressed in national currency per week or as a
percentage of wages. In the last part of the report on the October
1932 enquiry 1 , the Office attempted to combine the various elements of information gathered by adding the following to wages
as such : family allowances, t h e monetary equivalent of holidays
and vacations with pay, and the employers' contributions to
compulsory social insurance schemes, in order to arrive at an
approximate figure of the total cost of labour, on a per hour
basis in some cases and on a per normal week basis in others.
In a document submitted to the first session of the Committee
of Statistical Experts of the International Labour Office (Geneva,
12-15 December 1933), the Office attempted to estimate the relative
importance of factors other t h a n wages in the remuneration of
a specific occupation, namely, fitters and turners. By adding
to money wages per hour the amount of family allowances, of
holidays with pay and of employers' social insurance contributions,
the difference between money wages and total labour cost was
estimated to vary between 1.2 per cent, in Dublin and 33 per
cent, in Tallinn (Estonia), being 10 per cent, for Berlin, 7 per cent.
for Vienna, 2 per cent, for Ottawa, 9 per cent, for Paris, 2.5 per
cent, for London, 4 per cent, for Oslo, 9 per cent, for Amsterdam,
4 per cent, for Stockholm, etc.
The Committee of Statistical Experts adopted the following
resolution on statistics of elements of remuneration other t h a n
wages :
The Committee, having examined the results of the latest enquiry
into elements of remuneration other than wages (family allowances,
paid holidays, employers' and workers' contributions to compulsory
social insurances) carried out by the Office in conformity with the resolutions of the Fourth International Conference of Labour Statisticians,

1

International

Labour Review, Vol. XXVTII, No. 2, Aug. 1933, p . 265.

SOCIAL CHABGES

77

as a complement to other enquiries into wages, makes the following
recommendations :
(1) in order that the results of such enquiries may serve really
useful purposes, particularly in contributing towards a complete explanation of the data relating to wages, it is desirable that the national
statistical services of all the countries which collaborate in the annual
enquiry into wages should be able to supply more complete information
on these elements of remuneration, and should furnish more exact
information as to the sources, character and scope of the figures, so as
to enable the portion which these different factors form of the total
remuneration of the workers, to be evaluated ;
(2) the Omce should continue its work with a view to elaborating
methods appropriate for arriving at such evaluations, taking into
consideration the different hypotheses which may be adopted in this
respect ;
(3) in view of the nature of these different elements and the lack of
adequate information, it is not essential that the simultaneous calculation of several index numbers of wages, showing the effect of including
or excluding these factors, should be repeated each year. It will be
sufficient to recall, in the analysis dealing with the wages tabulation,
the general character of the supplementary remuneration of this kind
existing in each country, and periodically to revise the available information and these calculations by special enquiries at intervals of some
years.
The only other enquiry carried out by the Office in this field
was the one dealing with coal mining. I n this enquiry 1 , miners.
earnings were broken down, and net money wages, workers'
social insurance contributions, allowances in cash, allowances in
kind (free and cheap coal, and others) and payments for hohdays
were shown ; employers' contributions to social insurance were
also shown, in order to arrive at total labour costs for the years
1933, 1935 and 1936. Figures shown were total amounts per
year for the whole country.
During the past ten years, the question of statistics on the
elements of remuneration other than wages has gained in importance. As seen in preceding chapters, payments for hohdays
and vacations are now usually included in the data on wages
published b y the different countries. With regard to family
allowances, the inclusion of this item in the published figures
depends on whether the family allowances scheme of the given
country is based on benefits paid through employers or on benefits
paid directly b y the State ; there is no uniformity in the legislation
of the various countries in this field, and the conclusion reached
1
1 . L . O . : The World Coal-Mining
No. 31, 2 vols. (Geneva, 1938).

6

Industry,

Studies and Reports, Series B,

78

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

in Chapter I I was t h a t it is desirable to have information on this
point for as many countries as possible, but t h a t such information,
if derived from payroll statistics, should be shown separately
and not combined with wage figures.
So much for payments for holidays and vacations and for
family allowances. With these two elements of the remuneration
of the workers out of the way, the cost of labour aspect of payroll
statistics comes to the fore, and the additional sums paid by
employers on account of employing workers have become known
as social charges, or " wage fringes ".
This question is of great importance to employers and Governments alike, since labour costs (per hour or per unit of production)
will determine in a large measure the competitive position of
an individual employer and t h e competitive position of a given
country for the products entering international trade.
A review of the current information available in the different
countries shows the following facts.
I n Belgium, the Social Security Act came into force on 1 J a n u ary 1945. Contributions due for wages and salaries up t o 4,000
francs are as follows :
Per cent.

Contributions of wage earners
Contributions of salaried employees. . . .
Employers' contributions for their wage
earners
Employers' contributions for their salaried
employees

8.00
8.25
15.50
15.25

Employers' contributions are subdivided amongst the various
schemes as follows :
For wage earners :
3.50
2.50
1.00
6.00
2.50

per cent, for old age ;
„
„ for sickness and invalidity ;
„
„ for unemployment ;
„
„ for family allowances ;
„
„ for holidays with pay.

For salaried employees :
6.00
2.25
1.00
6.00

per cent, for old age ;
„
„ for sickness and invalidity ;
„
„ for unemployment ;
,,
„ for family allowances.

Since 15 November 1945, employers have an additional contribution to pay, i.e., to the National Fund for the Re-equipment

SOCIAL CHARGES

79

of Workers' Households ; the employers' contribution to this
fund is 1.5 per cent, of the wages and salaries u p to a maximum
wage or salary of 4,000 francs per month.
Since 14 J u n e 1948, payments for vacations have been doubled
and employer's contributions have increased to 2.5. per cent, for
wages where a ceiling is applicable and to 5 per cent, for wages
where no ceiling applies.
Contributions to workmen's compensation are in addition.
Employers' contributions vary with the class of risk ; on an average,
they are estimated a t 3.40 per cent, for wage earners and 0.90
per cent, for salaried employees.
The Act of 6 July 1948 provides t h a t the special bonuses previously paid to workers receiving low salaries to compensate for
the increased cost of living are to be integrated in the basic wage by
the addition of 0.50 francs per hour for wages and 100 francs per
month for salaries. This change has been estimated to represent
an increase of 3.66 per cent, on average.
Besides the vacations of six days paid at twice the normal
salary, the law provides for the payment of holidays falling during
the week, up to a maximum of ten days per year ; this is estimated
as an additional 4.20 per cent.
The employers' contributions are thus brought up to a total
of 30.76 per cent, for wage earners and 23.17 per cent, for salaried
employees. These figures do not take into account the various
ceilings applicable to the different schemes of social security ; if
these are brought into the picture, social charges paid by employers,
as defined above, are estimated to amount to 30 per cent, in the
case of wages and 20 per cent, in the case of salaries. 1
I n the spring of 1948, a tripartite committee on statistics of
wages and cost of living was set up in Belgium. This Committee
has now recommended t h a t the following series of index numbers
should be computed and published : (a) average hourly straighttime earnings ; (b) average gross earnings ; (c) average net earnings ; and (d) " real cost of wages ".
The real cost of wages is the average earnings figure to which social
charges and taxes of all kinds paid by employers have been added ;
these charges may be imposed by legislation, by decisions of joint
committees or by collective agreements, or may be merely customary

1

Revue pratique des questions commerciales et économiques, Mar. 1949, p. 24.

80

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

(in which case they are included only if recognised by trade union
organisations).1
In France, the Employers' Association of Electrical Machinery
Manufacturers in the region of Paris undertakes monthly enquiries
into the average gross hourly earnings of their workers and into
the social charges of employers. The two index numbers (based
on 1938 = 100) are as follows 2 :
Average hourly
gross earnings
plus social charges

Average hourlygross earnings

Year

1938
1945
1946
1947
1948

100
283
407
596
882

100
325
468
695
1,038

Another enquiry is undertaken by the Group of the Metal,
Mechanical and Affiliated Industries of the region of Paris. Estimates of employers' compulsory contributions to various social
s e c u r i t y s c h e m e s (in p e r cent, of gross wages) a r e a s follows

1938
Oct.

Scheme

Workmen's compensation
Family allowances
Social insurance
Apprenticeship t a x
Paid days of unemployment

. .

1948
4th quarter

3.00
3.20
4.00
4.6S
0.20

6.50
12.00
10.00
6.70
0.20
0.41

5.42
15.12
9.45
6.50
0.20
0.10
4.70
3.06

15.09

35.81

44.55

Travel indemnity
Total

:

1947
Oct.

.

1
|

3

The French Ministry of Labour, as part of its quarterly enquiry
into the employment, wages and hours of work of about six million workers, has asked for information on social charges paid by

1
3
8

Revue du travail, Mar. 1949.
Journal de la Société de statistique de Paris, May-June 1949, passim.
Bulletin de la statistique générale de la France, Supplement, Oot.-Deo. 1948,
p. 312.

SOCIAL CHARGES

81

employers during 1946 and 1948. The results of the 1946 enquiry
are summarised in the following table 1 :
FRANCE : COMPULSORY SOCIAL CHARGES IN 1946 BY INDUSTRIES

(percentages of total payrolls)
ApprenSocial
Family
Paid
surance allowances vacations ticeship
tax

Workmen's
compensation

Total

Food
Chemicals. . . .
Rubber
Paper, cardboard
Printing . . . .
Textiles
. . . .
Clothing . . . .
Leather and skin
Wood
Metallurgy . . .
Mechanical
engineering . .
Jewellery, etc. .
Stone
Building,
construction. .
Ceramics, etc.. .

8.63
8.24
8.18
8.66
8.01
9.19
8.82
9.20
8.95
9.09

9.65
9.24
9.29
9.39
8.36
9.70
9.07
9.34
10.01
10.02

4.42
4.67
4.53
4.58
4.51
4.39
4.54
4.66
4.82
4.78

0.08
0.05
0.04
0.06
0.03
0.04
0.06
0.08
0.05
0.02

4.02
3.64
3.69
3.61
1.90
1.92
1.64
2.71
7.53
3.41

26.80
25.84
25.73
26.30
22.81
25.24
24.13
25.99
31.36
27.32

9.04
7.87
9.09

9.61
8.99
10.03

4.94
4.50
4.91

0.05
0.05
0.06

4.33
1.84
5.90

27.97
23.25
29.99

9.01
9.05

10.09
9.76

5.40
4.67

0.06
0.05

9.21
4.30

33.77
27.83

Total. . . .

8.93

9.62

4.75

0.05

4.32

27.67

.
.

9.11
8.62

9.48
8.90

4.63
4.51

0.06
0.05

6.20
2.71

29.48
24.79

.
.

7.13
8.78

7.31
8.96

4.49
4.60

0.02
0.02

1.00
2.02

19.95
24.38

Grand total. .

8.81

9.39

4.68

0.05

3.84

26.77

Road transport
Commerce . .
Banking,
insurance. .
Professions . .

.

Besides these compulsory charges, information was obtained on
the following voluntary charges : supplements to benefits paid by
social insurance schemes and family allowance schemes (including
employers' contributions to private pensions funds) ; medical and
social services (infirmary, wages of socialVorkers, etc.) ; vocational
training ; canteens and co-operatives ; children's holiday camps,
kindergartens, etc. ; workers' settlements (repair and amortisation
only) and gardens ; sports and cultural expenses (libraries, etc.).
Such voluntary charges varied between 0.20 per cent, of the total
payroll of all reporting establishments (in stone works) and 6.34
1

Revue française du travail, Nov. Z947, p. 1018.

82

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

per cent, (in metallurgy) ; the average for manufacturing and
building was 2.06 per cent., bringing the total of compulsory and
voluntary charges u p to 29.73 per cent.
The enquiry covering the year 1948 was held in April 1949 ;
t h e questions asked were as follows :

III. AGGREGATE AMOUNTS OF WAGES AND SOCIAL CHARGES
ÏOR THE YEAR 1948

(a) Amounts of Wages Disbursed by the Employer
18. Aggregate amount of net wages paid to all
employees after deduction of workers' taxes,
workers' contributions to social insurance and
excluding bonuses and allowances described below
19. Aggregate amount of bonuses and allowances in
cash or in kind (overtime, production bonuses,
attendance bonuses, lunch allowances, Christmas
bonuses, etc.)
20. Workers' contributions to social insurance . . .
21. Deductions for wage tax
22. Amounts of lump sum t a x of 5 per cent. . . .
23. Aggregate amount of gross wages
(18+19+20+21+22)
(b) Amounts of Social Charges Paid during the Year lß48
Social charges paid by establishment
24. Employers' contributions
to
social insurance 1
25. Contributions
to family allowances funds 1
26. Contributions to workmen's
compensation funds
27. Paid vacations and holidays
(1 May)
28. Medical services 2
29. Social services a
30. Apprenticeship tax
31. Canteens and co-operatives .
32. Vocational training, appren- .
ticeship, etc
33. Holiday camps, kindergartens,
etc
34. Workers' settlements, gardens,
sports, cultural expenses. . .
36. Other social charges 3 . . . .
36. Total
1
2
3

Excluding voluntary payments, if any.
Compulsory and voluntary payments.
Including voluntary payments.

Amounts
Amounts
paid directly transferred to
by employer works council

Total

83

SOCIAL CHARGES

I n Italy, the General Confederation of Industries publishes
the results of monthly enquiries into the compulsory contributions
paid by employers to various social security schemes. The results
are summarised in the following figures (expressed as a percentage
of gross wages) x :
Year

1938
1947
1948
1949 : I
II
Ill
IV
V

Wage earners

Salaried employees

10.33
29.09
30.21
34.75
34.75
34.72
35.87
35.87

17.49
18.08
20.96
20.90
20.87
22.01
22.01

_

The following payments are included in the above figures :
old-age and invalidity insurance ; unemployment insurance ; tuberculosis insurance ; marriage and birth insurance ; sickness insurance ; workmen's compensation ; family allowances ; social solidarity fund. 2
I n the Netherlands, an estimate of social charges paid in the
metal industry in 1948 and communicated to the I.L.O. by the
Federation of Employers in the Metal Industry is as follows :
Percentage

Sickness insurance
Accident insurance
Invalidity insurance
Family allowances
Sickness fund
Adjustment charge
Establishment pension fund
Paid holidays and vacations
Special holiday allowances
Cost of short-term sickness
Total

3
3 to 5.2
1.3
6
1.9
4.5
2
6
2
1.5
31.2 to 33.4

1
Rassegna di Statistiche del Lavoro, July-Aug. 1949, p . 325. For a list of
sources on social charges in Italy, see op. cit., No. 5, Nov. 1948, p . 198 and No. 1,
Jan.-Feb. 1949, p . 37.
2
I n a study published a t the end of 1948, the General Confederation of Italian
Industries arrived a t the following estimates of social charges paid by employers
in various countries (in percentage of wages) : Belgium, 17.0; France, 24.6; Italy,
34.7 ; United Kingdom, 3.6. These charges cover the following insurance schemes
(where applicable) : invalidity, old age and death ; sickness ; maternity ;
unemployment ; industrial injuries and occupational diseases ; and family
allowances (cf. Rassegna di Statistiche del Lavoro, Nov. 1948, p . 184).

84

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

Only fragmentary information is available on the subject of
social charges for the United States.
Some of the extra charges paid by employers are described as
follows in a publication of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce :
A growing number of companies have adopted supplementary
private pension plans. For many years employers have carried life
insurance on their employees, usually in modest proportions, employers
paying the premium, unless the worker desired additional insurance ; in
addition, many employers pay death benefits not covered by insurance.
Group insurance and paid sick leave plans continue to be a major issue in
collective bargaining . . . but the number of (such) plans incorporated
into union contracts is limited.1
Non-production bonuses are paid in a good many cases ;
these include Christmas bonuses, profit-sharing bonuses, etc. I n
addition, many companies subsidise plants' cafeterias, pay transportation costs and provide recreational facilities for their workers.
A private study of thirty large companies covering many different
industries revealed that the average cost in 1946 of a list of compulsory
and voluntary benefits was over 13 per cent, of payroll, although in
13 per cent, of the cases the figure was over 20 per cent.
I t is estimated that employers' compulsory contributions to :
(a) workmen's compensation for industrial accidents and diseases ;
(b) non-occupational disability in three States and in the case of railroads ; (c) unemployment compensation ; and (d) old-age and survivors'
insurance amount to 8.5 per cent, of total payrolls.2
I n conclusion, it can be stated t h a t statistical information on
social charges, except in a few countries, is at best incomplete, and
often simply unavailable. Some information on the subject could
be obtained by an examination of the legislative texts and regulations in each case, but the results would obviously not be very
satisfactory. I t is strongly to be recommended, therefore, t h a t
payroll statistics based on establishment reporting should be
supplemented at suitable intervals, and preferably once a year,
by information on social charges. As a minimum, this information
should cover the compulsory contributions paid by employers to
social security schemes ; wherever possible, information should be
gathered, in addition, on payments made voluntarily b y employers.
A paragraph along these lines is included in the draft
resolutions to be found in Chapter V I I I .

1
2

American Economic Security,
Ibid., p . 21.

Oct.-Nov. 1948, p . 17.

CHAPTER VII
CONVENTION (No. 63) CONCERNING STATISTICS
OF WAGES AM) HOURS OF WORK, 1938
As has been mentioned in Chapter I, the two Conferences
convened in 1929 and 1930 by the Social Science Research Council
of the United States passed resolutions on wage index numbers
and on the methods of international wage comparisons.
The latter subject was discussed again at the 4th International
Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, 1931) ; after having
examined the available data on wages and cost of living in the
various countries, the Conference decided to ask the Governing
Body of the International Labour Office to contemplate the possibility of the adoption by the International Labour Conference
of a Convention on wage statistics and cost-of-living index numbers
as the best means of achieving a substantial improvement of
the data available on these two subjects in the various countries.
The 4th International Conference of Labour Statisticians also
recommended that a Committee of Statistical Experts should
be appointed by the Governing Body to examine further the
problems raised by international comparisons of wages and cost
of living and to co-operate in the preparation of a proposed Convention on these subjects.
In one of the documents submitted by the Office to the second
session of the Committee of Statistical Experts (1935), the point
was made that the resolutions arrived at by preceding International Conferences of Labour Statisticians, although extremely
useful in that they showed the lines along which labour statistics
were to be developed in the various countries, had not entirely
justified the hopes they had raised, and that furthermore they
did not, with one exception (the so-called October enquiry into
wages and normal hours of work by occupations and into retail
prices of food, fuel and rent), provide for the transmittal of data
by the various countries to the International Labour Office.
The further point was made that, since it would be impossible
in practice to draft a Convention on all labour statistics, the
question of most immediate concern to the workers, namely

86

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

wages, ought to be chosen for the first (experimental) international
Convention on statistics. A good many of the points to be included
in the proposed Convention would be found in the resolutions
adopted b y the various International Conferences of Labour Statisticians. The first and most important one would be to t r y to
induce each country to publish statistics both on rates and on
earnings, and, further, to distinguish wages according to sex,
age (adults, juveniles), skill, industry, occupation, and region.
The proposed Convention was also to lay down a minimum periodicity and limit the interval between the date of first publication
of the figures and the date to which they refer.
The Committee of Experts unanimously recommended t h a t
the question of a proposed Convention on labour statistics should
be included on the agenda of the 1937 Session of the International
Labour Conference, t h a t the Convention should be limited to
statistics of wages and hours of work, and t h a t a Technical Conference of official labour statisticians should be convened to examine
the draft text of the proposed Convention before its submittal
to the International Labour Conference. The Committee also
suggested t h a t " a Recommendation be appended to the Draft
Convention to the effeot that statistics should be periodically
collected and published, showing the amount of the total wages
bill in each of the principal industries (and indicating the extent
to which they are representative of all the workers)". The Committee thought t h a t the proposed Convention ought to cover
all non-agricultural branches of economic activity, with a special
reference to the fact t h a t wage statistics in agriculture were to
be compiled once a year in less detail than in the other branches
of economic activity. The Committee, in its report to the Governing Body, included a lisi of points to be covered b y the proposed
Convention.
Following up the suggestion of the Committee, the 5th International Conference of Labour Statisticians was convened in
Geneva in September 1937. I t met to examine the technical
aspects of the Office proposals for the standardisation of wages
and hours of work b y means of an international Convention.
I n preparing these drafts the Office had taken into account the
state of the existing statistics of wages and hours of work in various
countries. This examination showed t h a t different kinds of
statistics on these subjects were in varying degrees of development
in the different countries. I n some cases, preference had been
given to the statistics of average earnings and actual hours worked,

CONVENTION NO. 6 3

87

while in others preference had been given to statistics of rates
of wages and normal hours. Thus, a Convention dealing with
both these distinct classes of statistics might be difficult to ratify
in the case of countries which had developed their statistics on
one line rather than another.
I n order to avoid having a series of Conventions dealing with
the different classes of statistics of rates of wages and normal
hours, and average earnings and actual hours, the Office draft
proposed to divide the Convention into two separate parts, either
of which could be excluded by a country in its ratification. This
point of view was adopted b y the Conference. I t decided, however,
to add a third part dealing with agricultural wages, in view of
the special conditions attaching to this industry. As regards
the categories of workpeople covered by these Parts I I and I I I
of the Convention, the Conference decided t h a t it should be confined to wage earners in mining and manufacturing (including
building and construction).
For those aspects of the subject not covered by the Convention,
but for which the compilation of statistics was considered desirable
to supplement the data to be provided under the Convention, a
Recommendation was drawn up. One paragraph of the Recommendation deals with salaried employees, another with wage
earners in commerce, transport and administrative services
which are not covered b y the Convention. The Recommendation
also contains provisions on the subject of annual aggregate wages,
annual earnings per worker, decennial enquiries into earnings by
occupations, etc. 1
The 5th International Conference of Labour Statisticians also
wished to draw attention to two questions which were not dealt
with in the drafts submitted to it and which it had not discussed
in detail.
The first question was, whether it was not desirable to include
in the proposed Convention " modifications " to meet the case
of countries to which Article 19 (3) of the Constitution of the
Organisation applies. Such countries were not extensively represented in the Conference, and it seemed important to consider
fully whether the inclusion of such provisions might not make
i t possible for them to become parties to the proposed Convention.
The second question was, whether it would not be desirable
that the proposed Convention should include some provision
For the text of the proposed Recommendation, see Appendix I, p . 134.

