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U .S.^JJederal Works Agency
,^Works Progress Administration
^^ational Research Project
Unemployment In Philadelphia,
May 1937
I
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Northwestern
University Library
Evanston,
Illinois 60201
Industrial Research Department, University of Pennsylvania
in cooperation with the
National Research Project, Works Progress Administration
July 11, If37
UNEMPLOYMENT IN PHILADELPHIA, MA.Y 1937
The annual survey of employment and unemployment in Phila¬
delphia taken by the Industrial Research Department of the University
of Pennsylvania in the spring of each year since 1929 has just been
completed. This year's survey was made in cooperation with the
National Research Project of the Works Progress Administration.
Preliminary tabulations of the 1937 survey indicate that at