88

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

empowering an appropriate body of statistical experts to formulate
from time to time proposals for the improvement and amplification
of the statistics compiled in pursuance of the Convention.
The Committee on Statistics of the 24th Session of the International Labour Conference (1938) proceeded to a detailed examination of the proposed Convention. One of the requirements
added during this examination concerned statistics of hours of
work in agriculture, which were to be compiled " so far as practicable ". A number of resolutions were also adopted by the Committee on the need for further improvement of statistics of wages
and hours of work in agriculture and on the need for extension
of the Office's studies on international comparisons of real wages.
It also requested in a resolution that, in accordance with Article
24 of the Convention, the need for further development of statistics of wages and hours of work along the following lines should
be brought to the attention of the Governments : separate figures
of earnings and of hours actually worked for each of the principal
occupations ; statistics siowmg the aggregate amount of wages
paid per annum in each of the principal industries ; and statistics
showing average annual earnings of workers employed in each
of the principal industries.
Mr. Ramsbottom, Reporter of the Committee on Statistics,
in presenting the Committee's report to the Conference, stated
that two important features of the proposed Convention were
that certain parts of the Convention could be excluded from
ratification, and that the Convention did not require ratifying
countries to exercise compulsory powers in the collection of the
information.
After a general discussion, the Convention was put to the
vote and adopted by 125 to 0.1
1
Articles 19, 22 and 35 of the Constitution of the International Labour Organisation regulate the adoption of Conventions by the International Labour
Conference, their ratification and application by States Members and the way in
which States Members are required t o report back t o the Conference on the
measures taken to apply the ratified Conventions. The text of these articles is
as follows :
Article 19
1. When the Conference has decided on the adoption of proposals with
regard to an item in the agenda, it will rest with the Conference to determine
whether these proposals should take the form : (a) of an international Convention,
or (b) of a Recommendation to meet circumstances where the subject, or aspect
of it, dealt with is not considered suitable or appropriate a t t h a t time for a
Convention.
2. I n either case a majority of two thirds of the votes cast by the delegates
present shall be necessary on the final vote for the adoption of the Convention or

CONVENTION NO. 6 3

89

Convention No. 63 was adopted in 1938 and came into force
on 22 June 1940, twelve months after the second ratification
Recommendation, as the case m a y be, by the Conference.
3. I n framing any Convention or Recommendation of general application
the Conference shall have due regard to those countries in which climatic conditions, the imperfect development of industrial organisation, or other special
circumstances make the industrial conditions substantially different and shall
suggest the modifications, if any, which it considers m a y be required to meet the
case of such countries.
5. I n the case of a Convention—
(a) the Convention will be communicated to all Members for ratification ;
(b) each of the Members undertakes t h a t it will, within t h e period of one year
a t most from the closing of the session of the Conference, or if it is impossible
owing to exceptional circumstances to do so within the period of one year,
then a t the earliest practicable moment and in no case later t h a n eighteen
months from the closing of the session of the Conference, bring the Convention before t h e authority or authorities within whose competence t h e m a t t e r
lies, for the enactment of legislation or other action ;
(o) Members shall inform the Director-General of the International Labour
Office of the measures taken in accordance with this Article to bring the
Convention before the said competent authority or authorities, with particulars of the authority or authorities regarded as competent, and of the
action taken b y them ;
(d) if the Member obtains the consent of the authority or authorities within
whose competence the matter lies, it will communicate the formal ratification of the Convention to the Director-General and will take such action
as m a y be necessary to make effective the provisions of such Convention ;
(e) if the Member does not obtain the consent of the authority or authorities
within whose competence the matter lies, no further obligation shall rest
upon the Member except t h a t it shall report to the Director-General of the
International Labour Office, a t appropriate intervals as requested b y the
Governing Body, the position of its law and practice in regard to the matters
dealt with in the Convention, showing the extent to which effect has been
given, or is proposed to be given, to any of the provisions of the Convention
by legislation, administrative action, collective agreement or otherwise and
stating the difficulties which prevent or delay t h e ratification of such
Convention.
7. I n the case of a federal State, the following provisions shall apply :
(a) in respect of Conventions and Recommendations which the federal Government regards as appropriate under its constitutional system for federal
action, the obligations of the federal State shall be the same as those of
Members which are not federal States ;
Article 22
Each of the Members agrees to make an annual report to the International
Labour Office on t h e measures which it has taken t o give effect to the provisions
of Conventions to which it is a party. These reports shall be made in such form
and shall contain such particulars as t h e Governing Body m a y request.
Article 35
1. The Members undertake t h a t Conventions which they have ratified in
accordance with the provisions of this Constitution shall be applied to the non(footnote continued overleaf)

90

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

had been registered with the Secretary-General of the League
of Nations (Article 26 of the Convention).
By the middle of 1949, the following ratifications had been
registered 1 :
Ratifying
countries

U n i o n of S o u t h Africa
Netherlands
Norway
Switzerland
Egypt
Canada

Date of registration
of ratification

. .

21
22
8
5
18
9
29
23
5
16
6
9
8
26

J u n e 1939
J u n e 1939
A u g u s t 1939
S e p t e m b e r 1939
J a n u a r y 1940
M a r c h 1940
M a r c h 1940
M a y 1940
O c t o b e r 1940
J u l y 1942
April 1946
O c t o b e r 1946
April 1947
M a y 1947

Parts
excluded
III
III

I I and IV
II
II
III
I I I and IV
I I I and IV

III

The way in which each of the ratifying countries does in fact
compile and publish the statistics required by Convention No. 63
is summarised, with reference to the operative articles of the
Convention, in the following pages.

*

metropolitan territories for whose international relations they are responsible,
including any trust territories for which they are t h e administering authority,
except where the subject m a iter of the Convention is within the self-governing
powers of the territory or the Convention is inapplicable owing to the local conditions or subject to such modifications as may be necessary to adapt the Convention
to local conditions.
1
The Convention was transmitted by the President of the United States to
t h e U.S. Senate on 17 J a n u a r y 1949 (and referred to its Committee on Foreign
Relations) " with a view to receiving the advice and consent of the Senate to
ratification ". The letter of transmittal of the President, as well as related
documents b y t h e Acting Secretary of State, t h e Secretary of Labor a n d the
Assistant Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, all recommend ratification (limited to the continental United States). The National Assembly of France,
on 21 J a n u a r y 1949, referred to its Committee on Labour and Social Security, a
Bill tabled by the Minister of Labour and by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and
authorising t h e President of t h e Republic to ratify Convention No. 63 (excluding
P a r t IV, Wages in Agriculture) (Assemblée nationale, Première
legislature,
Session de 1949, No. 6134). The Bill has been approved, and ratification of
Convention No. 63 by France m a y be expected in the near future.

91

CONVENTION NO. 6 3

PART II.
AND

OF

STATISTICS OP AVERAGE EARNINGS

HOUBS

ACTUALLY

WORKED

IN

MINING,

MANUFACTURING AND CONSTRUCTION

This part has been excluded from ratification by
New Zealand2, and the Union of South Africa.3

Australia1,

Article 5
This Article provides that separate figures shall be given for
each of the principal industries, t h a t such statistics shall be compiled for all wage earners or a representative sample of workers,
and t h a t the scope of the industries shall be given.
The number of industries in Canada for which separate figures
on earnings are given is 3 in mining, 3 in construction and 42 in
manufacturing ; in Denmark, earnings are shown separately for
67 skilled and 66 unskilled occupations for males, and 50 occupations
for females ; Egypt classifies the data in 29 industrial branches
divided into 161 industrial sub-groups ; the number of industrial
branches is 25 in Finland, 38 in Ireland, 37 in Mexico, 24 in the
Netherlands (social insurance series), 12 in Norway, 14 in Sweden,
18 in' Switzerland (building is not included) and 16 in the United
Kingdom.4,
For statistics of average hours of work, the industrial break1
The Quarterly Business Survey provides information on average weekly
earnings of wage earners and salaried employees, separately for male and female,
manufacturing and all industries, adult and junior workers and for manual and
non-manual workers. The branches covered are : mining, manufacturing,
building and road transport. So far, figures are available for J u n e and September
1947 only ; these surveys have not been repeated, although it is hoped a t some
future date to carry out further surveys of the same nature ; a t t h a t time, the
Australian Government states t h a t consideration will be given t o t h e desirability
of cancelling the declaration excluding Part I I from the ratification of t h e
Convention. Information on earnings is also available from payroll t a x returns.
2
New Zealand, nevertheless, publishes a weekly earnings series (enquiry
held in March of each year).
3
An enquiry into average weekly earnings is undertaken in the 9 chief industrial areas of the Union of South Africa in September of each year for the
following branches : building and construction, printing and publishing, engineering, baking and confectionery, footwear, clothing, and furniture making. I t
covers the larger firms only. For gold mining, the average wage per day (exclusive
of overtime) is available in June of each year. The following particulars are
therefore needed before ratification of P a r t I I could be considered : hours actually
worked in mining, manufacturing and construction and average earnings,
including overtime, in mining.
4
See Appendix I I .

92

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

down is usually the same ; Denmark and Norway, however, do not
publish statistics of average hours of work as required by this
Article.
With regard to coverage, Canada covers practically all establishments having more than fifteen employees ; Denmark covers
establishments affiliated to the Danish Employers' Confederation
(approximately 45 per cent, of the total number of workers) ;
Egypt includes all establishments in the enquiry every third year,
the half-yearly surveys being limited to a 25 per cent, sample of
establishments ; Finland covers the establishments belonging to
employers' associations ; Ireland covers all establishments employing four employees or more, or having an annual value of production
above a certain sum (in the bread and biscuit and in the grain
milling industries) ; in Mexico, the " more important " establishments are included in the sample. No information is available on
the criteria used, but the Mexican Government believes t h a t the
sample used is " sufficiently representative " ; the Netherlands
includes all wage earners in one series (accident insurance) and
all establishments belonging t o employers' associations in the
other (statistics of establishments) ; Norway covers all establishments affiliated to employers' associations, regardless of size ;
the list of establishments in Sweden is based on commercial directories, and the geographical and industrial distribution of the
sample is described as good ; in Switzerland, the sample is composed
mainly of establishments belonging to employers' associations
and is described as representative from the point of view of average
size and regional and industrial distribution ; in the United Kingdom, the forms of enquiry were sent, in October 1938 (first enquiry),
to all employers with more than ten workpeople and to a 20 per
cent, sample of smaller firms, and approximately 70 per cent, of
the employers furnished returns. I n order to ensure comparability,
the enquiries have since been addressed, in general, to those firms
which originally made returns, with arrangements for adding new
firms coming into existence, and between 95 and 100 per cent, of
the employers canvassed furnish returns on each occasion.
With regard to the third requirement, t h a t the scope of the
industries or branches of industry should be briefly indicated, it
is usually the case t h a t the title of the industry as given in the
primary source is sufficient for most purposes. When more details
are required, the necessity arises to go back to the census classification of industries with which the classification used in the wage
statistics usually coincides.

CONVENTION NO. 6 3

93

Artide 6
This Artide provides that the figures of average earnings shall
include all cash payments and bonuses, as well as social insurance contributions and taxes deducted by the employer.
In Canada, payroll figures do not include Christmas bonuses,
etc.; regular bonuses, employees' social security contributions,
union check-offs, cost-of-living bonuses and taxes are included.
In Denmark, figures of hourly earnings do not include supplements
for overtime, night work, work during holidays and on Sundays,
supplements for shift changes, paid vacations, sickness benefits,
lunch indemnity, special bonuses, travelling allowances, etc. ;
but cost-of-hving allowances (if set down in collective agreements),
workers' social insurance premiums, trade union dues and income
taxes are included. For Egypt, the figures include all cash wages
and bonuses paid by employers, as well as contributions and
taxes deducted at the source. In Finland, payroll figures include
special bonuses, wage taxes, cost-of-living bonuses, etc. In Ireland,
bonuses, social insurance contributions and income and other
taxes deducted by the employer are all included. With regard to
Mexico, no information is available on this point. In the Netherlands, the accident insurance series includes Christmas bonuses,
workers' social security contributions, union check-offs, wage
taxes, cost-of-hving bonuses, etc. ; family allowances voluntarily
paid by employers in excess of the legal minima are also included.
In Norway, workers' social security contributions, union dues,
wage taxes, family allowances and cost-of-living bonuses are
included ; occasional payments such as gratuities are not. In
Sweden, payroll figures include Christmas bonuses, cost-of-hving
bonuses, supplements for overtime and night work, etc. ; they do
not include paid holidays, sick pay, compensation for accidents,
etc. In Switzerland, earnings include cost-of-hving and other
bonuses and other supplements paid regularly (e.g., family
allowances). In the United Kingdom, wages stated on the returns
are total earnings, inclusive of bonuses, etc., before any deductions
are made (for income tax, workers' insurance contributions, etc.) ;
they exclude employers' contributions to national health, old-age
and unemployment insurance and to holiday funds ; the value of
family allowances (which are paid by the State) is not included ;
cost-of-hving bonuses and war allowances are included, as well as
other bonuses dependent on output ; special bonuses such as
Christmas bonuses are included at their average weekly value.
7

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WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

Article 7
This Article provides that if allowances in kind form a substantial part of the total remuneration, estimates of their money
value shall be given, so far as practicable.
Allowances in kind are not taken into account in Canada and
in the United Kingdom (except in mining, where they are shown
separately) ; they are specifically included in Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland ; for the other ratifying
countries, the situation is not clear. But the annual reports of
most ratifying countries state on this point that allowances in
kind do not represent a substantial part of the total remuneration
of workers in mining, manufacturing and construction.
Article 8
This Article provides that, so far as practicable, figures on
earnings shall be supplemented by information on family allowances.
See comments on Article 6. Family allowances are included in
the Netherlands only to the extent that they go beyond the legal
minima. In Norway, on the contrary, the data are obtained through
employers' associations, and since one of the tasks of these associations is to check whether their members live up to the obligations
laid down in collective agreements it is unlikely that any amounts
going beyond what is laid down in these agreements will be reported.
In Finland, family allowances in cash have been negligible over
the past few years ; but the valué of family allowances in kind
is presumably included. In a third group of countries (Canada,
Ireland and the United Kingdom), family allowances are paid
directly by the State to the beneficiaries ; they are therefore not
taken into consideration in earnings figures derived from payroll
data. Family allowances are included in Switzerland. The situation
is not clear in the remaining countries.
Article 9
This Article provides that average earnings shall relate to
earnings per hour, day, week or other customary period and that,
in cases where they relate to earnings per day, week or other
customary period, the statistics of actual hours shall relate to
the same period.
In Canada, figures show average weekly salaries and wages for
all employees ; earnings per hour are shown only in the case of

CONVENTION NO. 63

95

wage earners for whom a record of hours worked is kept ; figures
on hours actually worked per week are published concurrently.
In Egypt, the special enquiry on wages provides parallel figures
on hours actually worked per week. The same is true of Mexico.
All other ratifying countries publish figures on a per hour basis,
although most of them publish figures of average earnings per
week as well, in which case they usually also publish a series on
hours actually worked per week. Finland publishes a series on
hours worked per fortnight.
Article 10
This Article provides that the statistics of earnings and
hours of work shall be compiled at least once a year, and that at
least once every three years separate figures shall be given for
each sex and for adults and juveniles, except in the cases as specified in the Article.
In Canada, figures are published monthly ; averages are available by sex (but not by age) on the basis of one week in the year.
In Denmark, the statistics are issued quarterly ; they make the
distinction according to sex but not according to age. Egypt states
that the number of female workers and juveniles is not significant
(3 and 10 per cent, respectively). In Finland, the series is a
quarterly one and applies to adult wage earners (eighteen years
of age and over) only ; it is available by sex. In Ireland, the
series refers to one week in mid-October and includes apprentices ;
figures are available by sex and for juveniles and adults (under
eighteen years of age, and eighteen years of age and over). In
Mexico, the series is (or was) compiled in October of each year ;
it does not make a distinction according to sex and according to
age. In the Netherlands, the hourly earnings series (statistics of
establishments ; half-yearly series) does not distinguish between
earnings of males and females or between earnings of adults and
juveniles ; the daily earnings series (accident insurance ; yearly)
applies to adult production workers only ; no distinction is made
according to sex ; distinctions according to sex and age are available
for other series. In Norway, the information was obtained quarterly
in the years 1940-1942 and twice a year during 1943-1945 ; it has
been obtained at quarterly intervals again since the beginning of
1946, separately for each sex and for adults and juveniles. In
Sweden, the yearly series distinguishes males and females and
separates juveniles from adults. In Switzerland, the series refers
to October of each year ; data are available separately for each

96

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

sex and for the two age groups. In the United Kingdom, the enquiryheld twice a year shows separate figures for men twenty-one years
of age and over, youths and boys, women eighteen years of age
and over, and girls.
Article 11
This Article provides that when wages and hours figures do
not relate to the whole country, the areas covered shall be indicated.
This is usually done. For most ratifying countries, the statistics relate chiefly to urban workers. In the case of Mexico,
the (limited) geographical scope of the figures is indicated in the
source.
Article 12
This Article provides that weighted index numbers of earnings
per hour and other customary periods shall be compiled and their
methods of computation explained.
In Canada, index numbers of weekly earnings are published
regularly ; they are at present unweighted, but consideration is
being given to the establishment of industrial weights ; the series
on hourly earnings has not been in existence long enough to warrant
the compilation of an index number. No index numbers are
published by Denmark or Egypt. (Denmark publishes an index
of real wages, however.) In Finland, the index numbers are based
on 1939 = 100 (hourly earnings only). In Ireland, index numbers
are computed on the basis 1938 = 100, September 1939 = 100,
and October 1939 to March 1940 = 100. In Mexico, no general
index numbers of average earnings have been computed ; the
reports of the Department of Labour to the Mexican Congress do
contain index numbers (based on 1939 = 100) for a few industrial
branches only. In the Netherlands, the hourly earnings series is
published only as an index number (1938-1939 = 100), whereas
no index number is computed for the daily earnings series (accident
insurance). No index numbers are computed by Norway. In
Sweden, the basis for the index numbers is 1939 = 100. In Switzerland, the basis is June 1939 = 100 for the statistics of establishments
series. In the United Kingdom, the basis of the index numbers is
October 1938 = 100.

97

CONVENTION STO. 6 3

PART

III.

STATISTICS

OF T I M E

RATES

OF

W A G E S AND OF NORMAL H O U R S OF W O R K IN
M I N I N G , MANUFACTURING AND CONSTRUCTION

This part of the Convention was excluded from ratification by
Denmark, Egypt, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.
Article 13
This Article provides t h a t statistics of rates and normal
hours of work shall be compiled for a representative selection of
the principal industries in mining, manufacturing and construction.
I n Australia, the index of wage rates covers agriculture, mining,
manufacturing, construction, transport, etc. I n Canada, it covers
logging, mining, manufacturing, construction, transport and communications, and services. I n Ireland, the index covers so-called
" protected industries " in mining and manufacturing (industries
producing transportable goods) ; sugar, brewing, distilling, bread
and creameries are omitted.
On this point the latest report of the Mexican Government
(for the year 1947-1948) on the application of Convention No. 63
observes :
The Office of Labour Statistics of the Secretariat of Labour has
stated that it cannot provide statistics of workers benefiting under the
minimum wage scheme. The number of those who receive the rates
laid down under the statutory procedure is in fact small — i.e., the
wages obtained by contract are higher, sometimes much higher, than
the rates approved by the Conciliation and Arbitration Boards. It is
difficult to find anyone who receives exactly the prescribed minimum
rate.
This refers to the procedure under which minimum wages
are fixed every other year by regional conciliation and arbitration
boards after special local wages committees on which employers
and workers are represented have examined the position and made
recommendations for the localities concerned. 1 The observation
quoted above is based on a misunderstanding of the provisions of
the Convention, since the Convention does not call for statistics
of the number of persons receiving certain wages, but for statistics
of rates of pay. Mexico publishes unweighted averages in absolute
1
Cf. International Labour Conference, 31st Session, San Francisco, 1948,
Report VI (a) : Wages, (a) General Report (Geneva, I.L.O., 1948), p . 174.

98

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

amounts of the minimum wages thus arrived at (cf. Compendio
estadístico, 1947, p. 175). It is obvious of course that statistics of
legal minimum wages actually received by no one are less useful
than statistics of minimum or predominant rates for various
occupations extracted from collective agreements, etc. In the
Netherlands, the statistics have the scope defined by this Article.
Rates statistics in New Zealand cover mining, manufacturing,
construction, transport and commerce. In the Union of South
Africa, the rates cover mining, manufacturing, construction, transport and commerce. In the United Kingdom, the statistics cover
agriculture, mining, manufacturing, construction, transport, etc.
Article 14
This Article defines the source from which the rates and normal
hours shall be taken and the term " normal hours ", and provides
that sources and terminology used shall be explained.
In Australia, rates are extracted from " awards, agreements and
determinations ". In Canada, rates are collected from 15,000
business establishments and supplemented in some cases by information extracted from trade union returns and from collective
agreements ; minimum rates are not being compiled. In Ireland,
the rates are extracted from employers' schedules in so-called
" protected industries " and the series is an extension of an employment series designed to show the effects on employment of import
duties, etc. For Mexico, see comments to Article 13 ; no statistics
of normal hours of work have been compiled. In the Netherlands,
rates are extracted from collective agreements and official regulations. In New Zealand, arbitration awards or industrial agreements
are used as source. In the Union of South Africa, rates are extracted
mainly from collective agreements and wage determinations.
In the United Kingdom, rates are drawn from collective awards
and arbitration awards or from Statutory Orders in those industries
in which minimum rates are fixed under the provisions of the
Wages Council Acts and the Agricultural Wages Regulations Acts.
Rates are described as minimum rates by all ratifying countries,
without further explanation, except in Canada, where they are
described as " straight-time earnings ".
Article 15
This Article provides that separate figures for the main occupations shall be given at least once a year, that separate figures for
the main occupations in a wide and representative selection of

CONVENTION NO. 6 3

99

the different industries should be given at least every third year,
t h a t the classification used for rates and for hours should be the
same, etc.
I n Australia, the rates are given according to degree of skill,
years of apprenticeship being specified at generally four or five
years ; the series covers 3,948 male and 308 female occupations
in the more important industries. I n Canada, rates (in absolute
amounts) are given by region for each occupation ; the classification according to degree of skill is not used. I n Ireland, the information is extracted from employers' schedules and separate figures
by occupations are therefore not available on the basis of this
series ; separate rates for a series of important occupations are
published, however. The source of the information does not enable
Mexico to apply this Article. I n the Netherlands, the series covers
350,000 adult workers in occupations or groups of occupations
in twenty-four industrial branches ; degrees of skill are not shown.
I n New Zealand, weekly money wage rates for adult male workers
in representative groups are given monthly. The statistics of
the Union of South Africa are published in conformity with this
Article. In the United Kingdom, published figures are based
on over nine hundred separate wage records in sixty-nine branches ;
different rates are fixed for specified occupations in most industries,
but in some occupations they are classified into categories, e.g.,
skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled.
Article 16
This Article provides that, if rates are not shown on a per hour
basis, information on normal hours necessary to compute hourly
rates shall be provided.
Australia publishes both an hourly and a weekly wage rate
series. I n Canada, rates are published on a per hour basis ; information on normal hours of factory workers is published also.
Ireland publishes weekly rates and normal hours of work per week
for a series of occupations in certain town districts.
Mexico,
the Netherlands and New Zealand publish rates per hour. The
Union of South Africa follows the provisions of this Article in its
statistics. The United Kingdom publishes an index of normal
hours of work besides its series on weekly wage rates.
Article 17
This Article provides that, if available, information shall be
given b y sex and separately for adults and juveniles.

100

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

Australia shows rates separately for adult males and adult
females ; juveniles are not shown. I n Canada, rates shown refer
to adult males only. I n Ireland, the series on rates covers both
males and females with no age limits specified ; the occupations
covered are not classified according to degree of skill ; rates fixed
for each occupation under the Trade Board Acts of 1909 and 1918
are shown separately for adult (twenty-two years of age and over)
male and female workers. I n Mexico, no distinction according
to sex or age is made. I n the Netherlands, rates apply to adult
males only, and in New Zealand to adult males, adult females,
and juvenile males and females (shown separately). I n the Union
of South Africa, rates are given separately for each sex and for
journeymen and learners and apprentices, irrespective of age.
I n the United Kingdom, rates are shown separately for adult
males, adult females and juveniles ; the age at which the adult
rates apply is usually twenty-one years for males and from eighteen
to twenty-one years in different industries for females ; after the
adult age is reached, the rates usually continue to apply irrespective of age ; for juveniles, the rates at two separate ages (usually
seventeen and nineteen years for youths and sixteen and seventeen
years for girls) have been used (in 1946, 1947 and 1948, rates for
juveniles have not been shown).

Article 18
This Article provides t h a t when the series does not apply to
the whole country, the districts, towns or industrial centres to which
it does shall be indicated.
I n Australia, figures are averages for the six capital cities, except
for the mining, shipping and pastoral branches. I n the Union
of South Africa, figures apply to the nine chief industrial areas. The
series in the other ratifying countries cover the whole national
territory.
Article 19
This Article provides that, where available, payments for
holidays, family allowances, rates for overtime and amount of
overtime shall be indicated.
As far as is known, no ratifying country has thus completed
its wage rates statistics ; other sources have to be used t o get
information on these points.

CONVENTION NO. 6 3

101

Article 20
This Artide provides that, when they form a substantial
part of the total remuneration, the value of allowances in kind
shall be indicated.
All ratifying countries state that such allowances do not form
a substantial part of the total remuneration of workers in the industries considered.
Article 21
This Article provides that weighted annual index numbers
of rates shall be compiled and that index numbers of normal
hours shall be compiled where only index numbers of rates are
published.
Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom publish index
numbers annually in conformity with this Article. Canada publishes
an index number of rates ; an index number of normal hours is
being considered. For Ireland the (unweighted) index number
of rates is published twice a year ; no index number of normal
hours is computed. Mexico does not publish index-numbers
of legal minimum rates. The Netherlands publishes only a weighted
index of rates (based on June 1938-June 1939 = 100) ; no index
of normal hours is computed. In the Union of South Africa, the
index number of rates was discontinued in 1942; the old index applied to the weekly minimum rates of European male journeymen ;
it was weighted and included transport and commerce, besides
mining, manufacturing and construction. The computation of an
index of normal hours of work will be undertaken as soon as circumstances permit.

PART

IV.

STATISTICS OF WAGES AND

HOURS

OF

WORK

IN AGRICULTURE

This part of the Convention was excluded from ratification
by Egypt, Switzerland and the Union of South Africa.1
Article 22
This Article provides that, at least every two years, statistics
1
The Government of the Union of South Africa states t h a t almost the entire
agricultural labour force consists of non-Europeans, a n d t h a t the practical difficulties of t h e collection of statistics of wages payable on farms are virtually
insuperable.

102

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

of wages in agriculture shall be compiled, t h a t the nature and value
of allowances in kind shall be indicated, t h a t separate figures
for each of the separate districts shall be published, t h a t definitions
as well as methods of compilation shall be given and that, so far
as practicable, normal hours of work shall be indicated.
I n Australia, statistics of wage rates in agriculture give separate
figures for each State, but not for separate districts within each
State ; the detailed tables indicate when board and lodging are
provided in addition to money wages, but do not include an estimate
of money value ; except in certain instances, it has not been practicable to indicate normal hours of work. I n Canada, statistics of
agricultural workers' wages are published three times a year and
show separate figures for each province ; they indicate average
earnings, including and excluding the value of board and lodging
received ; it has not been practicable t o indicate normal hours
of work. I n Denmark, since 1943, statistics of wages in agriculture
are published twice a year for a series of categories of agricultural
wage earners (some with, others without board and lodging), separately for the islands and for Jutland ; no current statistics on
hours of work are being published. I n Finland, statistics of
agricultural wages are published twice a year (daily wages of day
labourers) or once a year (annual averages for several categories
of workers) ; statistics of hours are not compiled. In Ireland,
statistics of minimum weekly rates of wages of male agricultural
workers are drawn from Agricultural Wages Orders and published
whenever there is a change in rates ; they distinguish three areas
and several age groups ; no information is available on hoursl
Mexico does not compile statistics of wages in agriculture. I n
its latest annual report on the application of Convention No. 63,
the Mexican Government explains the absence of such statistics
as follows :
The ejidatorio (person who holds public land free of rent provided he
cultivates it) owns the product of the land and receives no actual wage ;
within the collective agrarian system of Mexico, the great majority of
peasants have this status. Wage-earning agricultural labourers are
very rare and it is difficult to compile statistics of such persons since most
of them are constantly on the move. In any case the Government has
not given up the compilation of statistics of the wages of agricultural
workers as an impossible task.
I n the Netherlands, very complete (quarterly and weekly) statistics on earnings per hour and per week of adult male workers
are published ; they distinguish between provinces and between
time and piece work ; the value of room and board is included in

CONVENTION NO. 6 3

103

the figures ; information on actual and normal hours worked
is also available. I n New Zealand, statistics of wage rates in
agriculture are compiled along lines similar to the ones followed
for rates in manufacturing, except t h a t it has not been found
practicable to compile statistics of hours of work. Norway publishes
once a year statistics of yearly and daily wages of various categories of agricultural workers (separate figures for each province
are provided) ; no statistics of hours are compiled. Sweden has
very complete statistics ; data on earnings are given per hour, day,
and year ; data on hours include the distribution of workers according to the number of hours worked during the year as well as
the average number of hours worked during the year and per
day. I n the United Kingdom, weekly total minimum wages (including value of board and lodging) are published quarterly for
England and Wales ; normal hours are published in annual reports.

PARTS I AND V. GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

Article 1
This Article provides, amongst other things, t h a t each ratifying country should endeavour to publish data collected at quarterly or more frequent intervals during the succeeding quarter and
t o publish data collected a t intervals of six or twelve months during
the succeeding six or twelve months respectively.
I n Australia, the quarterly series of hourly and weekly wage
rates is published approximately four months after the date to
which the figures apply. I n Canada, the hourly and weekly
earnings series (published each month) is issued after an interval
of approximately two months ; the time lag of the wage rates
series (published once a year) is approximately twelve months. I n
Denmark, the figures of the hourly earnings series (issued quarterly)
are published from six to eight months after the end of the quarter
t o which they refer. The report on the enquiry into wages and
hours of work conducted twice a year in Egypt is received by the
International Labour Office approximately twelve months after
the date to which it applies. I n Finland, figures of hourly earnings
are released from four to six months after the end of the quarter to
which they apply. I n Ireland, the interval in the case of the series
based on the census of industrial production in the " transportable
goods " industries (hourly and weekly earnings in October of each
year) is from fifteen to eighteen months. Weekly rates and weekly

104

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

earnings in so-called " protected industries " (published twice a
year) are released after an interval of four months. I n Mexico,
hourly earnings and hours worked per week (October of each year)
have not been published since 1943 ; in its annual reports on the
application of Convention No. 63 the Mexican Government
explains t h a t this is due to budgetary difficulties and to lack of
staff. Weekly earnings in a few industrial branches (railroads,
textiles, mining and metallurgical plants, and oil industry) have
been published down to 1946 in the yearly reports of the Secretaria
del Trabajo y Previsión social to the Mexican Congress ; finally,
an index number of monthly earnings (based on 1939 = 100) is
available ; it covers a few branches in the manufacturing industries,
and was published quarterly from 1936 to 1942 and monthly from
J a n u a r y 1943 by the Dirección general de Estudios Económicos
of the Secretaria de Economia in Trimestre de Barómetros Económicos ; the latest figure available at time of writing (June 1949)
is December 1947. I n the Netherlands, the hourly wage rates series
published each month is issued one week at most after the date
to which the index refers ; the quarterly index number of hourly
earnings is published after an interval of five months ; the latest
year for which figures of daily earnings (accident insurance statistics) are available is 1947 ; in normal times, the interval is
from eighteen months to two years. In New Zealand, the yearly
figures of wage rates per hour are not published, but are communicated directly to the International Labour Office after an interval
of approximately twelve months ; although New Zealand has not
ratified Part I I of the Convention, it may be mentioned t h a t the
series on weekly earnings (March of each year) is published after
an interval of normally twelve months. Norway states t h a t in the
case of the series on hourly earnings (obtained at quarterly intervals) the present time lag is approximately one year, but t h a t it
is hoped to reduce it to less t h a n six months in the near future.
I n Sweden, the results of the yearly enquiry into earnings per hour,
day, week, and year are published within six months of the end
of the year to which they refer. I n Switzerland, the October
enquiry into hourly earnings provides partial results within three
months ; final results are published after nine months ; the halfyearly statistics of earnings per hour and per day based on accident
insurance returns are published after an interval of approximately
six months. I n the Union of South Africa, rates and normal
hours of work are published annually, except for engineering, printing and publishing, and building and construction (published

CONVENTION NO. 6 3

105

quarterly with a time lag of one month) . I n the United Kingdom,
the weekly wage rates series is published every month with a time
lag of one month ; the enquiry into hourly and weekly earnings is
conducted twice a year and results are published after an interval
of six months.
Article 23
This Article provides t h a t ratifying countries may exclude
certain areas from the application of the Convention in whole
or in part, if it is impracticable to comply with the Convention
in such areas.
Australia, Canada, Egypt, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden
and the United Kingdom, have not made use of this Article. Denmark has excluded the Faroe Islands and Greenland.
Mexico,
in its first annual report, did not limit the scope of its statistics
on wages ; the series on hourly earnings and weekly hours of
work (last computed in October 1943) is limited to the following
regions, however : Federal District ; Districts of Atlisco, Guadalajara, Monterey, Orizaba, Puebla, Torreón and the mining region
of Zacatecas. The Netherlands has excluded overseas territories.
New Zealand has excluded the following industrial districts :
Taranaki, Nelson, Marlborough and Westland.
The figures
communicated b y the Union of South Africa are limited to the
five chief industrial areas, namely the Cape Peninsula (including
Cape Town), Port Elizabeth, Durban and Princetown, Pretoria
and the Witwatersrand (including Johannesburg) ; for the steel
industry, information will be provided for the town of Vereeniging
as soon as it has become a centre of the heavy steel industry.
*

*

*

A number of questions are raised for consideration.
First, what effect has the Convention had on wage statistics
in those countries which have adopted it ? I n answer, one can
point to a country like Egypt, which from the date of the adoption
of the Convention has instituted, and carried through every six
months, an enquiry on wages and hours of work.
I n general, every country which has ratified the Convention
has surveyed its wage statistics and has attempted to put them
into a form complying with the requirements of the Convention.
This has meant in most cases a definite improvement in the
existing statistics in the direction of these requirements. I n

106

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

addition, certain supplementary information which otherwise
might never have been made available has been supplied.
On the other hand, in one or two cases, a country, even though
it has ratified the Convention, has not fulfilled the Convention's
provisions, although it intended to do so at the time of ratification.
Thus, Mexico has not carried through its project for statistics of
wages in agriculture, and even its statistics of wages in manufacturing industries have been interrupted by lack of appropriation, in spite of the obligation assumed in ratifying -the Convention. The detailed analysis made above, which is based upon
the replies of the Governments in their reports to the International
Labour Office, shows what the situation is in respect of each
provision of the Convention.
I t may be useful at this point to describe very briefly the
machinery used by the Office to check the application of the various
Conventions ratified. Each country which has ratified one or
more Conventions is required (under Article 22 of the Constitution 1 )
to supply the International Labour Office with a yearly report
on the application of each Convention which it has ratified ;
these reports are drawn up along standard lines laid down b y
the Governing Body for each Convention, and, after having been
examined by the appropriate technical service or services of the
Office, are submitted to a Committee of Experts on the Application
of Conventions, which draws up a first report addressed to the
International Labour Conference, which is examined by the
Conference's Committee on the Application of Conventions.
With regard to Convention No. 63, the Committee of Experts
noted in its report to the 1947 Session of the Conference the absence
of statistics of hourly earnings in Mexico, and also noted the
absence of any progress in the field of statistics of wages in agriculture for t h a t country. I n their report to the 1948 Session
of the Conference, the experts noted t h a t budgetary difficulties
and lack of staff was the explanation given by the Mexican Government for the absence of recent statistics of hourly earnings in
manufacturing, and they requested information on whatever
progress was made by Mexico in the field of agricultural wages.
Observations made by the experts to the 1949 Session of the
Conference concerned Egypt, Finland, Mexico, the Netherlands,
and the United Kingdom. At various times, Government delegates come and explain to the Committee on the Apphcation of
See above, footnote to p . 88.

CONVENTION NO. 6 3

107

Conventions of the Conference the reasons why certain parts of
the Conventions which they have ratified are not applied fully by
their country. But beyond that the International Labour Conference is unlikely to go.1
In conclusion it may, therefore, he said that the manner in
which Convention No. 63 is applied by the various countries
which have ratified it is mainly a matter for the countries themselves, and that the action so far taken by the International
Labour Conference in this connection has been limited to urging
the various Governments towards a fuller application of the
stipulations of the Convention.
Nevertheless, even though the machinery of " enforcement ",
as used, is far from being fully effective, it does in fact apply
a steady moral pressure towards a satisfactory observation of
the provisions of the Convention.
One consequence of the ratification of Convention No. 63
by any given country should at least be mentioned, and that is
the usefulness to the Statistical Section of the International Labour
Office of the annual reports sent in by such a country as a source
of information on methods of computation and exact scope of
the series on wages and hours of work.
The ratification of the Convention by France and the United
States may be expected in the near future. These countries
evidently consider that their statistics either completely fulfil or,
with minor modifications, can fulfil the requirements of the Convention. It is clear that in all cases where ratification is under
consideration the Convention operates to bring the statistics of
different countries into line with its detailed recommendations
for the calculation of statistics of wages and hours of work.
It may be useful at this point to review the existing state of
wage statistics in countries which have not ratified the Convention,
with a view to determining which countries might ratify at once
and whether many more countries may not be in a position to
ratify soon.
Given the limited time available for such a review, it cannot
be as detailed as was the case in the years 1935-1938, prior to
the adoption of the Convention ; the result of the review under1
Articles 24 to 34 of the Constitution define the measures which the Governing
Body and the International Labour Conference may take in cases where countries
do not apply the provisions of Conventions which they have ratified ; it seems,
however, unlikely t h a t such measures (Commission of Enquiry, complaint to
t h e International Court of Justice, etc.) would be taken in the case of Convention
No. 63.

108

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

taken before the war is contained in Report VI to the 24th Session
of the International Labour Conference (1938) : Statistics of Hours
and Wages in the Principal Mining and Manufacturing
Industries,
including Building and Construction, and in Agriculture (Geneva,
I.L.O., 1938).
Generally speaking, it can be stated t h a t in a good many
of the countries affected by the war, wage statistics have not
been completely reorganised as yet, and that therefore the scope
and completeness of the wages and hours statistics are less now
than was the case before the Second World War.
This is particularly true for Germany, which before the war
had a very complete range of rates, earnings and hours statistics
and of statistics of wages in agriculture, and which a t the present
time, at least in the three western zones, publishes only statistics
of hourly and weekly earnings and of hours of work per week
in manufacturing industry and in building. At the Conference
of Statisticians of the Land Statistical Offices of the three western
zones of Germany, held in Wiesbaden on 14 and 15 December,
1948, it was decided t h a t additional earnings and hours statistics
would be obtained for white collar workers in the manufacturing
industries, trade, transport and communications and Government
services, and once annually, yearly gross and net earnings of
manual workers in agriculture and commercial forestry ; a special
census of hourly tariff wage rates was undertaken in March 1949
to serve as a basis for a continuous record of tariff wage rates
and rates statistics.
Japan, before the war, had daily wage rates statistics both
in absolute amounts and index numbers for mining, manufacturing
and construction ; it had a very complete range of statistics
of daily earnings and actual hours of work in mining, manufacturing and construction and also statistics of daily wages in
agriculture published once a year ; at the present time, J a p a n
publishes once a month statistics of monthly earnings in manufacturing.
I n the case of the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) which, prior to the war, had a very complete set of wage
statistics, information is no longer available.
For various other countries which have not yet ratified the
Convention (the list is not exhaustive), the present situation is
as follows :
I n the United States, data on wages and salaries (other t h a n
statistics of rates of pay) become available in three ways : (a)

CONVENTION NO. 6 3

109

from t a x reports ; (b) from census surveys ; (c) from samples
of establishments. Social insurance statistics furnish data on
wages and are derived from the Federal Old Age and Survivors
Insurance Program and from the State-administered Unemployment Insurance Program ; wage data are also collected in connection with the insurance programme administered by the Railroad Retirement Board.
I n Newfoundland, statistics of payrolls and earnings are not
collected.
The Argentine Republic publishes index numbers of hourly
and monthly earnings in mining and manufacturing based on
1943 = 100.
Brazil does not appear to publish a regular series on wages ;
some information of limited geographical and economic scope
only is available.
I n the British West Indies, statistics of earnings are not available in Trinidad ; the only information available relates to rates
of wages and hours of work as set out in collective agreement ;
in Saint-Vincent, with the very small staff at the disposal of the
Labour Department, it is only possible to collect, at quarterly
and half-yearly intervals, certain information on rates of pay
and earnings, and for this purpose an officer of the Department
is deputed to visit the main places of employment, such as plantations, where the agricultural workers are employed, commercial
establishments, other Government departments, etc. ; in Kingston, regular periodic enquiries into wages and other conditions
of employment are not undertaken ; enquiries of this nature are
made at irregular intervals, i.e., during visits of inspection.
Chile publishes statistics of daily earnings in manufacturing ;
information is also available on earnings in mining and wages
in agriculture.
Colombia publishes daily earnings (Bogotá) in mining, manufacturing, construction, transport and services, and also wage
rates per day and daily earnings in manufacturing for the whole
country. Convention No. 63 was submitted to the Colombian
Senate for approval by the end of 1939, but no ratification has
been forthcoming as yet.
Cuba has no wage statistics ; monthly figures of total wages
and salaries in all non-agricultural industries (estimated on the
basis of revenues of the " Health and Maternity F u n d ") are
available, however.
I n Costa Rica the National Institute of Social Investigations
8

110

"WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

and Studies of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare does
not collect regular statistics of rates or earnings ; a great effort
is being made at present to carry through the first industrial
census in the country ; it is therefore possible that, beginning
with next year, the benchmark data for the setting up of a series
on payrolls and average earnings based on a sample of establishments will be available ; some information on average earnings
is available, however, from the returns of the Costa Rican
F u n d of Social Security and of the National Institute of Insurance.
I n the Dominican Republic, information on daily earnings in
manufacturing, transport, communications and services has been
available twice a year since 1944 for the capital, Ciudad Trujillo.
Guatemala publishes a series on weekly earnings in manufacturing.
Peru has published information on total wages and average
earnings per day for the years 1944, 1945 and 1946 ; these statistics cover agriculture, mining, manufacturing, construction,
transport, commerce and laundry services ; they were based
(in 1946) on 288 establishments with 62,793 wage earners. Figures
distinguish between males and females, between workers over
and under eighteen years of age, and between Peruvian nationals
and aliens. Separate information on salaried employees is also
available.
In Uruguay, the series on monthly earnings is published at
quarterly intervals and covers a sample of establishments in
manufacturing only ; average monthly earnings in t h e sample
of establishments are published, as well as an estimate of average
monthly earnings in manufacturing as a whole, the figures of
the 1936 industrial census being used as benchmark data.
I n Venezuela, no statistics of earnings are available ; wage
rates for a series of occupations are published, however, at quarterly
intervals.
Except for the agricultural wage statistics in Chile, all the
series just described for Latin American countries were begun
just before or during the Second World War.
I n Burma, the pre-evacuation records containing labour and
other statistics have all been lost, and there is at present no
statistical office adequately staffed and equipped for collecting
and compiling such statistics on any elaborate scale ; it is,
however, hoped that, on the basis of the new Employment
Statistics Act of September 1948, the Government of the Union

CONVENTION NO. 6 3

111

of Burma will in the near future be able, either by expanding the
existing Statistical Section of the Labour Directorate or b y setting
u p a separate Statistics Bureau, to collect and preserve various
labour and other statistics as required by t h a t Act.
I n Ceylon, no statistics on the subject are available at present ;
industrial and agricultural censuses were taken in 1946, but the
information has not yet been tabulated. The work in connection
with the regular collection of statistics of earnings from a representative number of establishments in each industry has already
been begun by the Commissioner of Labour, but no results have
been published as yet.
China publishes index numbers (based on Jan.-June 1936 = 100)
of daily earnings in manufacturing for the six leading cities.
I n India, average earnings per year in manufacturing industry
are available for the provinces covered by the Factory Act of
1934 ; more detailed statistics are available for the Provinces
of Bombay and Bihar. The Government of India, under authority
of the Industrial Statistics Act of 1942, now plans to undertake
quarterly surveys on employment, attendance, wages and earnings
and hours of work in respect of labour employed in factories,
plantations, railways, tramways and ports. The series on employment and earnings will be given highest priority ; earnings
data will be compiled on a per hour, per day and per pay-period
basis, separately b y region, by industry, b y age and b y sex.
Consideration will then be given to ratifying Part I I of Convention
No. 63.
Iran has no general wage statistics ; the only information
available covers the building trades.
Iraq has no information available on wages at the present
time.
Indo-China published, up to 1943, an enquiry conducted once
a year, but asking for information on two dates within the year
(1 Jan. and 1 July), into earnings per day for manual workers
and earnings per month of white collar workers in the following
branches : fishing, plantation work, mining, manufacturing, water
and electricity, construction, transport, commerce, hotels and
restaurants, and banking and insurance ; this enquiry was carried
out again in 1948.
No wage statistics are available for Indonesia.
Palestine, until recently, published a series on daily earnings
in mining, manufacturing and transport ; the series began in

112

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

J a n u a r y 1938 and the sample of establishments was increased
in 1941. 1
Tor the territory of Hawaii the only information available
is the survey conducted at two-yearly intervals by the Department
of Labor and Industrial Relations into the wage rates and normal
hours of work of a few selected industries in Honolulu ; industries
covered a t the present time are : eating and drinking establishments,
power and hand laundries and dry cleaning establishments ; motion
picture theatres ; dairies ; and bakeries.
I n Europe, no wage statistics are available at present for Belgium2, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Rumania3, Spain, Turkey, the
U.S.8.B.4', and Yugoslavia.
I n the case of Bulgaria, daily earnings in mining and manufacturing are available in January and J u l y of each year.
For Czechoslovakia, a complete set of statistics on hourly "rates
and earnings and on daily earnings (social insurance statistics) is
currently available ; ratification of Convention No. 63 could take
place with practically no adjustment of existing statistics.
France had, even before the war, a series on rates of pay of
various occupations in manufacturing together with figures on
average earnings in mining and in the metal industry ; since the
beginning of 1946, a quarterly survey has provided information on
straight-time predominant rates in mining, manufacturing, construction, transport and commerce (forms sent out b y the Ministry
of Labour through the labour inspectors) ; this series will be adjusted
to conform with P a r t I I of Convention No. 63. For the first time,
in 1948, an effort was made to derive information on earnings
from the returns which employers are compelled to make at the
end of each year to the Ministry of Finance ; this first enquiry,
therefore, will cover wages and salaries paid out during the year
1947 ; all branches of economic activity will be covered, except
Government employees, agricultural labourers and domestic
servants ; the returns contain the list of all workers, their occupations, their annual earnings, the amount of taxes deducted at
the source, an evaluation of wages paid in kind, etc. ; estimates
1
For a general appraisal of wage statistics in Asian countries, see : B . RAMAMUHTI : " Labour Statistics in Asian Countries " in : Government of India,
Ministry of Labour, Labour Bureau : Problems of Labour —• A Symposium.
2
Some information on the general level of earnings has recently become
available, based on returns from the social insurance schemes, b u t no regular
series is published as y8t.
3
Information on monthly earnings, based on social insurance returns and on
industrial censuses, is available down t o 1942 and 1945 respectively.
4
Cf. The Review of Economics and Statistics, Nov. 1947 and Feb. 1948.

CONVENTION NO. 6 3

113

of average earnings are based on a sample covering one out of
each fourteen names in the returns ; the estimates of annual
earnings thus arrived at will therefore show only earnings subject
to income tax. For practical reasons, the returns supplied by
employers to social security schemes have not so far been used
in order to arrive a t statistics of earnings. With regard to agriculture, information on rates so far available cover only minimum
rates as determined b y local prefects ; there is no information as to
how far these minimum rates are really representative ; a first
enquiry into agricultural wages is being carried out a t the present
time by the Ministry of Labour in co-operation with the Minister
of Agriculture.
Hungary used to publish statistics of rates in manufacturing,
construction, transport and commerce before the war ; it also
had various series of earnings in mining, manufacturing and transport, and a series on daily wages in agriculture. At the present
time, the series on rates has been interrupted, the series on agricultural wages has been discontinued since 1937, and the only series
available refers to index numbers of hourly earnings in manufacturing.
I n the case of Italy, which before the war published hourly
and weekly wage rates statistics, hourly, monthly and weekly
earnings and actual hours statistics, and statistics of hourly wages
in agriculture, the only series available at the present time is an
index of hourly rates based on 1938 and computed by the Central
Institute of Statistics ; the Ministry of Labour has been setting
up a monthly series on earnings per hour in mining and manufacturing ; this series is still in its experimental stage and the first
results have just been published.
Luxembourg, up to 1938, published the results of an annual
enquiry into daily earnings in mining, manufacturing and construction ; this series has not been published since.
I n the Sudan, it has not been possible up to now to organise
any statistical enquiry into payrolls and earnings ; the most
t h a t could be supplied would be very limited data on such industrial activity as is under direct Government control, but this
would not be representative of conditions in the whole country.
*
*
*
From this short summary of the present situation, it will be
seen first, t h a t in a number of countries wage statistics have not
yet attained the degree of development they had before the war,

114

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

secondly, t h a t in many countries wage statistics simply are not
and have never been available, and thirdly, t h a t while perhaps
only Czechoslovakia would be in a position to ratify the whole
of Convention No. 63 (after minor readjustments of its wage
statistics), a number of countries could ratify one or another of
its parts. Convention No. 63 has been one of the elements of
information on methods considered by the various countries when
creating wage series, but its influence in promoting such series
has not been as clear cut as might be wished.
The 7th International Conference of Labour Statisticians will
no doubt wish first to discuss in a general way the desirability
of drawing up Conventions on statistical subjects, in the light
of the experience gained during the last ten years with Convention
No. 63. I t is obvious of course t h a t if both France and the United
States ratify Convention No. 63 in the near future, the experience
will become much more conclusive than hitherto. The example
of Egypt, which decided to start from nothing, and publishes
an entirely new series to conform with one Part of the ratified
Convention, has already been mentioned. I n the expose des motifs
presented to the National Assembly of France by the Minister
of Labour, another concrete example of the influence of the Convention can be found : the Minister explains t h a t to conform to
Part I I of the Convention, the existing series on straight-time
predominant rates will have to be changed to cover all payments
received by workers. This shows that, because of the Convention,
an internationally comparable series which otherwise would not
have been computed will be published by France in the near future.
Other examples along the same lines could be cited.
The Conference may wish to discuss next whether the Convention
is in need of revision, whether certain parts could be omitted, whether some of the requirements could usefully be made more stringent (computation of averages for major branches, periodicity,
time-lag in publication, etc.). An expression of opinion on this
point would be especially valuable, since the Convention has
been in force for nearly ten years and a decennial report on its
application will become due in 1950.
The attention of the members of the Conference is also drawn
to Article 24 of the Convention, which reads as follows :
1. The Governing Body of the International Labour Office may,
after taking such technical advice as it may deem appropriate, communicate to the Members of the Organisation proposals for improving
and amplifying the statistics compiled in pursuance of this Convention
or for promoting their comparability.

CONVENTION NO. 6 3

115

2. Each Member ratifying this Convention undertakes that it
will —
(a) submit for the consideration of its competent statistical authority any such proposals communicated to it by the Governing Body ;
(b) indicate in its annual report upon the application of the Convention the extent to which it has given effect to such proposals.
The Conference may wish to make use of this Article and suggest
to the Governing Body of the International Labour Office the
points to which, in its estimation, the attention of ratifying Governments might usefully be drawn to improve the international
comparability of the statistics obtained in pursuance of the
Convention. 1
Finally, and depending on the results of the discussion on the
first point, the Conference may wish to make suggestions as to
what other statistics might, most urgently and usefully, be made
the subject of further Conventions on labour statistics. 2

1
See also, a t the end of Appendix I, the text of the Resolutions on supplementary statistics adopted by the International Labour Conference in 1938.
2
The Conference will have on its agenda a request made by the Chemical
Industries Committee of the International Labour Organisation t h a t industrial
injuries statistics should be made internationally more comparable by means of
a Convention.

CHAPTER

Vili

PROPOSED RESOLUTIONS
I
Resolution om Wages and Payroll Statistics
The Seventh International Conference of Labour Statisticians,
Having been convened by the Governing Body of the International Labour Office, and having met at Geneva from 26 September
to 8 October 1949,
Being strongly of the opinion that adequate statistics of payrolls,
average earnings and wage rates are essential for the correct appraisal of the economic position of countries and of various social
categories within countries,
Having considered the problems raised by the lack of statistics
on these points in certain countries and the lack of international
comparability of existing statistics, and
Being further of the opinion t h a t the requirements of Convention No. 63 could usefully be supplemented by detailed proposals
for the improvement of the international comparability of wage
statistics,
Adopts, this
day of October 1949, the following
Resolution :
I.

GENERAL OBJECTIVES

1. For a given country, an adequate programme of wage
statistics would include the following information at the intervals
indicated :
(a) wages in agriculture, at least once a year ;
(b) minimum rates of pay or average straight-time rates per hour
and /or per week in the more important non-agricultural
branches of economic activity, at least twice a year;
(c) average earnings per hour, per day, and/or per week of
wage earners in the more important non-agricultural branches of economic activity, at least once a quarter ;
(d) average earnings per hour and /or per month of salaried
employees in the more important non-agricultural branches of economic activity, at least once a year ;
(e) index numbers of payrolls and average earnings of wage
earners and/or wage earners and salaried employees in the

PROPOSED RESOLUTIONS

(f)

(g)

(h)
(i)

117

more important non-agricultural branches of economic activity, at least once a quarter ;
estimates of total wages and salaries, separately for wage
earners and for salaried employees, in agricultural and nonagricultural branches of economic activity, at least once a
year;
average earnings per year in the more important non-agricultural branches of economic activity, at least once every
three years ;
information on compulsory and voluntary social charges
paid by employers, at least once a year ;
distribution of workers by wage classes, at periodic
intervals.

2. (1) Breakdowns b y sex, by geographical area and between
adults and juveniles should be shown for statistics referred to under

1 (b), 1 (c) and 1 (d).
(2) These statistics should be published as speedily as possible,
and quarterly figures should be published within the three months
following the end of the quarter to which the figures refer.
(3) I n cases where the information is obtained from payrolls,
the questionnaire need ask only for details in respect of the categories referred to under 2 (1) and not for wages of individual
workers.
3. I n collecting statistics of wage rates, average earnings
and payrolls, consideration should be given to the application
of adequate sampling techniques, with a view to obtaining accurate
information at frequent intervals at minimum cost.
4. Periodically, breakdowns of average straight-time rates
and/or average earnings for key occupations should be shown
for the more important industrial branches.
5. Within each country, the definitions used in the various
sources of information on total wages and salaries, payrolls and
average earnings (statistics of establishments, social insurance
statistics, censuses of production, of manufacture, etc.) should be
specified and, so far as possible, the results reconciled or made
comparable with definitions used in other series.

II.

STATISTICS OF ESTABLISHMENTS

Sample
6. (1) I n determining a sample of establishments from which
payrolls, average straight-time rates and average earnings data
are to be obtained, particular attention should be given to securing
proper representation of various branches of economic activity,
of regions and of establishments of various sizes.

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WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

(2) Special efforts should be made to correct errors which
result from the failure of establishments to make returns, and to
obtain returns by establishments rather than by firms.
(3) Studies should be undertaken to determine the best methods
for setting up and revising from time to time the list of establishments from which a representative sample is drawn.
(4) Payrolls, average straight-time rates and average earnings
series should be compared with comprehensive benchmark data
as such data become available and, in so doing, methods should
be developed to include in the sample a due proportion of new
establishments.
(5) As resources and facilities permit, surveys should be made
of the extent to which returns by establishments supply data
which are more inclusive or less inclusive than those requested. 1
Coverage
7. (1) Information should always be made available concerning the criteria used for inclusion of establishments in the sample ;
if the practice is to use a rather high minimum number of employees,
a minimum percentage of representation in terms of employment
should also be used.
(2) As resources and facilities permit, studies should be
undertaken, if necessary, to discover the relationship between
trends in payrolls and levels of average earnings in the various
size of establishment groups, the criteria for inclusion of establishments in the sample to be revised for certain industrial branches
in the light of the results of such studies, and the lack of representativeness of the sample from t h a t point of view to be corrected
by proper weighting (based on employment) in those branches
where it is found t h a t size of establishment has an influence on
levels of wages.
8. Establishments should be used as basic reporting units,
in preference to undertakings, firms or companies ; when a
single establishment comprises several units engaged in distinct
activities, separate returns for each unit should be secured wherever
possible.
9. I n order to avoid a progressive decrease in the degree of
representativeness of the sample, the list of establishments should
be augmented periodically by the inclusion of a suitable number
of newly created establishments.
10. Details as to the degree of representativeness of the
sample of establishments should be published periodically so as
to make possible a fair appraisal of the series.
1
Paragraph 6 is a paraphrase of part of the Resolution concerning statistics
of employment, unemployment and the labour force adopted by the Sixth International Conference of Labour Statisticians.

PROPOSED RESOLUTIONS

119

Definitions
11. Summary enquiries carried out at frequent intervals
should be based on returns showing payrolls, man-days, manhours, etc., for certain broad categories of workers and not on
returns showing information for each individual worker.
12. (1) Categories of employees to be covered for data on
payrolls and average earnings should be —
(a) wage earners up to and including the working foreman level ;
(b) salaried employees wherever possible.
(2) Workers on paid vacation or holiday should be included ; workers on sick leave paid by the employers, strikers, workers performing military service, etc., should be included if they
are at work and receive pay for part or the whole of the period
covered by the returns.
13. (1) The value of payments in kind, where they exist,
should be shown separately from cash payments.
(2) Details as to the methods of estimating the value of
payments in kind should be published periodically.
(3) Family allowances, if part of payrolls, should not be
combined with other payments, but should be shown separately.
(4) Vacation and holiday pay should be included in the
figures on payrolls, and the normal hours of workers on paid
vacation or holiday should be included in the total hours.
(5) Other bonuses and allowances should be included, if paid
regularly at intervals of two months or less ; the amount of the
bonuses included should be proportional to the pay period covered.
Computation
14. Prior to computation, figures should be adjusted to
conform to paragraphs 12 and 13.
15. Biased data due to the lack of representativeness of the
sample should be corrected by proper weighting (based on current
employment) of the data b y sex, by industrial branch and, if
necessary, by size of establishment group.
16. Missing reports should be estimated to arrive at preliminary
figures, final results being released after the missing reports have
been received.
17. Average earnings should be computed by sex, by geographical area, and separately for adults and juveniles.
18. I n complement to the main series, average earnings
weighted on a fixed base, e.g., pre-war employment, should be
computed wherever possible.
19. As resources and facilities permit, percentage changes
of payrolls and earnings based on establishment samples should
be applied to benchmark data to arrive at more frequent estimates
of changes in total wages and salaries and in average earnings.

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WAGES AND PAYB.OLL STATISTICS

20. If figures are based on information concerning individual
workers, their distribution into wage classes should be given.
Publication
21. (1) Wherever possible, breakdowns by industries should be
published in such a way as to enable a recomputation of the data
on the basis of the International Standard Industrial Classification of all Economic Activities adopted by the United Nations. 1
(2) Breakdowns should be published periodically for industries in which as much as 5 per cent, of a country's total employment is found.
22. Where resources and facilities permit, data on payrolls
and average earnings derived from a sample of establishments
should be compared with, and supplemented by, data derived
from other sources with a view to arriving at, and publishing,
a consistent and complete set of payrolls and average earnings
series.
23. Where resources and facilities permit, information should
be published—
(a) on amounts deducted at the source (separately for social
security contributions, income or wage taxes, trade union
dues, etc.);
(b) on real purchasing power of gross average earnings ; and
(c) on real purchasing power of take-home pay.

III.

CENSUSES

24. Schedules used for industrial censuses, censuses of manufactures, of production, etc., should provide the necessary information for the computation of average earnings.
25. The schedules should be drafted in such a way t h a t
figures on wage earners and salaried employees as defined in
paragraph 12 and figures on payrolls as defined in paragraph 13
will become available.
26. (1) Breakdowns by sex, by geographical area, b y age
groups (adults and juveniles) and by industries should be published.
(2) Breakdowns by industries should show the industries
where at least 5 per cent, of the country's total employment is
found.
(3) Information should be published in enough detail t o
enable a recomputation of the figures on the basis of the International Standard Industrial Classification of all Economic
Activities adopted by the United Nations. 1
1

For the text of this classification, see footnote to p. 122 et seq.

PROPOSED RESOLUTIONS

IV.

121

SOCIAL INSURANCE

27. (1) Where appropriate, schedules used in the administration of social insurance schemes should provide the necessary
information for the computation of average earnings.
(2) If a social insurance scheme provides for a maximum insurable wage, the schedule should call for additional information on
payrolls, or wages or salaries of each worker, disregarding the
upper wage limit.
(3) I n countries where persons above a certain income are
not covered by social insurance schemes, studies should be undertaken periodically to assess the importance of such exclusions.
(4) Where resources and facilities permit, the time-lag in
publication should be reduced as much as possible b y publishing
preliminary results based on a sample of returns.

V.

ESTIMATES OE TOTAL W A G E S AND SALARIES

28. (1) Separate estimates of total wages and of total salaries
(including all bonuses) covering all branches of economic activity
should be published once a year.
(2) The sources, methods and definitions used, their limitations, etc., should be described in publications periodically.
29. To the extent to which estimates are based on average
earnings multiplied b y employment figures of various groups,
such estimates should be adjusted to benchmark data (taxation
returns, industrial censuses, etc.).
30. Where resources and facilities permit, comparisons over
a period of years between payroll series based on a sample of
establishments and estimates of total wages and salaries should
be undertaken in order to arrive a t a series on total wages and
salaries published at more frequent intervals.

VI.

SOCIAL CHARGES

31. (1) At suitable intervals, and preferably once a year,
payrolls and average earnings statistics based on establishment
reporting should be supplemented by information on social charges
paid b y employers.
(2) Data on each main charge (expressed as a percentage
of payrolls) should be published separately.
(3) Information on the compulsory or voluntary character

of each charge should be provided.

122

WAGES AND P A Y S C - I i STATISTICS

n
Resolution on Convention (No. 63) concerning Statistics
of Wages and Hours of Work, 1938
The Seventh International Conference of Labour Statisticians,
Having been convened by the Governing Body of the International Labour Office, and having met at Geneva from 26 September to 8 October 1949,
Having considered the problems raised by wages and payroll
statistics,
Having further considered the results obtained, after nearly
ten years, b y Convention No. 63,
Noting t h a t Article 24 of Convention No. 63 reads as follows :
" 1 . The Governing Body of the International Labour Office
may, after taking such technical advice as it may deem appropriate, communicate to the Members of the Organisation proposals
for improving and amplifying the statistics compiled in pursuance
of this Convention or for promoting their comparability.
" 2. Each Member ratifying this Convention undertakes t h a t
it will—
(a) submit for the consideration of its competent statistical
a u t h o r i t y a n y such proposals communicated t o it b y

the

Governing Body ;
(b) indicate in its annual report upon the application of the
Convention the extent to which it has given effect to such
proposals, "
Adopts, this
day of October 1949, the following Resolution :
1. The Conference requests the Governing Body of the International Labour Office to consider the desirability of communicating to States Members appropriate suggestions for the improvement of the statistics compiled in pursuance of the Convention.
2. The Conference recommends t h a t the Governing Body of
the International Labour Office, after taking such additional
technical advice as it may deem appropriate, should communicate to the States Members the following proposals for the improvement of the statistics compiled in pursuance of the Convention :
International

Standard Industrial

Classification

(a) (i) The data to be published on the basis of the United
Nations' International Standard Industrial Classification of all
Economic Activities. 1
1

The Classification reads as follows :
Division 0. Agriculture, Forestry, Hunting, Fishing :
01. Agriculture a n d livestock production.

123

PROPOSED RESOLUTIONS

(ii) Averages to be published for Division 1, Divisions 2-3,
and Division 4 of that Classification.
(in) Averages to be published, wherever possible, for the
other non-agricultural Divisions of that Classification.
(iv) Details on the differences, if any, between the coverage
of published averages and the coverage of the corresponding
Division of the Classification to be published periodically.
02.
03.
04.
Division
11.
12.
13.
14.
19.

Forestry a n d logging.
Hunting, trapping and game propagation.
Fishing.
1. Mining and Quarrying :
Coal mining.
Metal mining.
Crude petroleum and natural gas.
Stone quarrying, clay and sand pits.
Non-metallic mining and quarrying not elsewhere classified.

Divisions 2-3. Manufacturing :
20. Food manufacturing industries, except beverage industries.
21. Beverage industries.
22. Tobacco manufactures.
23. Manufacture of textiles.
24. Manufacture of footwear, other wearing apparel and made-up textile goods.
25. Manufacture of wood and cork, except manufacture of furniture.
26. Manufacture of furniture a n d fixtures.
27. Manufacture of paper and paper products.
28. Printing, publishing and allied industries.
29. Manufacture of leather a n d leather products, except footwear.
30. Manufacture of rubber products.
31. Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products.
32. Manufacture of products of petroleum and coal.
33. Manufacture of non-metallic mineral products, except products of petroleum and coal.
34. Basic metal industries.
35. Manufacture of metal products, except machinery and transport equipment.
36. Manufacture of machinery, except electrical machinery.
37. Manufacture of electrical machinery, apparatus, appliances and supplies.
38. Manufacturo of transport equipment.
39. Miscellaneous manufacturing industries.
Division 4. Construction :
40. Construction.
Division 5. Electricity, Gas, Water and Sanitary
51. Electricity, gas a n d steam.
52. W a t e r and sanitary services.
Division
61.
62.
63.
64.

Servies

:

6. Commerce :
Wholesale and retail trade.
Banks and other financial institutions.
Insurance.
Real estate.

Division 7. Transport, Storage and Communication :
71. Transport.
72. Storage a n d warehousing.
73. Communication.
(FootnoteZcontinued overleaf)

124

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

Definition

of Workers and Payrolls

(b) (i) Data to cover wage earners u p to and including the
working foreman level.
(ii) Data to cover salaried employees, wherever possible.
(iii) Separate data on the value of payments in kind and
on family allowances to be shown, where these are included in the
information provided, and details as to the methods of estimating
the value of payments in kind to be published periodically.
Estimates of Total Wages and

Salaries

(c) Estimates of total wages and salaries paid per annum
in each of the principal industries in mining, manufacturing and
construction, and as far as possible in other branches of economic
activity, to be compiled and published a t annual intervals, distinguishing as far as possible between wages paid to wage earners
and salaries paid to salaried employees.
Annual

Earnings

(d) Statistics showing average annual earnings of workers
in each of the principal industries in mining, manufacturing and
construction, and as far as possible in other branches of economic
activity, to be compiled at intervals of three years, distinguishing
as far as possible between wages paid to wage earners and salaries
paid to salaried employees.
Earnings

and Hours by Occupations

(e) At least every ten years, statistics of average earnings and
of hours actually worked to be compiled for each of the principal
occupations in each industry ; these statistics—
(i) to show the number of workpeople grouped according to the
amount of their earnings ; and,
(ii) to be given by sex and by age groups.

Division
81.
82.
83.
84.

8. Services :
Government services.
Community a n d business services.
Recreation services.
Personal services.

Division 9. Activities not Adequately Described :
90. Activities not adequately described.

PEOPOSED BBSOLUTIONS

125

m
Resolution on Proposed Conventions
The Seventh International Conference of Labour Statisticians,
Having been convened by the Governing Body of the International Labour Office, and having met at Geneva from 26 September to 8 October 1949,
Having considered the results obtained by Convention No. 63
concerning statistics of wages and hours of work,
Having further considered the resolution of the Chemical
Industries Committee of the International Labour Organisation
concerning the standardisation of statistics of industrial injuries
and occupational diseases,
Adopts, this
day of October 1949, the following
Resolution :
The Conference requests the Governing Body of the International Labour Office to consider the desirability of placing on the
agenda of future sessions of the International Labour Conference
the subject of Conventions dealing with labour statistics ; the
following are among the subjects suggested for consideration :
employment, unemployment and labour force ; retail price index
numbers ; family living studies ; industrial injuries ; migration.

9

APPENDICES

APPENDIX I

TEXTS OF CONVENTION No. 63, OF RECOMMENDATION OF THE
5th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF LABOUR STATISTICIANS,
AND OF RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED BY THE 24th SESSION
OF THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR CONFERENCE
Convention (No. 63) concerning Statistics of Wages and Hours of Work,
Adopted by the International Labour Conference at its 24th Session
on 20 June 1938
The General Conference of the International Labour Organisation,
Having been convened at Geneva by the Governing Body of the
International Labeur Office, and having met in its Twentyfourth Session on 2 June 1938, and
Having decided upon the adoption of certain proposals with regard
to statistics of wages and hours of work in the principal mining
and manufacturing industries, including building and construction, and in agriculture, which is the sixth item on the agenda
of the Session, and
Having determined that these proposals shall take the form of an
international Convention, and
Having determined that, although it is desirable that all Members
of the Organisation should compile statistics of average earnings
and of hours actually worked which comply with the requirements of Part I I of this Convention, it is nevertheless expedient
that the Convention should be open to ratification by Members
which are not in a position to comply with the requirements of
that Part,
adopts this twentieth day of June of the year one thousand nine hundred
and thirty-eight the following Convention, which may be cited as the
Convention concerning Statistics of Wages and Hours of Work, 1938 :
PAST I.

GENBBAL PROVISIONS

Article 1
Each Member of the International Labour Organisation which
ratifies this Convention undertakes that—

APPENDICES

127

(a)

it will compile as required by this Convention statistics relating
t o wages and hours of work ;
( b) it will publish t h e d a t a compiled in pursuance of this Convention
as promptly as possible and will endeavour t o publish d a t a collected a t quarterly or more frequent intervals during the succeeding
quarter and t o publish d a t a collected a t intervals of six or twelve
months during t h e succeeding six or twelve months respectively ;
and
(c) it will communicate the d a t a compiled in pursuance of this Convention t o t h e International Labour Office a t t h e earliest possible
date.
Artide

2

1. Any Member which ratifies this Convention may, by a declaration appended t o its ratification, exclude from its acceptance of t h e
Convention—
(a) a n y one of P a r t s I I , I I I , or I V ; or
(b) P a r t s I I and I V ; or
(c) P a r t s I I I and IV.
2. Any Member which has made such a declaration m a y a t any
time cancel t h a t declaration b y a subsequent declaration.
3. Every Member for which a declaration made under paragraph 1
of this Article is in force shall indicate each year in its annual report
upon t h e application of this Convention the extent to which a n y progress
has been made with a view t o the application of t h e P a r t or P a r t s of
the Convention excluded from its acceptance.
Añide

3

Nothing in this Convention imposes any obligation t o publish
or to reveal particulars which would result in the disclosure of information relating t o any individual undertaking or establishment.
Article 4
1. E a c h Member which ratifies this Convention undertakes t h a t
its competent statistical authority shall, unless it has already obtained
the information in some other way, make enquiries relating either t o
all, or t o a representative part, of t h e wage earners concerned, in order
to obtain t h e information required for t h e purpose of t h e statistics
which it has undertaken t o compile in accordance with this Convention.
2. Nothing in this Convention shall be interpreted as requiring
any Member t o compile statistics in cases in which, after enquiries
made in the manner required by paragraph 1 of this Article, it is found
impracticable t o obtain the necessary information without the exercise
of compulsory powers.

P A K T I I . STATISTICS O F A V E R A G E EARNINGS AND O F H O U R S ACTUALLY
W O R K E D EN M I N I N G AND MANUFACTURING I N D U S T R I E S

Artide

5

1. Statistics of average earnings and of hours actually worked
shall be compiled for wage earners employed in each of the principal

128

WAGES AND PAYBOLL STATISTICS

mining and manufacturing industries, including building and construction.
2. The statistics of average earnings and of hours actually worked
shall be compiled on the basis of data relating either to all establishments and wage earners or to a representative sample of establishments
and wage earners,
3. The statistics of average earnings and of hours actually worked
shall—
(a) give separate figures for each of the principal industries ; and
( b) indicate briefly the scope of the industries or branches of industry
for which figures are given.
Article 6
The statistics of average earnings shall include—
all cash payments and bonuses received from the employer by
the persons employed ;
(b) contributions such as social insurance contributions payable by
the employed persons and deducted by the employer ; and
(c) taxes payable by the employed persons to a public authority and
deducted by the employer.
(a)

Article 7
In the case of countries and industries in which allowances in kind,
for example in the form of free or cheap housing, food or fuel, form a
substantial part of the toial remuneration of the wage earners employed,
the statistics of average earnings shall be supplemented by particulars
of such allowances, together with estimates, so far as practicable, of
their money value.
Article 8
The statistics of average earnings shall be supplemented, so far as
practicable, by indications as to the average amount of any family
allowances per person employed in the period to which the statistics
relate.
Article 9
1. The statistics of average earnings shall relate to average earnings
per hour, day, week or other customary period.
2. Where the statistics of average earnings relate to average earnings
per day, week or other customary period, the statistics of actual hours
shall relate to the same period.
Article 10
1. The statistics of average earnings and of hours actually worked,
referred to in Article 9, shall be compiled once every year and where
possible at shorter intervals.
2. Once every three years and where possible at shorter intervals
the statistics of average earnings and, so far as practicable, the statistics

APPENDICES

129

of hours actually worked shall be supplemented b y separate figures
for each sex a n d for adults a n d juveniles ; provided t h a t it shall not be
necessary t o compile these separate figures in t h e case of industries
in which all b u t a n insignificant number of t h e wage earners belong t o
t h e same sex or age group, or t o compile t h e separate figures of hours
actually worked for males a n d females, or for adults and juveniles,
in t h e ease of industries in which t h e normal hours of work do n o t v a r y
b y sex or age.
Article 11
Where t h e statistics of average earnings a n d of hours actually
worked relate n o t t o t h e whole country b u t t o certain districts, towns
or industrial centres, these districts, towns or centres shall, so far as
practicable, be indicated.
Article 12
1. Index numbers showing t h e general movement of earnings per
hour a n d where possible per day, week or other customary period shall
be compiled a t as frequent and as regular intervals as possible on t h e
basis of t h e statistics compiled i n pursuance of this P a r t of this Convention.
2. I n compiling such index numbers d u e account shall be taken,
vnier alza,, oí -the r e l a t i v e i m p o r t a n c e ox t l i e d i f f e r e n t incln¡9trie9.

3. I n pubiïshing such index numbers indications shall be given
as t o t h e methods employed in their construction.

PABT III.

STATISTICS O F T I M E R A T E S O F W A G E S AND OF

NORMAL H O U R S OF W O R K I N M I N I N G AND MANUFACTURING I N D U S T R I E S

Article

13

Statistics of time rates of wages and of normal hours of work of
wage earners shall be compiled for a representative selection of t h e
principal mining a n d manufacturing industries, including building
and construction.
Article 14
1. The statistics of time rates of wages a n d of normal hours of
work shall show t h e rates a n d hours—
(a) fixed by or in pursuance of laws or regulations, collective agreements or arbitral awards ;
(b) ascertained from organisations of employers a n d workers, from
joint bodies, or from other appropriate sources of information,
in cases where rates a n d hours are n o t fixed b y or in pursuance
of laws or regulations, collective agreements or arbitral awards.
2. The statistics of time rates of wages and of normal hours of
work shall indicate t h e nature and source of t h e information from
which t h e y have been compiled and whether i t relates t o rates or hours
fixed b y or in pursuance of laws or regulations, collective agreements
or arbitral awards, or t o rates or hours fixed b y arrangements between
employers and wage earners individually.

130

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

3. When rates of wages are described as minimum (other than
statutory minimum) rates, standard rates, typical rates, or prevailing
rates, or by similar terms, the terms used shall be explained.
4. " Normal hours of work ", where not fixed by or in pursuance
of laws or regulations, collective agreements or arbitral awards, shall
be taken as meaning the number of hours, per day, week or other period,
in excess of which any time worked is remunerated at overtime rates
or forms an exception to the rules or custom of the establishment
relating to the classes of wage earners concerned.
Article 15
1. The statistics of time rates of wages and of normal hours of
work shall give—
(a) at intervals of not more than three years, separate figures for
the principal occupations in a wide and representative selection
of the different industries ; and
(b) at least once a year, and if possible at shorter intervals, separate
figures for the main occupations in the most important of these
industries.
2. The data relating to time rates of wages and of normal hours
of work shall be presented, so far as practicable, on the basis of the
same occupational classification.
3. Where the sources of information from which the statistics are
compiled do not indicate the separate occupations to which the rates
or hours apply, but fix varying rates of wages or hours of work for other
categories of workers (such as skilled workers, semi-skilled workers
and unskilled workers) or fix normal hours of work by classes of undertakings or branches of undertakings, the separate figures shall be given
according to these distinctions.
4. Where the categories of workers for which figures are given are
not separate occupations, the scope of each category shall, in so far
as the necessary particulars are given in the sources of information
from which the statistics are compiled, be indicated.
Article 16
Where the statistics of time rates do not give the rates per hour
but give rates per day, week, or other customary period—
(a) the statistics of normal hours of work shall relate to the same
period ; and
(b) the Member shall communicate to the International Labour Office
any information appropriate for the purpose of calculating the
rates per hour.
Article 11
Where the sources of information from which the statistics are
compiled give separate particulars classified by sex and age, the statistics of time rates of wages and of normal hours of work shall give separate figures for each sex and for adults and juveniles.
Article 18
Where the statistics of time rates of wages and of normal hours of
work relate not to the whole country but to certain districts, towns

APPENDICES

131

or industrial centres, these districts, towns or centres shall, so far as
practicable, be indicated.
Artide 19
Whore the sources of information from which the statistics of time
rates and of normal hours of work are compiled contain such particulars,
the statistics shall at intervals not exceeding three years indicate—
(a) the scale of any payment for holidays ;
(b) the scale of any family allowances ;
(c) the rates or percentage additions to normal rates paid for overtime ;
and
(d) the amount of overtime permitted.
Article 20
In the case of countries and industries in which allowances in kind,
for example in the form of free and cheap housing, food or fuel, form
a substantial part of the total remuneration of the wage earners employed,
the statistics of time rates of wages shall be supplemented by particulars of such allowances, together with estimates, so far as practicable,
of their money value.
Article 21
1. Annual index numbers showing the general movement of rates
of wages per hour or per week shall be compiled on the basis of the
statistics compiled in pursuance of this Part of this Convention, supplemented, where necessary, by any other relevant information which
may be available (for example, particulars as to changes in piecework rates of wages).
2. Where only an index number of rates of wages per hour or
only an index number of rates of wages per week is compiled, there
shall be compiled an index number of changes in normal hours of
work constructed on the same basis.
3. In compiling such index numbers due account shall be taken,
inter alia, of the relative importance of the different industries.
4. In publishing such index numbers indications shall be given
as to the methods employed in their construction.
PAST IV.

STATISTICS OT WAGES AND HOURS OW WOBK
m AGRICULTURE

Article 22
1. Statistics of wages shall be compiled in respect of wage earners
engaged in agriculture.
2. The statistics of wages in agriculture shall—
(a) be compiled at intervals not exceeding two years ;
(b) give separate figures for each of the principal districts ; and
(c) indicate the nature of the allowances in kind (including housing),
if any, by which money wages are supplemented, and, if possible,
an estimate of the money value of such allowances.

132

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

3. The statistics of wages in agriculture shall be supplemented
by indications as to—
(a) the categories of agricultural wage earners to which the statistics
relate ;
( b) the nature and source of the information from which they have
been compiled ;
(c) the methods employed in their compilation ; and
(d) so far as practicable, the normal hours of work of the wage earners
concerned.
PART V.

MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

Article 23
1. Any Member the territory of which includes large areas in
respect of which, by reason of the difficulty of creating the necessary
administrative organisation and the sparseness of the population or the
stage of economic development of the area, it is impracticable to compile
statistics complying with the requirements of this Convention may
exclude such areas from the application of this Convention in whole
or in part.
2. Each Member shall indicate in its first annual report upon the
application of this Convention submitted under Article 22 of the Constitution of the International Labour Organisation any areas in respect
of which it proposes to have recourse to the provisions of this Article
and no Member shall, after the date of its first annual report, have
recourse to the provisions of this Article except in respect of areas so
indicated.
3. Each Member having recourse to the provisions of the present
Article shall indicate in subsequent annual reports any areas in respect
of which it renounces the right to have recourse to the provisions of
this Article.
Article 24
1. The Governing Body of the International Labour Office may,
after taking such technical advice as it may deem appropriate, communicate to the Members of the Organisation proposals for improving
and amplifying the statistics compiled in pursuance of this Convention
or for promoting their comparability.
2. Each Member ratifying this Convention undertakes that it will—
(a) submit for the consideration of its competent statistical authority
any such proposals communicated to it by the Governing Body ;
(b) indicate in its annual report upon the appHcation of the Convention
the extent to which it has given effect to such proposals.
P A 3 T VI.

FINAL PROVISIONS

Article. 25
The formal ratifications of this Convention shall be communicated
to the Director-General of the International Labour Office for registration.

APPENDICES

133

Article 26
1. This Convention shall be binding only upon Members of the
International Labour Organisation whose ratifications have been registered with the Director-General.
2. I t shall come into force twelve months after the date on which
the ratifications of two Members have been registered with the DirectorGeneral.
3. Thereafter, this Convention shall come into force for any Member
twelve months after the date on which its ratification has been registered.
Article 27
As soon as the ratifications of two Members of the International
Labour Organisation have been registered, the Director-General of
the International Labour Office shall so notify all the Members of the
International Labour Organisation. He shall likewise notify them of
the registration of ratifications which may be communicated subsequently by other Members of the Organisation.
Article 28
1. A Member which has ratified this Convention may denounce it
after the expiration of ten years from the date on which the Convention
first comes into force, by an act communicated to the Director-General
of the International Labour Office for registration. Such denunciation
shall not take effect until one year after the date on which it is registered.
2. Each Member which has ratified this Convention and which
does not, within the year following the expiration of the period of ten
years mentioned in the preceding paragraph, exercise the right of denunciation provided for in this Article, will be bound for another period of
ten years and, thereafter, may denounce this Convention at the expiration of each period of ten years under the terms provided for in this
Article.
Article 29
At the expiration of each period of ten years after the coming into
force of this Convention, the Governing Body of the International
Labour Office shall present to the General Conference a report on the
working of this Convention and shall consider the desirability of placing
on the agenda of the Conference the question of its revision in whole
or in part.
Article 30
1. Should the Conference adopt a new Convention revising this
Convention in whole or in part, then, unless the new Convention otherwise provides,
(a) the ratification by a Member of the new revising Convention
shall if so jure involve the immediate denunciation of this Convention, notwithstanding the provisions of Article 28 above, if
and when the new revising Convention shall have come into force ;

134

WAGES AND PAYBOLL STATISTICS

(b)

as from the date when the new revising Convention comes into
force this Convention shall cease to be open to ratification by the
Members.
2. This Convention shall in any case remain in force in its actual
form and content for those Members which have ratified it but have
not ratified the revising Convention.
Article 31
The French and English texts of this Convention shall both be
authentic.

Proposed Recommendation Suggested to the international Labour
Conference by the Stîi International Conference of Labour Statisticians
(Geneva, October 1937)
Whereas the Convention on Statistics of Wages and Hours of Work
is necessarily limited in scope to statistics which are sufficiently developed
to permit of a substantial number of Members entering into definite
obligations in respect thereof; and
Whereas it is of special importance that every effort should be made
further to improve statistics of wages and hours of work ;
The Conference, with a view to completing the provisions of the
Statistics of Wages and Hours Convention, recommends that each
Member should give effect to the following provisions :
1. (1) Statistics of time rates of wages and of normal hours of
work and/or statistics of average earnings and of hours actually worked
should be compiled in respect of wage earners engaged in transport,
commercial or trading establishments, and administrative services.
(2) Statistics of salaries and hours should be compiled for salaried
employees, excluding persons holding positions of management.
(3) These statistics should be compiled as far as possible at the
intervals specified in the Statistics of Wages and Hours Convention in
respect of statistics relating to persons to whom that Convention applies.
2. (1) At least every ten years, statistics of average earnings and
of hours actually worked should be compiled for each of the principal
occupations in each industry.
(2) These statisticsfa^ should show the number of workpeople grouped according to the
amount of their earnings ; and
(b) should be given by sex and by age groups.
3. (1) Statistics showing the aggregate amount of wages and
salaries paid per annum in each of the principal industries in mining
and manufacture, including building and construction and, as far as
possible, for other branches of economic activity, should be compiled
regularly and where possible at annual intervals, and distinguishing as
far as possible between wages paid to wage earners and salaries paid
to salaried employees.
(2) An approximate indication should be given of the extent to
which the returns are representative of all employed persons.
4. Statistics showing average annual earnings of workers in each
of the principal industries in mining and manufacture, including building

APPENDICES

135

and construction, and as far as possible for other branches of economic
activity, should be compiled at intervals of three years, distinguishing
as far as possible between wages paid to wage earners and salaries paid
t o salaried employees.
5. The statistics of time rates of wages should, so far as possible,
be accompanied b y indications as to the number of workers covered,
as well as b y any information which m a y be available as to the relation
between t h e time rates of wages and actual earnings.
6. The statistics compiled in pursuance of this Recommendation
should be published and communicated to the International Labour
Office as prescribed b y the Statistics of Wages and Hours Convention
for the statistics compiled in pursuance thereof. 1

Resolutions Adopted by the Twenty-fourth Session
of the International Labour Conference
R E S O L U T I O N CONCERNING STATISTICS OE W A G E S
AND H O U R S OF W O R K IN AGRICULTURE

Whereas the Fifth Conference of Official Labour Statisticians, in
its report of 2 October 1937, " considered it very desirable t h a t in view
of the special problems connected with the compilation of statistics
of hours of work, wages and other factors in the remuneration of agricultural workers, these questions should be discussed a t a special Conference of Labour Statisticians to be held in the near future " ; and
Whereas the International Labour Conference a t its Twenty-fourth
Session has adopted a Draft Convention on statistics of wages and hours
of work in the principal mining and manufacturing industries and in
agriculture ;
The Conference requests t h e Governing Body of the International
Labour Office to consider the advisability of convening at an early
date a special technical conference t o examine the methods of compiling
statistics of t h e remuneration and hours of work of persons employed
in agriculture, with a view t o the improvement and amplification of
the statistics to be compiled in pursuance of the Convention.
R E S O L U T I O N CONCERNING STATISTICS O F R E A L W A G E S

Whereas t h e utility of the statistics of wages and hours of work to be
compiled in pursuance of the provisions of the Draft Convention on
statistics of wages and hours of work in the principal mining and manufacturing industries and in agriculture would be enhanced if information
were available as t o the real value of wages, as measured b y their purchasing power,
The Conference urges the International Labour Office t o encourage
the compilation and publication of the statistical d a t a required for
international comparisons of real wages and t o continue and extend
its studies on this subject.
1
Paragraph 1 of this t e x t and certain provisions of the other paragraphs
were outside the scope of the subject included in the agenda of the 24th Session
of the International Labour Conference (June 1938) and could therefore not be
considered by it. The Conference adopted a series of Resolutions, the texts of
which follow.

136

WAGES AND PAYEOLL STATISTICS
RESOLUTION CONCERNING SUPPLEMENTARY STATISTICS
OK WAGES AND HOURS OF WOEK

Whereas the Fifth Conference of Official Labour Statisticians prepared a recommendation concerning statistics of wages and hours of
work supplementing the provisions of the proposed Draft Convention
on statistics of wages and hours of work in the principal mining and
manufacturing industries and in agriculture, and
Whereas Article 24 of the Draft Convention provides that the Governing Body may communicate to the Members of the Organisation proposals
for improving and amplifying the statistics compiled in pursuance of
this Convention and that each Member shall indicate in its annual
report upon the application of the Convention the extent to which it
has given effect to such proposals,
The Conference, by this Resolution, requests the Governing Body
to arrange that the proposals set forth on pages 110 and 112 of the greyblue report and appended hereto be examined in accordance with the
provisions of Article 24 of the Convention and that in the meantime
this Resolution, together with the appendix, be communicated to the
various Governments at the earliest possible date. 1
Appendix
1. (1) At least once every ten years, the statistics of average
earnings and of hours actually worked relating to wage earners employed
in the principal mining and manufacturing industries, including building
and construction, should give separate figures for each of the principal
occupations in each industry.
(2) These statistics—
(a) should show the number of workpeople grouped according to the
amount of their earnings ; and
(b) should be given by sex and by age groups.
2. (1) Statistics showing the aggregate amount of wages paid per
annum in each of the principal industries in mining and manufacture,
including building and construction, should be compiled regularly and
where possible at annual intervals.
(2) An approximate indication should be given of the extent to
which the returns are representative of all employed persons.
3. Statistics showing average annual earnings of workers employed
in each of the principal industries in mining and manufacture, including
building and construction, should be compiled at intervals not exceeding
three years.
4. The statistics of time rates of wages should so far as possible be
accompanied by—
(a) indications as to the number of workers covered, and
(b) any information which may be available as to the relation between
the time rates of wages and actual earnings.
1
On 2 February 1939 the Governing Body instructed the International Labour
OÉSce t o communicate t h e proposals t o Governments for their information, and
noted t h a t action should be taken in accordance with Article 24 of the Convention
in due course after t h e coming into force of the Convention. The Resolution was
communicated t o Governments on 18 March 1939.

APPENDIX II
SUMMARY OF STATISTICS OF WAGES AND HOURS
OF WORK PUBLISHED BY COUNTRIES WHICH HAVE RATIFIED
CONVENTION No. 63

This appendix contains a summary statement of the statistics of
wages and hours of work published by countries which have ratified
the whole or part of Convention No. 63. The materials are limited
to those called for under Part I I (Earnings) and Part I I I (Rates).
In cases where a country has excluded one part from ratification,
the data given here do not cover the excluded parts, even though the
country may publish certain statistics under this category ; thus,
earnings statistics are not shown from New Zealand, which excluded
Part I I (Earnings) from its ratification. Furthermore, available information on wages in agriculture is described in Chapter VII and is
not included here.
It should be noted that most of the material included in this
appendix appears also in the Year Booh of Labour Statistics, 1947-48.
The countries are listed in alphabetical order. The following information is provided under the name of each country :
1. Date of registration of ratification and the parts excluded from
ratification.
2. List of main industrial branches or occupations for which separate
information is published. In order to save space, the actual statistics
for each industry or occupation are not reproduced here ; they are
available, however, for selected industries and occupations in the
Year Book of Labour Statistics, 1947-48.
3. General averages for the three main branches of economic
activity : mining, manufacturing, building and construction, as well
as for totals, though not called for under the Convention, are given
in order to throw light upon the problems involved in extending the
Convention to include statistics for these main groups and in defining
them in approximately uniform terms.

ATJSTBALIA

1. Australia's ratification was registered on 5 September 1939 ;
Part I I (Earnings) was excluded from ratification.
2. Averages are based on data for 3,948 male and 308 female
occupations ; the industrial breakdown given is as follows :

138

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS
Adult males

Adult females

Wood, furniture, etc.
Engineering, metal works, etc.
Food, drink, etc.
Clothing, textiles, etc.
Books, printing, etc.
Other manufacturing
Building
Mining
Rail and tram services
Other land transport
Shipping, etc. *
Pastoral, agricultural, etc. *
Domestic, hotels, etc.
Miscellaneous

Food, drink, etc.
Clothing, textiles, etc.
All other manufacturing

Domestic, hotels, etc.
Shop assistants, clerks, etc.

Total

Total

3. Australia publishes rates of wages per hour a n d per week a n d
normal hours of work per week, both in absolute amounts and in
index numbers (1911 or 1914 = 100). Separate figures are given for
adult males, adult females and total. The available information is
summarised in t h e following five tables :

TABLE I. AUSTRALIA : HOURLY WAGE HATES AND INDEX NUMBEBS,
ADULT MALES

(in shillings and pence ; 1914 — 100)

Mining

Dates
s.

1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948

D i ,0.

d.

Index

Manufacturing

s.

d.

Index

Building

s.

d.

Total (agriculture,
mining, manufacturing, construction,
commerce,
transport, services)

Index s.

2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
3

d.

Index

0.75
1.75
2.50
3.50
5.25
8.00
8.75
8.75
9.00
11.25
2.25
10.50

177.9
184.0
190.3
197.3
209.8
229.5
235.2
235.5
236.5
252.9

1
Information refers to weekly rates only and not to normal hours of work
and hourly rates.

139

APPENDICES

TABLE n .

AUSTBALIA : H O U B L Y WAGE B A T E S AND I N D E X

NUMBEBS,

ADULT EEMALES

(in shillings

and pence ; 1914 =

s.
1937 :
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948

TABLE m .

Total
(manufacturing, commerce
transport, services)

Manufacturing

Dates

d.

100)

Index

s.

d.

1
1.50
1
1.75
1 2.25
1 2.75
1 3.75
1 5.50
1 6.75
1 7.50
1 7.50
1 9.00
1 11.75
2 6.00

Doc

AUSTRALIA : W E E K L Y

WAGE B A T E S

AND I N D E X

Index
201.7
208.4
214.5
222.0
238.7
264.2
280.6
295.2
295.8
314.9

NUMBERS,

ADULT MALES

(in shillings

Mining

Dates

1937 : D o c . . . .
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948

and pence ; 1911

s.

d.

Index

108
109
111
115
123
126
126
127
134

2
1
10
1
9
6
11
2
6

211.1
214.2
218.2
224.5
241.5
246.8
247.7
248.2
262.4

=

100)

Building

Manufacturing

s. d.

Index

s.

d.

Index

104
6 203.9
106
5 207.6
109 11 214.5
116 11 228.2
127
3 248.4
128 11 251.6
129
1 251.8
130 11 255.5
141 10 276.8

Total (agriculture, mining,
manufacturing
construction,
commerce,
transport,
services)
s.

d.

Index

90
93
95
98
104
115
119
119
120
128

4
5
3
1
3
8
5
6
4
6

176.3
182.3
185.8
191.3
203.4
225.7
232.9
233.2
234.8
250.7

140

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

TABLE IV. AUSTRALIA : WEBKLY WAGE RATES AND INDEX NUMBERS,
ADULT FEMALES

(in shillings and pence ; 1914 = 100)

s.
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948

Total
(manufacturing, commerce, transport, services)

Manufacturing

Dates

d.

Index

Dec.

s.

d.

Index

49
51
52
54
58
64
68
71
72
76

8
3
8
3
2
4
4
11
0
9

182.8
188.7
193.8
199.6
214.1
236.8
251.6
264.7
265.0
282.4

TABLE V. AUSTRALIA : WEEKLY NORMAL HOURS OF LABOUR AND INDEX
NUMBERS

(1914 = 100)

Mining

Manufacturing

Building

Dates
Maies
Hours

1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948

Females

Males

Females

Males

Index Hofirs jindex Hours ndax Hours Index Hours

D ec.

40.70

43.42

Females

Total (mining, manufacturing.construction,
commerce, transport,
services)
Males

Index Hours Index Hours

45.03
44.82
44.29
44.04
43.83
43.65
43.62
43.61
43.59
43.57

Index

92.0
91.6
90.5
90.0
89.6
89.2
89.1
89.1
89.1
89.0

Females
Hours Index

44.52
44.44
44.36
44.15
44.03
44.03
44.03
44.03
44.03
44.03

90.7
90.5
90.4
90.0
89.7
89.7
89.7
89.7
89.7
89.7

141

APPENDICES

No average for manufacturing as a whole is published.
The annual publication of the Commonwealth Bureau of Census
and Statistics entitled Labour Report contains rates for each occupation
in each of t h e six capital cities of Australia.
CANADA

1. Canada's ratification was registered on 6 April 1946 ; no P a r t
was excluded.
2. The breakdown b y industries used is as follows :
Earnings and actual hours
Manufacturing
Durable goods
Non-durable goods
Electric light and power
Logging
Mining
Communications
Transportation
Construction and maintenance
Services
Trade
Total
Finance

Index numbers of rates
Manufacturing

Logging
Mining
Transportation and communications
Construction
Service

Total

Grand total

3. The published information is summarised in the four following
tables :

TABLE I.

CANADA : AVEBAGE

HOUBLY

EARNINGS

(in cents)
Mining
Dates

Building

Coal

Metallic
ores

93.8
95.9
110.4
123.5

85.0
87.4
99.4
110.2

69.4
70.0
80.3
91.3

80.9
83.4
91.0
100.9

.
.
.
.

124.8
124.9
126.8
130.6

108.3
111.2
114.6
115.9

89.0
92.3
94.6
97.2

99.1
100.0
104.1
105.7

1948 : M a r . . . .
June . . .

127.3

116.8

98.2

108.9

1945
1946
1947
1948
1948 : M a r .
June
Sept.
Dec.

10

Manufacturing

.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.

Total
(mining, manufacturing,
construction,
transportation, services)

142

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

TABLE n .

CANADA : AVEEAGE WEEKLY SALARIES AND WAGES

(in dollars)

Dates

Mining

Manufacturing

Total
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948

. .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

1948 : M a r
Jun e
Sep
Dec

1949 : M a r

Total (mining,
manufacturing
construction,
commerce,
transportation,
(Building)
services)

Construction
and maintenance

28.68

23.11

34.79
36.09
38.05
38.60
39.21
43.03
48.77

29.17
31.50
32.66
32.65
32.51
36.57
40.91

26.45
29.64
29.74
30.08
31.53
34.86
38.31

31.20
34.85
34.12
34.03
33.97
37.41
41.41

28.56
30.78
31.84
31.99
32.38
36.15
40.11

48.24
49.33
51.04
47.15

39.60
41.17
42.85
42.28

36.92
38.78
40.35
38.65

39.08
40.84
44.03
39.56

39.04
40.48
41.80
41.10

51.39

44.54

42.03

45.00

43.35

...

Jun e

TABLE m .

CANADA : AVEEAGE HOUES PEE WEEK

*

Mining

Dates

Manufacturing

Building

Coal

Metallic
ores

40.2
40.2
36.9
38.2

45.8
45.1
44.4
44.7

44.3
42.7
42.5
42.2

40.4
38.7
39.2
39.9

.
.
.
.

38.6
38.1
39.0
31.2

44.2
45.0
45.4
41.8

41.6
42.0
43.0
40.6

37.6
40.0
41.8
35.6

1949 : M a r . . . .
June . . .

36.1

45.5

42.9

40.5

1945
1946
1947
1948
1948 : M a r .
June
Sept.
Dec.

.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.

Total
(mining, manufacturing,
construction,
transportation, services)

143

APPENDICES
TABLE IV.

CANADA : INDEX NUMBEBS OE WAGE KATES
(AVERAGE STRAIGHT-TIME EARNINGS)

(1939 = 100)

Dates

1937 : Oct. . . .
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948

Total
(mining, maManufacturing Construction nufacturing,
construction,
transportation, services)

Mining

IOO'.O
102.5
111.2
116.6
123.7
134.8
136.5
140.6
161.7
182.1 i

96.1
99.2
Í00.0
104.3
115.2
125.5
136.8
141.4
146.5
161.5
183.3
206.41

96.9
99.2
100.0
104.5
111.6
118.6
127.7
129.6
131.1
143.9
155.0
176.3

1

96.7
99.6
100.0
103.9
113.1
122.5
133.7
137.9
141.8
155.2
173.7
196.3 !

' Preliminary figures.
Index numbers of average weekly salaries and wages are published
on the basis 1 J u n e 1941 = 100.
The yearly publication of the Department of Labour entitled Wage
Bates and Hours of Labour in Canada contains rates (straight-time
average earnings) for each occupation in each province and each major
city. I t also contains information on normal hours of work of male
workers for mining, for construction and for various manufacturing
branches ; no average for manufacturing as a whole is published.

DENMARK

1. Denmark's ratification was registered on 22 J u n e 1939 ; P a r t I I I
(Rates) was excluded from ratification.
2. Hourly (straight-time) earnings for each of the following occupations are published, separately for Copenhagen and for the remainder
of the country :
Men, skilled

Millers
Bakers
Chocolate workers
Dairy worker
Butchers (sausage makers)
Cigar workers
Chewing tobacco workers
Rope makers
Trimmings and lace workers
Dyers

Men, skilled (contd.)

Tailors (made to measure workers)
Tailors (in industry)
Cutters (trimmers)
Hatters
Glove makers
Pur workers
Shoemakers
Sail makers
Pavers
Carpenters (building)

144

WAGES AND PAYROUL STATISTICS

Men, skilled (contd.)
Bricklayers
Joiners (building)
Glaziers
Tinkers
Electricians
Painters
Stucco workers
Flour mill builders
Linoleum layers
Ships' carpenters
Joiners (on machine work)
Gilt cornice workers
Joiners (furniture making)
Brush makers
Wood sculptors
Coopers
Pattern makers
Wood turners
Basket makers
Saddlers, harness makers
Piano workers
Ships' joiners
Tanners
Fur trimmers
Leather and travelling equipment
workers
Stone dressers
Glass workers
Glass grinders
Ceramic workers
Gold, silver and electroplate workers
Blacksmiths and fitters
Metal grinders
Metal printers
Coppersmiths
Moulders
Hook makers
Coil winders
Cartwrights
Riggers
Bookbinders
Type setters
Lithographic artists
Photo-engravers

Men, unskilled (contd.)
Chewing tobacco workers
Workers in bakeries
Workers in dairies and condensed
milk factories
Workers in canning industry
Workers in sugar factories
Others in the food industries
Textile workers
Dyers
Rope-walk labourers
Unskilled workers in the clothing
industry
E a r t h and concrete workers
Bricklayers' helpers
Pavement workers
Tile workers
Other workers
Workers in the brush industry
Woodworkers
Others in the wood industry
Tannery workers
Leather and travelling equipment
workers
Cement workers
Glass workers
Workers in stone-dressing establishments
Workers in the ceramic industries
Concrete workers
Workers in gravel pits, etc.
Lime and brick workers
Others in the stone, clay and glass
industries

Total skilled workers

Gold, silver and electroplate workers
Others in the iron and metal industries
Workers in gas works and electricity
undertakings
Insulation fitters
Workers in paint and lacquer work
Workers in rubber plants
Workers in oil industry
Workers in sulphuric acid works
Workers in soap and soda works
Workers in roofing board works
Others in the chemical industry

Men, unskilled
Brewery workers, etc.
Chocolate workers
Flour mill workers
Slaughterhouse workers
Cigar workers
Cigarette workers
Pipe tobacco workers

Paper workers
Paper goods and paper box workers
Printing workers
Workers in lithographic establishments
Workers in reproduction establishments
Others in the graphic industry

Barbers
Pedicurists
Gardeners

APPENDICES
Men, unskilled (contd.)
Workers in the " beauty " industryStoreroom workers
Dockers
Others in commerce and transport
Gardener's helpers
Controllers and operators
Telephone workers
Other unskilled workers
Weekly paid workers
Horse drivers
Automobile drivers
Stokers
Messengers
Watchmen
Total unskilled workers
Women
Brewery workers, etc.
Chocolate workers
Flour mill workers
Slaughterhouse workers
Cigar workers, skilled
Cigar workers, unskilled
Cigarette workers
Pipe tobacco workers
Chewing tobacco workers
Workers in bakeries and biscuit
factories
Workers in dairies and condensed
milk factories
Workers in sugar factories
Others in the food industries

145

Women (contd.)
Others in the clothing trade
Workers in the brush industry
Sawmill workers, etc.
Others in the wood industry
Tannery workers
Leather and travelling equipment
workers
Workers in the ceramic industries
Workers in lime and brick works
Workers in glass works
Others in the stone, clay and glass
industries
Gold, silver and electroplate workers
Others in the iron and metal industry
Workers in paint and lacquers factories
Workers in rubber factories
Workers in the oil industry
Workers in soap and soda factories
Others in the chemical industry
Paper workers
Paper goods and paper box workers
Workers in bookbinding establishments
Printing workers
Workers in lithographic establishments
Workers in reproduction establishments
Ladies' hairdressers
Workers in bathing establishments
Laundry workers
Others in the " beauty " industry
Workers in commerce and transport

Rope-walk labourers
Trimmings and lace workers
Workers in dyeing establishments
Textile workers

Telephone workers
Cleaners
Total women

Seamstresses
H a t workers
Workers in sack factories
Shoe workers

Supervisory personnel
Foremen
Managers (female)

3. Denmark, a t quarterly intervals, publishes hourly straight-time
earnings for the above series of occupations. No d a t a on daily or
weekly earnings or on hours of work are published. N o mining occupations are included in t h e list and no averages are computed for t h e
group manufacturing and for the group building. Index numbers
of earnings and of hours of work are not available. The following
table summarises the available information :

146

WAGES AND P A Y 3 0 L L STATISTICS
DENMARK : AVERAGE EARNINGS PEE HOUR

(in ore)

ManuMining factur- Building
ing

Dates

Total
(manufacturing, construction,
commerce, transport, etc.)
Males
Males
skilled unskilled Females

Total

1937.
1938.
1939.
1940.
1941.
1942.
1943.
1944.
1945.
1946.
1947.
1948.

158
166
172
191
203
213
227
238
256
286
304
330

133
140
146
161
175
182
199
212
224
247
259
278

88
94
96
108
119
123
130
140
155
174
186
202

135
142
147
163
176
184
198
210
225
249
263
284

1 9 4 8 : 1st q u a r t e r
2nd
„
3rd
„
4th
„

317
328
333
342

267
280
282
284

194
201
204
207

273
285
288
292

'

1 9 4 9 : 1st quarter

2nd

„

Yearly averages are also published on fixed weights (using t h e
number of workers covered b y t h e unemployment insurance schemes
as of 1 J u l y 1936 as weights) for t h e following categories of workers :
skilled males, unskilled males, males total, females, a n d t o t a l ; figures
are published separately for Copenhagen, for the rest of t h e country
and for the whole country.
EGYPT

1. E g y p t ' s ratification was registered on 5 October 1940 ; P a r t s I I I
(Rates) a n d I V (Wages and Hours in Agriculture) were excluded from
ratification.
2. The breakdown b y industries used for t h e presentation of weekly
earnings and weekly hours of work is as follows :
Industries connected with vegetable foods
Industries connected with animal foods (includes restaurants)
Industries connected with drinks (includes cafés and bars)
Manufacture oí tobacco
Extraction of oils and fats
Chemical industries
Manufacture of paper and articles in paper
Printing, bookbinding and photography
Manufacture of rubber
Manufacture of scientific instruments, jewellery and of other precious
articles

147

APPENDICES

Manufacture of leather and fur
Textiles industries
Manufacture of clothing
Hairdressing, beautifying and cleaning of clothes
Metallurgy and manufacture of metal articles
Manufacture of machines and machine tools
Woodworking, working in cane, rattans and cork
Manufacture of means of transport
Manufacture connected with mineral fuel
Generation and distribution of power, light, heat, etc., and water
distribution
Preparation of materials of construction, ceramics
Contractors of building
Construction and maintenance of roads and bridges
Contractors of public works
Exploitation of mines
Exploitation of quarries
Exploitation of salines
Other industries (toys, firearms, ivory working, etc.)
Various industries
Total
3. Information available on weekly earnings a n d actual hours of
work per week is summarised in tables I and I I ; no averages for manufacturing industry as a whole are published ; no index numbers h a v e
been computed and published as yet.

TABLE I. EGYPT : AVERAGE WEEKLY EARNINGS
(in

Dates

1942 : J u l y
1943 : J a n .
July
1944 : J a n .
July
1945 : J a n .

Mining *

. . .
.
.
.
.
.

July .
1946 : J a n . .
July .
1947 : J a n . .

July .

136
139
86
146
145
167
170
210
154
328
266

1948 : J a n . .
July .
1949 : J a n . .
1

Excluding quarries and salines.

piastres)

Manufacturing

Total
(mining,
Contractors manufacturing,
of building construction,
services)

132
143
140
166

95
82
90
98
115
120
115
123
125
134
132
172

148

WAGES AND P A Y 3 0 L L

STATISTICS

TABLE H. EGYPT : AVERAGE HOTTES WORKED PER

Mining >

Dates

1942 : J u l y
1943 : J a n .
July
1944 : J a n .
July
1945 : J a n .
July
1946 : J a n .
July
1947 : J a n .
July
1948 : J a n .
July
1949 : J a n .

. . .
.
.
.
.
.
1
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Manufacturing

46
50
46
52
52
53
50
47
51
49
51

Contractors
of building

44
52
48
52

WEEK
Total
(mining,
manufacturing,
construction,
services) "
55
52
51
50
51
50
51
51
51
52
51
51

'Excluding quarries and salines.

FINLAND

1. Finland's ratification was registered on 8 April 1947 ; P a r t I I I
(Rates) was excluded from ratification.
2. The industrial blanches for which information on average hourly
earnings is published (in absolute amounts) are as follows :
Mining
Iron
Other metals
Machine workshops
Quarries and stone works
Kilns
Cement
China and earthenware
Household glass and bottles
Window glass
Rubber articles
Wool
Cotton
Flax
Knitting and silk
Paper paste and cardboard
Sulphitic cellulose
Sulphatic cellulose
Paper articles
Other paper industries

149

APPENDICES
Sawmills
Veneering
Spools
Planing, wooden houses and boxes
Sugar refining

3. The information available on average hourly earnings in mining
is reproduced in table I.

TABLE

I.

U N L A N D : AVEBAGE

EARNINGS

PEB

HOtJB

IN

MINING

(in F. marks)
Mining
Dates '
Males

1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948

Females

. . . . . . .

1948 : 1st quarter
2nd
3rd
4th
„

04

2f .32

83 76
93 62
95 55
93 96

47.89
50.42
51.79
54.19

1949 : 1st quarter
2nd
„

Average hourly earnings in absolute amounts are published for
the industrial branches shown above. Averages for mining and manufacturing industry combined are published as index numbers only
and are reproduced in table I I .
No information on wages and hours of work in private bunding
is available. Only an index number of wages is published as a component p a r t of the construction cost index number. The only other
information published refers t o average hourly earnings of carpenters
employed b y the municipalities of the six most important towns of
Finland. By w a y of example, the figures for Helsinki are reproduced
in table I I I .

150

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

TABLE n . FINLAND : INDEX NUMBERS OF AVERAGE HOURLY EARNINGS
IN MINING AND MANUFACTURING

(1939 = 100)
Mining and manufacturing

Dates
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1948 : 1st quarter
2nd
,
3rd
„
4th
„

Males

Females

100

100

176
205
235
420
563
767

177
209
243
510
675
894

1,015
1,129
1,171
1,164

1,240
1,324
1,355
1,362

1949 : 1st quarter
2nd
,

TABLE IH.

FINLAND : AVERAGE HOURLY EARNINGS OF CARPENTERS
EMPLOYED BY THE HELSINKI MUNICIPALITY

(in F.
Dates
1939:
1940
1941
1942 :
1943 :
1944 :
1945 :
1946 :

marks)
Carpenters (Helsinki)

Aug

13.64

Deo
Dec
Deo
Dec
Mar

20!l6
19.80
23.61
43.38
49.86
51.47
57.11
58.19
64.76
75.73
83.16
90.11
103.59
113.81
118.67
117.13
112.49

Sept
Dec
1947 : Mar
Sept
Dec
1948 : Mar
Sept
Dec
1949 : Mar

151

APPENDICES

Information on average hours of work per fortnight in manufacturing is contained in table IV ; no information on hours of
work in mining and in building (absolute figures or index numbers)
is published :
TABLE rV. FINLAND : AVERAGE HOTTES OF WORK PER FORTNIGHT
IN MANUFACTURING

Manufacturing

Dates
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948

89.9
91.7
90.1
89.6
88.3
90.1
91.3
91.2
89.8
88.5
88.7
89.9

1948 : 1st quarter
2nd
3rd
„
4th

91.2
90.4
88.1
89.9

2nd

89.7
89.3

„

IRELAND

1. Ireland's ratification was registered on 9 October 1946 ; no
Part was excluded.
2. The breakdown by industries used for pubHcation of earnings
and hours data is reproduced below :
Bacon curing
Butter, cheese, condensed milk and margarine
Grain milling
Malting
Bread, flour confectionery and biscuits
Sugar, sugar confectionery, jam making, etc.
Aerated and mineral waters
Brewing
Distilling
Tobacco
Bricks, pottery, glass and monumental masonry
Timber
Brushes and brooms
Wood furniture and upholstery
Assembly, construction and repair of vehicles
Metals

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

152

Engineering and implements
Linen, cotton and jute
Woollen and worsted
Clothing (wholesale factories)
Men's and boys' clothing
Shirtmaking
Women's and girls' clothing
Miscellaneous clcthing
Boots and shoes
Hosiery
Fellmongery and leather
Papermaking and stationery
Printing and bookbinding
Soap and candles
Chemicals and drugs
Oils, paints and polishes
Mines and quarries
Other industries
Total x
Building and construction
Laundry, dyeing anc cleaning
Canals, docks and harbours
Railways and tramways
Gasworks
Waterworks
Electricity
Local authorities
Government departments
Total all industries

3. Information available on hourly and weekly earnings and on
average numbers of hoars worked per week is summarised in the three
following tables :
TABLE I. IRELAND : AVERAGE HOUELY EAKNUTOS

(in shillings and pence)
Mining
and quarrying

Transportable goods
(mining, manufacturing)

Building
and construction

Date
Fe- Total 1 Males FeMales males
males
1937 : Oct. 0 10.0
0
1938
0 10.9
0
1939
0 11.1
0
1940
1 0.1
0
1941
1 0.6
1
1942
1 2.8
1
1943
1 3.8 0 7.3 1
1944
1 5.6 0 7.5 1
1945
1 5.9 0 7.6 1
1946
1 6.6 0 9.3 1
1947
1 9.2 0 9.5 1
1948

9.8
10.8
10.9
11.9
0.3
2.5
3.5
5.3
5.7
6.2
8.9

1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

2.9
3.3
3.6
4.2
4.5
5.2
6.2
7.4
7.9
9.2

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1

7.9
8.2
8.5
9.0
9.2
9.3
10.3
11.1
11.3
0.4

FeTotal 1 Males males
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

11.4
11.9
0.1
0.6
0.9
1.5
2.6
3.6
3.8
4.8

1
1

Total
(mining, manufacturing, construction, transport, services)

Fe- Total 1
Total 1 Males males

3.1 0 6.4 1
4.5 0 7.4 1

2.8 1
4.2 1

,
1 7.5
1 9.1
1 8.7
1 10.3

0 10.3 1
0 8.2 1
0 8.0 1
1 0.5 1

7.0
8.5
8.1
9.7

1
1
1
1

' Including juveniles.
1

2.0 0 7.9 0 11.9
2.8 0 8.2 1 0.7

Industries engaged ia the production of transportable goods.

5.3
6.4
6.7
8.2

...

0 10.2 1
0 11.0 1
0 11.2 1
1 0.2 1

3.0
3.9
4.0
5.3

153

APPENDICES

TABLE n . IRELAND : AVERAGE WEEKLY EARNINGS
(in shillings

pence)

Transportable goods
(mining, manufacturing)

Mining
and quarrying

Dates

and

Building
and construction

Total
(mining, manufacturing, construction, transport, services)

FeFeFeFeTotal 1
Total 1 Males males
Males males
Total1 Males males
Total" Males males
1937 Oct.
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1

36
40
41
44
45
50
55
61
64
66
78

11
7
11
1
11
11
1
1
0
10
10

24Í 11
24Í 9
le 0
2£1 2
3Í 1

36
40
41
43
45
49
54
60
63
65
77

1
0
0
0
0
11
1
0
2
8
5

56
58
59
61
62
64
68
73
76
81

3
3
4
4
5
4
8
4
1
7

28
29
31
32
32
31
35
38
40
44

10
10
6
7
0
11
3
4
5
10

41
43
44
48
47
48
52
56
58
82

11
10
10
6
1
7
9
10
5
7

55 9 19 0 54 5 51 9 28 11 43 7
60 8 21 6 59 2 54 11 29 10 46 4

71*
75
76
81

3
5
1
5

21*
20
22
35

0
5
8
8

69* 3
73 3
73 11
79 1

64'
67
70
76

6
10
8
6

35'
38
40
44

1
0
1
3

54'
57
59
64

3
6
5
5

:::

Including juveniles. '

TABLE HI. IRELAND : AVERAGE HOUBS PEB WEEK

Mining and
quarrying

Dates

Males

1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948

Oct.

1

44.4
44.7
45.2
43.5
43.9
41.3
41.9
41.7
42.9
43.4
44.6

Females

Total1

Transportable
goods (mining
manufacturing)
Males

Females

Total1

Building and
construction

Males

44.2
44.3
44.6 45.5 43.6 44.2 44.0
45.1 45.6 44.2 44.6
43.4 45.5 43.5 44.4
43.8 45.3 41.9 43.5
41.2 44.9 41.1 43.1
41.9 45.2 41.0 43.3 43.9
Ü.1 41.7 45.3 41.4 43.6 42.9
28.5 42.8 46.0 42.9 44.4 44.2
37.5 43.2 46.1 43.5 44.7 43.9
40.5 44.4

Including juveniles.

Total
(mining,
manufacturing,
construction,
transport,
services)

Females

Total1

Males

Females

Total1

35.5
34.8

44.2
44.0

43.9
44.5

43.9
43.5

43.9
43.9

,
,

24.5
29.8
34.3
34.2

...

43.8
42.9
44.1
43.8

44.7
44.2
42.9
43.6

41.2
41.5
42.9
43.6

...

...

43.5
43.4
44.5
44.7

...

154

WA3ES AND PAYBOLL STATISTICS

Index numbers of weekly earnings based on the results of this
yearly enquiry are published with 1938 used as base.
Rates per hour for certain building trades and the index numbers
of hourly rates in manufacturing and building are reproduced in table IV.

TABLE rV. IRELAND : BATES PEE HOTTE AND LNDEX NTTMBEES
(in

Dates

i

shillings

Mining

1937. . .
1938.
1939.
1940.
1941.
1942.
1943.
1944.
1945.
1946.
1947.
1948.
1949.

and pence ; 1931

Manufacturing
and
building

99.6
105.7
107.5
107.9
111.4
111.4
116.2
121.8
124.4
128.2
153.5
167.6
182.4

—

100)

Building
Carpenters

Bricklayers

Labourers

s.
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
3

s.
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
3

s.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2

d.
8.8
10.2
10.4
10.4
11.2
11.2
0.3
1.1
1.9
2.6
7.3
10.8
1.8

d.
9.3
11.0
11.1
11.1
0.0
0.0
1.6
2.6
2.8
3.8
9.4
11.2
2.2

d.
2.4
3.8
4.3
4.3
5.1
5.2
6.7
7.6
8.0
9.1
0.8
3.0
6.0

'Beginning of the year.

The publication of the Department of Industry and Commerce
entitled Some Statistics of Wages and Hours of Work in 194... contains
both rates per hour and normal hours of work of a list of twentyfour occupations in certain town districts of Ireland ; information on
additional occupations is also given for Dublin.
Index numbers of weekly wage rates in a large selection of manufacturing industries (the so-called " protected industries ") are reproduced in table V ; thsy show what the changes in rates of wages for a
full-time week at ordinary rates would be if the numbers employed
in the different individual industries had remained unchanged. Index
numbers of weekly earnings based on the same principle are also shown
in table V.

155

APPENDICES

TABLE V. IRELAND : I N D E X N U M B E R S OS W E E K L Y
AND OS W E E K L Y

RATES

EARNINGS

(September 1939 = 100)
Manufacturing
(protected industries only)

Dates

1937
1938
1939 : S e p t
1940 : M a r
Sept
1941 : M a r
Sept
1942 : M a r
Sept
1943 .-Mar
Sept
1944 : Mar
Sept
1945 : M a r
Sept
1946 : M a r
Sept
1947 : M a r
Sept
1948 : M a r
Sept
1949 : M a r
Sept

weekly rates

weekly earnings

100.0
104.8
107.3
108.5
108.8
109.1
109.4
115.4
118.1
121.9
124.3
124.9
125.3
129.4
131.8
145.3
155.4
162.1
167.6
170.3

100.0
101.0
105.6
105.6
105.2
105.2
107.2
114.6
118.6
123.7
128.8
130.0
132.0
135.9
143.0
151.7
168.6
178.1
186.0
187.9

No index numbers of actual or normal hours of work per week
are published.

MEXICO

1. Mexico's ratification was registered on 16 July 1942 ; no Part
was excluded.
2. The industry breakdown of the data shown in tables I and I I I
below is as follows :
Vegetable oils manufacturing
Mineral and soda waters
Rubber manufacturing
Stockings
Boots and shoes
Carpentry and cabinet making
Wax and paraffin
Matches
Beer

156

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS
Cigarettes
Canning
Building and construction
Tannery
Raw cotton cleaners
Distribution of electricity
Candies and chocolate
Foundry
Cotton goods
Woollen goods
Printing (bookbinding)
Soap manufacture
Lithography and photolithography
Chinaware (crockery-porcelain)
Construction materials
Mines and metallurgical plants
Grain mills
Bakery and pastry shops
Paper
Macaroni, biscuits
Periodicals, roto-engraving and photo-engraving
Chemical products
Working clothes
Municipal services
Mechanical workshops
Urban transport (goods)
Urban transport (passengers)
Glass and crystal
Total

3. The average hotirly and weekly earnings and average hours
of work per week in October of each year a r e reproduced in tables I,
I I and III.
TABLE

I.

MEXICO : AVERAGE

EARNINGS

PEE

HOUR

(in pesos)

Dates

1937 : O c t . . . .
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948

Total
Mining
(mining,
Building and manufacturing,
and
Manufacturing
metallurgical
construction construction,
plants
transport)

0.16
0.75
0.82
0.82
1.10
1.20

0.36
0.40
0.60
0.40
0.67
0.68
0.84
0.85
1.02
1.17

0.48
0.47
0.41
0.43
0.59
0.66
0.73
0.86

...

o!è'o

0.63
0.72
0.73
0.68
0.84

157

APPENDICES

TABLE H . MEXICO : AVERAGE E A R N I N G S P E S W E E K

(in pesos)

Dates

Total
Mining
(mining,
Building and manufacturing,
and
Manufacturing
construction construction,
metallurgical
plants
transport)

1937 . Oc t.
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948

2 6.92
27.41
32.07
32.78
38.53
42.63
46.94
53.44

TABLE I H . MEXICO : AVEBAGB HOUBS O F W O B K P E B W E E K

Dates

1937 : O c t . . . .
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
»>

Total
Mining
(mining,
Building and manufacturing,
and
Manufacturing
construction construction,
metallurgical
plants
transport)

46.82
44.56
45.41
44.72
49.84
48.59

...

45.74
43.49
44.53
45.01
43.56
44.88
41.91
44.69
•..

45.16
43.60
44.79
45.01
45.84
46.32
45.88
45.60

No index numbers computed on the basis of the figures given above
have been published.
The Statistical Office of the Department of Labour and Social
Welfare publishes for mining the following information :
il

158

W A 3 E S AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

TABLE TV. MEXICO : AVERAGE EARNINGS PER WEEK
AN» INDEX NUMBERS IN MINING AND METALLURGICAL PLANTS

(in pesos ; 1939 = 100)
Dales
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948

;

Pesos

Index numbers

33.38
34.27
36.49
37.41
46.45
58.33
61.53
62.74
63.40

100
103
109
112
139
175
184
188
190

The publication of the Secretaria de Economia entitled Trimestre
de Barómetros Económicos contains index numbers of monthly earnings
in manufacturing and construction ; these are reproduced in table V.
TABLE V. MEXICO : INDEX NUMBERS OF AVERAGE EARNINGS PER MONTH

(1939 = 100)
Dates

1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948

Construction

Manufacturing
and
construction

73.9
95.0
100.0
109.9
114.3
115.2
143.7
163.1
187.7
214.4

77.2
89.7
100.0
103.9
107.5
115.2
144.9
165.6
187.1
228.6

1948
2nd
3rd
4th

,
„
„

1 9 4 9 : 1st q u a r t e r
2nd „

Manufacturing branches covered are : textiles ; food products ;
clothing and soap ; tobacco ; rubber, paper and alcohol.

APPENDICES

159

NETHEBLANDS

1. The Netherlands' ratification was registered on 9 March 1940 ;
no P a r t was excluded.
2. T h e breakdown by industries for t h e general averages shown
in the tables below is as follows :
Brick factories
Manufacture of earthenware pipes and roof and floor tiles
Manufacture of potteryManufacture of cement goods
Glass factories, processing of glass, window making
Manufacture of fire-proof bricks, slates, cement, plaster
Diamond industry
Book, commercial and newspaper printing works
Lithographical establishments
Chemical reproduction processes
Navvying, ditching, dredging, street paving, road construction
Civil engineering, construction of public utilities
Paint grinding, distillation of varnishes and lacquers
Manufacture of soap, scents and tooth pastes and powders
Manufacture of medicaments and bandages
Other undertakings in the chemical industry
Sawing and planing
Carpenters' establishments
Manufacture of boxes
Furniture manufacture
Other undertakings in the wood industry
Manufacture of ready-made clothing (suits and dresses ; underclothes ;
haberdashery)
Laundries, including ironing
Chemical dyeing and cleaning
Tanneries, leather factories
Shoe factories
Manufacture of rubber articles
Manufacture of drive belts, leather goods, linoleum, etc.
Manufacture of machinery, engineering construction sites, shipbuilding
Manufacture of automobiles, garages
Gold and silversmiths' establishments
Other branches of metal trades
Paper industry
Manufacture of straw board
Manufacture of paper goods and cardboard
Bookbinding establishments
Undertakings in the wool industry
Manufacture of knitted goods
Undertakings in the cotton industry
Manufacture of artificial thread
Carpet and m a t weaving
Other branches of the textile industry
Cornmilling and manufacture of cattle food
Flour mills, including milling by means of rollers
Bread factories and bakeries
Manufacture of potato meal
Sugar beet factories
Manufacture of confectionery
Cocoa and chocolate factories
Manufacture of butter, cheese and other milk products
Manufacture of meat products
Canning of vegetables, fruit, etc.
Distilleries
Breweries

160

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

Cigar factories
Cigarette factories
Other branches of food and luxury trades
Total
3. Information available on wages and Lours of work is summarised
in the four following babies :
TABLE I. NETHERLANDS : AVERAGE EARNINGS PER HOUR, ADULT MALES

Dates

1

Coal mining
(earnings
per shift) '
Underground

Above
ground

Manufacturing
Skilled

5.32
5.39

4.10
4.12

10.51
11.44
12.00

7.15
7.56
8.05

1
a

SemM
ski'ed | Unskilled

Skilled

cents

florins

1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948

Building
Semiskilled

Construction
Skilled

ceñís

58
60
68
70
73

48
51
55
59
62

43
45
50
54
57

49
50
52
54
56
58
60

85
97
102
108

7o
8'i
9!;
9i;

72
83
87
93

78
86
90
95

Manufacturing,
building a n d
construction

Semi- Unskilled Skilled
skilled

Semi- i
skilled 1Unskilled

cents

cents

41
42
43
47
49
52
55

52
54
57
60
63
68

46
45
50
52
57
66

39
40
44
47
52
59

54
56
59
65
68
71

47
47
51
54
59
62

42
42
45
49
54
57

72
81
85
90

83
95
101
102

80
88
94
97

74
82
86
89

83
94
100
105

75
87
92
98

72
83
87
93

One week in Sept., Oct., or Nov.
Of 8 hours ; averages lor second half of each year ; excluding family allowances.

TABLE I I . N E T H E R L A N D S : AVERAGE E A R N I N G S P E R W E E K , A D U L T »TALES

(in florins)

Dates

1

Coal mining
Under- Above
ground ground

1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1

Manufacturing
Skilled

& ¡te«

27.69
26.13
28.97
32.73
35.82

23.33
22.43
25.24
28.58
30.99

38.61
46.65
49.80
52.73

35.02
42.44
45.14
47.85

Building

Construction

Manufacturing,
building and
construction

Skilled

Semiskilled

Skilled

Semiskilled Unskilled

Skilled

Semiskilled

Unskilled

20.67
20.03
23.73
26.44
28.55

24.82
25.49
26.82
27.93
30.21

21.03
22.15
23.60
25.33
28.07

28.53
27.72
32.02
34.72
36.98

23.24
25.17
28.54
30.74
35.37

19.63
20.95
23.37
26.37
30.99

25.78
26.83
26.03
28.60
32.36
34.98

22.25
22.94
22.55
25.20
28.42
30.93

20.07
20.42
20.22
23.67
26.43
28 74

33.30
40.36
42.70
45.58

37.79
43.09
45.53
47.78

35.15
40.46
42.72
45.46

43.14
50.77
56.31
57.00

41.00
47.71
51.20
54.53

36.55
41.90
45.58
47.33

38.50
45.95
49.02
51.82

35.14
42.39
45.07
47.78

33.88
40.55
43.04
45.78

One week in Sept., Oct. or Nov.

161

APPENDICES

TABLE i n . N E T H E B L A N D S : A V E E A G E HOURS O F W O E K P E E W E E K , A D U L T
MALES

Dates

1

Coal
mining
Under- Above
ground ground

1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948

1

Manufacturing

Construction

Building

Manufacturing,
building and
construction

Skilled

Semiskilled Unskilled

Skilled

Semiskilled

Skilled

Semiskilled

Unskilled

Skilled

Semiskilled

Unskilled

48.0
43.5
42.5
47.0
49.0

48.5
44.0
46.0
48.5
49.5

48.5
44.5
47.5
49.0
50.5

48.0
47.5
48.5
48.5
50.0

49.0
47.5
48.5
48.5
50.5

48.5
49.0
53.0
55.0
54.5

5Ó.0
50.5
64.5
54.0
53.0

48.5
48.0
49.5
51.0
52.0

47.5
48.0
44.5
44.0
48.0
49.5

48.0
48.5
44.5
46.5
48.5
49.5

48.5
48.5
48.5
48.0
49.5
50.5

45.5
48.5
49.0
49.0

46.5
48.5
48.5
48.5

47.0
49.0
49.0
49.0

48.5
50.0
50.5
50.5

49.0
50.0
50.5
50.5

52.0
53.5
55.5
55.5

51.5
54.5
55.5
56.0

49.5
51.0
53.0
53.0

46.5
49.0
49.0
49.0

46.5
48.5
49.0
49.0

47.6
49 0
49.5
49.5

One week i n Sept., Oct., or N o v .

TABLE r V . N E T H E ß L A N D S : AVEEAGE DAILY E A R N I N G S (ACCIDENT I N S U R ANCE) A N D I N D E X N U M B E E S OE HOTJELY E A R N I N G S

A N D OE

HOUELY

BATES

(in florins ; 1937 = 100)

Dates

1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948

Mining

5.23
5.48
5.53
5.92
6.09
6.12
6.68

,

7.67
9.23

Manufacturing

Building
and construction

Total
(mining,
manufacturing,
construc-

Mining,
manufacturing
and
construction
(adult males)

transport,
services)

Hourly
earnings

Hourly
rales

100
104
106
113
119
128
134
140
163
189
203
214

100
103
104
108
111
112
112
113
135
168
173
182

3.21
3.25
3.27
3.40
3.65
3.96
4.28

3.39
3.45
3.53
3.97
4.21
4.37
4.90

3.52
3.54
3.56
3.71
3.99
4.26
4.60

5.68
6.38

6.23
6.84

5.81
6.52

With regard to hours of work in mining, a communication from
the Netherlands Government, in answer to a question by the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions, indicates that

162

WAGES AND PAYROLL

STATISTICS

the total amount of time actually worked in coal mines is 354 minutes
for each shift of eighi hours. 1
NEW

ZEALAND

1. New Zealand's ratification was registered on 18 J a n u a r y 1940 ;
P a r t I I (Earnings) was excluded.
2. T h e industrial breakdown of t h e figures shown in t h e tables
below is as follows :
Provision of :
Food, drink, etc.
Clothing, footwear and textiles
Building and construction
Power, heat and light
Transport by water
Transport by land
Accommodation, meals, and personal service
Working in or on :
Wood, wicker, seagrass, and fibre
Metal
Stone, clay, glass, and chemicals
Paper, printing, etc.
Skins, leather, etc.
Mines and quarries
The land (farming pursuits)
All groups combined
3. General averages for the industries shown above are reproduced
in t h e three following tables.

TABLE I. NEW ZEALAND : WAGE RATES PER HOUR AND INDEX NUMBERS
(in
Mines and
quarries

Dates

shillings
Manu-

facturing

Fe- Total Males Fe- Total
Males males
malos

and

pence;

1926-1930

Building and
construction
he- Total
Males males

=

100)

Total
(mining, manufacturing, construction, commerce, transport, services)
he- Total !
Males males

Males
s.

1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948

116.2
120.5
120.5
125.4
129.1
138.0
142.1
143.5
152.5
155.9
166.8
185.0

113.4
121.0
121.6
125.2
129.2
134.0
136.2
137.3
148.6
152.5
159.5
167.1

115.4
121.2
123.5
127.5
132.6
138.1
141.4
142.9
153.6
158.6
165.9
175.2

Females

d . s.

2 4.37 1
2 5.80 1
2 6.35 1
2 7.34 1
2 8.60 1
2 9.94 1
2 10.75 1
2 11.13 1
3 1.75 1
3 2.99 1
3 4.79 2
3 7.07 2

1
International Labour Conference, 32nd Session, Geneva, 1949 :
Record, No. 17, p . n .

s.
3.17 2
3.81 2
4.53 2
5.04 2
5.60 2
6.49 2
7.37 2
7.44 2
9.91 2
11.66 2
0.98 3
3.30 3
d.

Provisional

Total

d.
1.27
2.47
2.97
3.74
4.71
5.98
6.92
7.22
10.07
11.86
1.63
4.22

163

APPENDICES

TABLE II. NEW ZEALAND : INDEX NTJMBEBS OF WEEKLY WAGE BATES

(1926-1930 =
Mines and
quarries

Dates

:

ernales Total

Males

1937.
1938.
1939.
1940.
1941.
1942.
1943.
1944.
1945.
1946.
1947.
1948.
1948:
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
1949 :
1st

2nd

Manufacturing

Males Females Total

100)
Building and
construction
Males

Females Total

Total (agriculture,
mining, manufac-

turing, construction,
commerce, transport,
services)
Males

Females

Total

101.5
105.5
110.3
113.7
117.4
123.4
129.2
129.7
145.9
153.3
161.4
176.4

103.4
108.0
110.0
113.2
117.2
122.3
126.2
127.4
138.5
144.0
149.7
159.7

107.6
111.7
111.7
116.2
119.6
127.9
131.7
133.0
141.3
144.5
154.6
164.7

105.1
112.2
112.6
116.0
119.7
124.1
126.2
127.2
137.7
141.3
147.8
154.9

103.6
108.1
110.0
113.0
117.0
122.2
126.1
127.4
138.1
143.4
148.9
158.7

156.4
164.6
164.6
164.9

154.4
154.4
154.4
157.9

157.2
157.6
158.5
159.1

q u a r t e r 164.9

159.6

161.6

. . .

quarter
„
„
„

„

...

TABLE

.•.
...

...

m . NEW ZEALAND : INDEX NTJMBEBS OF NORMAL HOURS
OF WORK PEB WEEK

(1926-1930 = 100)

Dates

Mines
and
quarries
Males

1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

86.6
86.6
86.6
86.6
86.6
86.6
86.6
86.6
86.6
86.6
86.6
83.2

Females

Manufacturing

Males

Females

Building
and
construction
Males

86.6
86.6
86.6
86.6
86.6
86.6
86.6
86.6
86.6
86.6
86.6
86.6

Females

Total (mining, m a n ufacturing, construction, commerce,

transport)

Males

Females

89.0
88.8
88.8
88.8
88.8
88.8
88.8
88.8
88.5
87.7
86.7
86.6

89.8
89.6
89.6
89.6
89.6
89.6
89.6
89.6
89.4
87.0
86.7
86.7

Total

...

164

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

No averages for manufacturing as a whole have been published
in absolute amounts or in index numbers.
The publication of the Census and Statistics Department entitled
Report on Prices, Wages and Labour Statistics, 194... contains average
minimum weekly wage rates and average hours per full week (as at
31 March of each year) lor each of the occupations included in the
index ; figures given are averages for the four principal industrial
districts and do not include payments in kind (shown separately).
NORWAY

1. Norway's ratification was registered on 29 March 1940 ; Part I I I
(Rates) -was excluded.
2. The breakdown by industry of the ñgures shown in the table
below (except contracting) is as follows :
Mining
Metallurgy
Chemicals and electro-chemical industryOils and fats
Paper
Leather and rubber
Textiles
Clothing
Food
Miscellaneous
Total
3. The information published is summarised in the following table :
NORWAY : AVERAGE EARNINGS PER HOUR OS ADULT WORKERS
(in

Mining,

Mining

1937. . .
1938.
1939.
1940.
1941.
1942.
1943.
1944.
1945.
1946.
1947.
1948.
1948:
1st q u a r t e r
2nd
„
3rd
„
4th
„
1949:
1st q u a r t e r
2nd „
1

Females

Total

Males 1 Females

1.71
1.76
1.86
1.89
1.95
2.16
2.55
2.85
3.01

0.95
0.95
1.03
1.07
1.08
1.21
1.43
1.63
1.70

1.56 1
1.59 1
1.72
1.76
1.83
1.88
1.92
2.17
2.52
2.78
2.94

2.93
3.02
3.03
3.07

1.69
1.70
1.68
1.71

2.85
2.92
2.98
3.02

Third quarter.

Contracting

manufacturing

Dates
Males

kroner)

Total

Males

0.97 1
0.Ö71
1.04
•1.05
1.06
1.09
1.14
1.32
1.53
1.76
1.89

2.Í81
2.26 1
2.19
2.23
2.35
2.33
2.47
2.57
3.25
3.70
4.02

1.83
1.88
1.90
1.93

3.64
3.86
4.07
4.41

Females

Total

165

APPENDICES

The publication of a series on hours of work in manufacturing has
been interrupted since 1945, and no information on hours of work
for mining and for building and construction, and no index numbers,
are available.
SWEDEN

1. Sweden's ratification was registered on 21 June 1939 ; Part I I I
(Rates) was excluded.
2. The breakdown by industry is as follows :
Mining and metal industry
Mining
E a r t h and stone
Wood
Paper and printing
Food
Textiles and clothing
Leather, skins and rubber
Chemicals
Total, including seasonal industries
Total, excluding seasonal, industries
Building
Public works and shops (State)
Public works and shops (municipalities) '
Commerce and warehouses
Transport
Laundries
Grand total, including seasonal industries
Grand total, excluding seasonal industries
3. The information available is summarised in the three following
tables :
TABLE I. SWEDEN : AVEKAGE EARNINGS PER HOTJB

(in hronor)
Mining and
manufacturing

Mining '
Dates
Males 1 Females Total •
1937. .
1938.
1939.
1940.
1941.
1942.
1943.
1944.
1945.
1946.
1947.
1948.
1
1

.

.

1.63
1.72
1.79
1.84
1.96
2.16
2.26
2.28
2.33
2.47
2.85
3.20

2.16
2.30
2.79
3.14

Except coal.
Including foremen and juveniles.

Males

1.90
2.04
2.33
2.53

Females

1.26
1.37
1.61
1.79

Total »

1.73
1.87
2.15
2.37

Building and
construction
Males

1.70
1.79
1.89
1.86
1.94
2.12
2.30
2.38
2.45
2.77
2.97
3.25

Females

Total (mining,
manufacturing,
construction
commerce, transport, services)

Total s

Males

Females

1.68
1.77
1.87
1.85
1.92
2.11
2.29
2.37
2.43
2.72
2.94
3.23

1.29
1.37
1.42
1.53
1.64
1.79
1.86
1.90
1.98
2.15
2.44
2.65

0.77
0.80
0.84
0.93
1.01
1.09
1.14
1.19
1.27
1.38
1.62
1.79

Total *

1.81

1.98
2.27
2.77

166

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS
TABLE II. SWEDEN : AVERAGE EARNINGS PEE WEEK

(in kroner)
Iron mining
Dates
Females

Males

1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948

Total

Mining

manufacturing
Males

Females

H I 94

114.28

Building and
construction

and

Total

Males

Females

87.81

Total

Total (mining,
manufacturing, construction, commerce,
transport,
services)
Males

Females

122.57 101.30 63.28 92Ì98

TABLE HI. SWEDEN : AVERAGE HOURS OE WORK PER WEEK

Dates

1937
1938.
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948

Nov. . . .
Dec.
June
Nov.
Nov.
Nov.
Nov.
Nov.
Nov.
May-

Iron
i

;_*.»

Mining

Total

Mining
Building
and manu- and confacturing struction

46.1
45.5
46.2
45.6
47.3
45.3
45.7
45.4
43.7
42.8

47.2
46.3
45.6
46.6
47.0
47.2
47.3
47.2
47.4
46.8

Total
(mining,
manufacturing,
construction, commerce,
transport,
services)

46.9
45.7
45.2
46.4
46.9
47.0
47.1
47.0
47.2
47.0

Index numbers of wages are published using 1939 or 1945 as basis.
SWITZERLAND

1. Switzerland's ratification was registered on 23 May 1940 ;
Parts ILI (Rates) and IV (Wages and Hours of Work in Agriculture)
were excluded.

167

APPENDICES

2. T h e breakdown b y industries used is as follows
Establishment reporting
Industry
Textile
Clothing
Food
Chemicals
Paper, leather
Printing
Wood
Metals, machines
Watches, jewellery
Earth, stones
Other industries
Private transport
Commerce
Total

Insurance statistics
Extraction of minerals and work
on stone
E a r t h and stone
Building
Wood
Food, drink and tobacco
Shoes
Textiles
Printing
Paper
Chemicals
Metals and machinery
Watchmaking
Power stations
Total

3. The available information is summarised in the four following
tables :

TABLE I. SWITZERLAND : AVEBAGE EABNINOS PEB HOTJB,
ACCIDENT INSTJBANCE STATISTICS

(in francs)
Extraction of
minerals and work
on stones
Males
skilled Males
Feand
unmales
semi- skilled
skilled

1937.
1938.
1939.
1940.
1941.
1942.
1943.
1944.
1945.
1946.
1947.
1948.

1.20
1.22
1.22
1.25
1.36
1.55
1.66
1.85
2.00
2.16
2.25
2.35

0.93
0.97
0.97
1.01
1.12
1.31
1.49
1.58
1.70
1.82
1.95
2.08

0.84
1.05
1.10
1.18
1.22

Total

Manufacturing
Males
skilled Males
Feunand
males
semi- skilled
skilled

1.32
1.37
1.37
1.42
1.52
1.67
1.80
1.90
2.01
2.21
2.41
2.55

1.07
1.09
1.08
1.12
1.22
1.37
1.50
1.60
1.70
1.87
2.04
2.16

0.70
0.70
0.73
0.75
0.81
0.91
1.00
1.08
1.16
1.39
1.49
1.58

Total

Building

Males
skilled Males
unand
semi- skilled
skilled
1.41

1.44
1.46
1.48
1.57
1.70
1.83
1.96
2.06
2.28
2.45
2.58

1.08
1.10
1.11
1.14
1.25
1.40
1.52
1.64
1.72
1.94
2.09
2.20

Total (mining,
manufacturing,
construction,
commerce,
transport, forests)
Males
skilled Males

Fe- Total
Feunand
males
males Total semiskilled
skilled

0.89
1.03
1.15
1.23
1.40
1.54
1.65

1.36
1.40
1.40
1.44
1.54
1.68
1.81
1.92
2.03
2.23
2.42
2.56

1.07
1.08
1.08
1.12
1.22
1.37
1.50
1.61
1.70
1.88
2.04
2.15

0.70
0.73
0.73
0.75
0.82
0.92
1.00
1.08
1.16
1.34
1.49
1.58

168

WAGES AND PAYKOLL

STATISTICS

T A B L E H . SWITZERLAND : AVERAGE E A R N I N G S P E R HOTTR,
OCTOBER

(in

ENQUIRY

francs)
Total (mining, manufacturing,
construction commerce,
t r a n s p o r t , services)

Manufacturing
Dates

1937
1938
1939 :
1940
1941
1942 :
1943 :
1944:
1945 :
1946 :
1947 :
1948 :

Mining

. . .
. . .
June
. . .
. . .
Oct.
„
„
„
„
„
„

Kales
Males s m i Feskilled skilled males
and u n skilled

Tolal

a n d construction

Males
semiMales skilled
Feskilled a n d un- males
skilled

.
.
1.54

1.Ì7

0.74

1.55

1.18

0.75

1.50
1.62
1.73
1.85
2.04
2.19
2.31

0.97
1.05
1.15
1.29
1.45
1.57
1.65

1.91
2.03
2.14
2.26
2.47
2.66
2.80

1.51
1.63
1.73
1.85
2.04
2.19
2.31

0.97
1.05
1.16
1.29
1.45
1.57
1.66

.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

1.91
2.03
2.14
2.26
2.47
2.86
2.80

TABLE I I I .

SWITZERLAND : AVERAGE E A R N I N G S P E R

WEEK,

ACCIDENT I N S U R A N C E STATISTICS

(in franca)

Dates

Extraction
of minerals
Manua n d stone facturing
work

Total (forests, mining, manufacturing,
construction, commerce, transport)
Building

Males
skilled and
somi-skilted

1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

67.04
68.62
69.29
71.95
76.88
84.20
90.65
95.17
100.83
110.75
119.79
126.56

Males
unskilled

53.62
54.21
54.33
56.98
62.93
70.92
77.15
81.81
86.51
95.22
103.01
108.24

Females

33.73
34.42
34.80
36.13
38.74
43.28
47.38
51.19
55.04
64.08
70.79
75.02

Total

Total

169

APPENDICES

TABLE IV. SWITZERLAND : AVERAGE HOURS OF WORK PER WEEK
Mining

Dates

Manufacturing

1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948

47.1
46.3
47.1
47.3
47.0
46.8
47.1
47.4
47.6
47.8
47.9
47.7

1948 : M a r

47.7
47.8
47.8
47.6

June
Deo

Building

'

47.4
47.4

1949 : M a r

Average hourly earnings are available from two sources: workmen's compensation and establishments reporting.
Index numbers of hourly and of weekly earnings (insurance statistics) are published, using 1913 and January-August 1939 as base;
index numbers of hourly earnings based on establishments reporting
use June 1939 as base.
Information on hours of work in mining and in building and index
numbers of hours of work are not published.

UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA

1. The Union of South Africa's ratification was registered on
8 August 193!) ; Parts II (Earnings) and IV (Wages and Hours of
Work in Agriculture) were excluded.
2. Information is published for the following list of occupations
(separately for the Cape Peninsula, Port EHzabeth, Durban, Pinetown,
Pretoria and Witwatersrand) :
Building

industry

:

Bricklayers a n d masons
Electrical
fitters
C a r p e n t e r s a n d joiners
Plasterers
Plumbers
Painters
Unskilled l a b o u r e r s

170

WAGES AND PAYBOLL STATISTICS

Baking and confectionery industry :
Baker
Doughmaker
Oven-man
Confectioner
Unskilled labourer
Clothing industry :
Males
Cutters
Other qualified employees
Females
Cutters
Other qualified employees
Footwear industry (Cape Peninsula only) :
Designing department
î occupations
Clicking department
4 occupations
Closing department
5 occupations
Rough stuff department
6 occupations
Making department
8 occupations
Finishing department
5 occupations
Shoe r o o m

patent repairer, embosser, boxer, etc.
Furniture industry :
Journeymen
Bedding maker
Seamster or seamstress
Labourer
Printing industry :
Typesetting machine operators
Off-set, etc., machine minders
Other journeymen
Printers' assistants
Solid typesetters
Monotype caster assistants
Quarter binders — males
Quarter binders — females
Platen pressmen

171

APPENDICES

3. Available data are summarised in the three following tables.
TABLE I. UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA : RATES PER SHIFT 1
OF EUROPEAN ADULT MINEBS
(in shillings

Coal
(Transvaal)

Dates
1937 : J u n o
1938
„
1939
»
1940
y
1941
ì
1942
»
1943
»
1944
,
1945
*
1946
>
1947
i
1948

and

. . . .

22
22
22
22
22
22
22
23
22
22
23

7
6
1
10
2
8
6
2
4
11
1

pence)
Gold 3
(Witwatersrand)
29
29
29
29
31
31
31
33
35
35
35

...

j

9
11
6
11
1
8
4
6
3
7
11

Diamonds
(Kimberley)
23
24
24
24
29
27
29
26
26
26
27

10
2
4
1
1
6
11
1
3
4
1

...

1
Excluding overtime, leave pay, medical benefit allowances, savings fund allowances
and 2cost-of-living allowance, but including bonuses.
Machine stoping, contract.

TABLE II. UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA ( P R E T O K I A ) : BATES FEB HOUR
OF EUROPEAN ADULT MALE WORKERS IN BUILDING

(in shillings and pence)
Dates
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948

Sept

Carpenters,
plumbers
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3

6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6

Painters,
glaziers
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3

4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
6
6
6
6

172

WAGES AND PAYROLL STATISTICS

TABLE m . UNION 0 ? SOUTH AÎEICA : NOEMAL HOUES OF WOEK PEE WEEK
OF :0TTEOPEAN ADULT MALES

Gold mining
Dates

1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948

Manufacturing

Sept. . . .
J»
91

>>
91
91

it

91

!
1
I
;
!
i
;

Underground

Others

48.5
48.5
48.5
48.5
48.5
48.5
48.5
48.5
48.5
48.5
48.5
48.5

48
48
48
48
48
48
48
48
48
48
48
48

Building

Total
(mining,
manufacturing,
construction,
c o mine re G
transport)

44
44
44
44
44
44
44
43.5 - 44
43 - 44
42 - 4 4
41 - 44
40 - 44

No averages are computed for manufacturing industry, t h e d a t a
forwarded t o t h e International Labour Office referring t o hourly rates
and normal hours cf work for t h e list of occupations shown above.
The index number of hourly rates (in mining, manufacturing,
construction, commerce a n d transport) has not been computed since
1940. No index numbers of normal hours of work have been published.

" J N I T E D KlNa-DOM

1. The United Kingdom's ratification was registered on 26 May 1947 ;
no P a r t was excluded.
2. The industria'- breakdown used for t h e information contained
in tables I, I I and I I I below is as follows :
Iron, stone, etc., mining and quarrying
Treatment of non-metalliferous mine and quarry products
Brick, pottery and glass
Chemical, paint, oil, etc.
Metal, engineering, and shipbuilding
Textiles
Leather, fur, etc.
Clothing
Food, drink and tobacco
Woodworking
Paper, printing, stationery, etc.
Building, contracting, etc.
Miscellaneous manufacturing industries
Transport, storage, etc. (excluding railways)
Public utility services
Government industrial establishments
Total
3. T h e available information is summarised in the four following
tables :

TABLE I. TOOTED KINGDOM : AVERAGE EARNINGS PEE HOUE

(in shillings and pence)
Mining
(excluding coal)

Dates

dales
1937
1 9 3 8 : Oct.
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943 : J u l y
1944 : J u l y
1945 : J u l y
1946 : O c t . .
1947: Oct..
1948 . - O c t . .

. .

Total1

Females

3.7

1

2.9 1

Males

Total1

Females

5.8 0

Building, contracting

9.0 1

1.0 1

Total1

Males 1 Females

5.1

1

3.9 1

Mining,
manufacturing,
building, contracting
Total1

Males 1 Females

5.6 0

9.0 1

1.5 1

Total (mining,
manufacturing,
construction,
commerce, transport)
Males

Females 1 Total1

9.0 1

5.4 0

1.7

,

fef
Ö
M

.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
.

1948: Apr.. . .
Oct.. . .
1949: Apr.. . .
1

1

Manufacturing

1 11.9
2 0.8
2 1.9
2 4.4
2 7.6
2 9.8 1

1 10.5 2 5.0 1
1 11.6 2 6.7 1
2 0.5 2 6.7 1
2 3.3 2 7.8 1
2 6.4 2 10.9 1
8.4 2 8.9 3 1.0 1

2
2

8.0 2
8.4 2

9.7 1
9.8 1

...

8.6 2 11.9 1
8.9 3 1.0 1

4.1
5.1
5.3
6.5
8.2
9.6

1 10.6 2
2 0.1 2
2 0.4 2
2 2.3 2
2 5.1 2
2 7.2 2

9.2 2
9.6 2

6.3 2
7.2 2

0.3
0.9
2.6
5.2
5.8
9.3

1
1
1
1
1
1

8.9 1
9.3 1

••

3.8
5.1
5.3
6.3
7.7
8.8

1 10.8 2
1 11.1 2
2 0.5 2
2 3.3 2
2 4.0 2
2 7.6 3

8.4 2
8.8 2

4.3
5.9
6.1
7.2
9.8
0.2

1
1
1
1
1
1

7.1 2 1 1 . 3 1
7.6 3 0.2 1

4.1
5.1
5.3
6.4
8.2
9.6

1 10.7 2 3.5
2 0.0 2 5.1
2 0.4 2 5.3
2 2.5 2 6.4
2 4.9 2 9.0
2 7.3 2 11.4

9.2 2
9.6 2

1
1
1
1
1
1

4.3
5.3
5.5
6.4
8.1
9.5

9.0 2
9.5 2

6.5 2 10.6 1
7.3 2 11.4 1

...

1 Ì0.5
1 11.9
2 0.3
2 2.2
2 4.7
2 7.1

Q
m
on

6.2
7.1

...

Including juveniles.
~3
CO

174

WAGES

A N D PAYROLL

Total
(mining,
manufacturing,
construction,
commerce, transport)

Ci
'eo
IO

J

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175

APPENDICES

TABLE III. UNITED KINGDOM : AVERAGE HOURS WORKED PER WEEK
Total
Mining,
(mining,
manufacturing,
manufacturing,
Manufacturing
building,
construction,
contracting
commerce,
transport)
1
FeFeFeFeFe1
Males males Total Males
males Total' Males males Total» Males males Total » Males males Total
Mining
(excluding
coal)

Dates

1937
1938:
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946:
1947:
1948:

. . .
Oct..
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
: July
: July
: July
Oct..
Oct..
Oct..

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

1948 : A p r . .
Oct.. .
1949 : A p r .
1

45.9

Building,
contracting

45.8 47.8 44.0 46.3 46.3

49.1
48.8
47.9
47.7
48.0
47.8
47.6
47.3
46.8 41.5 46.6
46.3 42.4 46.2

53.1
51.0
49.4
47.7
46.2
46.5

46.1
44.7
43.5
42.8
41.7
41.6

49.9
48.2
47.0
46.0
44.7
44.9

53.4
52.1
50.3
45.5
47.1
47.1

46.3 47.4 44.0 46.3 47.7 43.5 46.5

46.5
43.4
42.0
40.5
40.5
40.3

52.8
51.4
49.5
45.3
46.9
46.9

53.1
51.1
49.5
47.3
46.4
46.6

46.1
44.7
43.5
42.8
41.7
41.6

50.1
48.5
47.3
45.9
45.1
45.2

52.9
51.2
49.7
47.6
46.6
46.7

45.9
44.6
43.3
42.6
41.5
41.6

50.0
48.6
47.4
46.2
45.2
45.3

46.6 42.7 46.4 46.3 41.7 44.8 46.6 40.5 46.4 46.4 41.7 45.1 46.5 41.6 45.3
46.3 42.4 46.2 46.5 41.6 44.9 47.1 40.3 46.9 46.6 41.6 45.2 46.7 41.6 45.3

.

Including juveniles.

Index numbers of hourly and weekly earnings are published with
October 1938 used as base.
Results of the enquiry carried out twice a year into earnings and
hours of work are supplemented by information on coal miners, railroad
workers and dock workers.
No separate index numbers of hourly rates and of normal hours
of work per week are published for mining, for manufacturing and
for building.
Information on minimum rates of pay (in shillings and pence)
and normal hours of work per week of a long list of occupations is
contained in a publication of the Ministry of Labour and National
Service entitled Time Bates of Wages and Hours of Labour.

176

WAG3S AND PAYECLL STATISTICS

TABLE IV. UNIT3D KINGDOM : INDEX NUMBERS OF HOURLY BATES
AND Cff NC3MAL HOUBS OF WOBK PER WEEK
(1 Sept.

Mining

1939 =

100)

Manufacturing

Building

Rates Hours

Rates Hours

Dates '

Total
(agriculture,
mining,
manufacturing,
construction,
commerce,
transport, etc.)
Rates

Hours

: J tine
D 3C.
1948 .

97.9
99.2
103.7
116.0
126.2
132.7
138.8
149.0
153.5
168.7
175.9
104.8 2
109.2

100.5
100.4
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
99.9
99.9
99.8
98.2
94.9
98.7 a
98.4

1948 : M ar.
J t me
Se pt.
D 30.

106.6
107.1
107.9
109.2

98.6
98.5
98.4
98.4

1 9 4 9 : M ar.
ne

110.1
110.6

98.3
98.2

Rates
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

• End of the year.
' J u n e 1947 = 100.

Hours

A P P E N D I X III
WAGE STATISTICS IN INLAND TRANSPORT
Paragraph 4 of a resolution adopted b y t h e 6th International
Conference of Labour Statisticians on 12 August 1947 reads as follows :
4. I t is recommended that those sections of the resolutions of the
Inland Transport Committee which deal with wage rates and earnings be
brought to the notice of the International Conference of Labour Statisticians at an early session in connection with the consideration of the subject
of statistics of workers' earnings, with special reference to payrolls and
aggregate wages and salaries. 1
The relevant paragraphs of t h e appropriate resolution adopted
b y the Inland Transport Committee a t its 2nd Session are accordingly
reproduced below.
The Inland Transport Committee of the International Labour Organisation,
Having been convened b y the Governing Body of the International
Labour Office, and
Having met at Geneva for its 2nd Session from 7 to 16 May 1947, and
Having considered the problems of developing, under conditions which
permit of international comparison, useful statistics on specific points
relating to labour aspects of inland transport,
Adopts this sixteenth day of May 1947 the following resolution :
1. (4) Statistics relating to personnel should distinguish between
men and women so far as is possible.
(5) D a t a on personnel solely employed on maintenance and repairs
of means of transport (e.g., rolling stock, vehicles, aircraft, barges, etc.)
should be shown separately for each branch of inland transport.
(7) For every branch of the inland transport industry where it is
possible to do so the classifications should distinguish : management, supervisory and office personnel ; repair and maintenance personnel ; operational
personnel ; and all other personnel.
5. (1) Average weekly or monthly earnings should be compiled and
published not less frequently than annually. To the extent possible, this
data should be broken down, as is set forth in paragraph 1 (4), (5) and (7)
of this resolution, but should a t least show earnings of non-supervisory, or
" production ", personnel. Particulars should be furnished to show how
averages are calculated.
(2) Data of earnings should be published in such a way that hourly
earnings can be computed, and when earnings are given on a basis other
than rates per hour, supplementary information should be given on hours
of work so as to make it possible to compute rates per hour.

1
For the steps which led to the adoption of this resolution, the relevant
action of the Governing Body, and the oomplete text of the resolution itself, see
International Labour Organisation, Inland Transport Committee, 3rd Session,
Brussels, 1949 : General Report (Geneva, I.L.O., 1949), pp. 21-22.

PUBLICATIONS OF "ME INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE

Methods of Family Living Studies
Studies ami ¡Reports, New Series, No. 17
Prepared for the Sarenth International Conference of Labour
Statisticians which wil meet in Geneve, in September 1949. This
item was placed on t i e agenda with a view to a revision and
expansion of the resolution adopted by the Third International
Conference of Labour Statisticians in 1926 setting international
standards for conducting studies of family living conditions.

CONTENTS
I. Scope and Ximiag of Family Living Studies.
II. Sampling Methods.
III. The Collection of Data.
Methods of Collection—The Data to be Collected.
IV. Classification of Receipts and Disbursements.
Receipts—Disbursements, Outgo, Consumption Expenditure.

V. Analysis and Appraisal of Results.
VI. Food and Dietary Analyses.
Food Expenditure:—Food Consumption.
VII. Special Problems of Family Living Studies in Underdeveloped Territories.
VIII. Farm Family living Surveys and Special Investigations.
IX. Proposed Resolutions.

Appendices :
I.

Resolution of the Third International Conference of Labour Statisticians, Geneva, Ostober 1926 ; Recommendation of the Committee
of Statistical Experts of the International Labour Office, First
Session, 12 to 15 December 1933.

II. Extracts from tho Reports of the Subcommission on Statistical
Sampling to the United Nations Statistical Commission.

63 pages.

Price : 40 cents ; 2s.

PUBLICATIONS OF THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE

Year Book of Labour Statistics
10th Issue, 1947-48
This annual publication, now issued in a trilingual edition
(English, French and Spanish), presents in tabular form the most
complete data obtainable in the principal countries of the world
relating to :
Economically Active Population
Employment and Unemployment
Hours of Work
Wages and Labour Income
Cost of Living and Retail Prices
Family Living Studies

Social Security
Industrial Injuries
Industrial Disputes
Migration
Economic Statistics

The tables cover the last twenty years. They are compiled
from the official statistics of more than 60 countries in all parts
of the world, supplemented in some cases by data obtained from
private sources. Recent enquiries of the I.L.O. on wages, hours
of work and cost of living in various countries are reproduced
in fuU.
An introductory note to each chapter calls attention to the
principal questions of method to be borne in mind in interpreting
the data, especially when using them for international comparisons. The statistics are presented in a systematic way with this
object in view.
" Indispensable to statisticians of all countries. . . . Illustrates the
wealth and complexity of the knowledge collected for experts to i n t e r p r e t . . . .
Through the co-ordination and, so far as possible, comparison of the official
figures published by different countries, it is possible to gauge world economic trends in a way which was out of the question twenty years ago. "
—The Times, London.
" The eighth issue of the Year Book is a noteworthy achievement,
especially when viewed in the light of wartime difficulties. The editor
modestly credits the surprisingly small wartime impairment of statistical
data to the increased consciousness of the need for adequate statistics in
many fields important to the war and to post-war activities. A reviewer
may properly note, however, the evidence of diligence in obtaining and skill
in compiling the information, which is highly diversified alike in national
origins, in subject matter, and in degree of comparability. "—The Journal
of Political Economy, Chicago, Illinois.
" The Year Book continues to be invaluable to those interested in international comparisons of labour conditions. "—Economic Record, Melbourne,
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XV+303 pp.

Price : paper, $3.00 ; 15s. ; cloth, $4.00 ; £1.

PUBLICATIONS OF THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE

Studies and Reports
Neu Series, No. 7, Parts 1-4

Employment, Unemployment and Labour Force Statistics
The heavy demands of the war have focused attention on the
labour force as a most important factor of economic and social
policy. In contrast with the perioà following the First World
War, when unemployment was a major social problem, emphasis
has now shifted to the positive aspects of employment. This
development of the idea of full employment has increased the
need for adequate sta'àstica, and a report on the subject was accordingly submitted to the Sixth International Conference of Labour
Statisticians, which ::i3t in Montreal in August 1947.
130 pages.
Price : 75 cents ; 3s. 9d.

Cost-of-Living Statistics
Issued in the finit instance as a basis for discussion at the
Sixth International Conference of Labour Statisticians, this report
has been reprinted because of its intrinsic value as a study of the
subject. The topics covered are the purposes of cost-of-living
indices, techniques fcr obtaining and utilising representative price
data and weighting diagrams. Appendices contain the Resolutions adopted by tht Second International Conference of Labour
Statisticians (Geneva, 1925), together with a summary of the
Interim Report of t i e Cost of Living Advisory Committee in the
United Kingdom.
58 pages.
Price : 35 cents ; Is. 6d.

Methods of Statistics of Industrial Injuries
Five proposals for amendments to the resolution on statistics
of industrial accidento adopted by the First International Conference
of Labour Statisticians in October 1923 were submitted to the
Sixth Conference of L&bour Statisticians. The proposals appear in
the present study alor g with a discussion of certain general definitions
and classifications and the texts of two new proposed resolutions.
34 pages.
Price : 25 cents ; Is.

The Sixth Intemalional Conference of Labour Statisticians
A summary of tha proceedings of the Conference, which met in
Montreal from é to 12 August 1947, including resolutions adopted.
78 pages.
Price : 50 cents ; 2s. 6d.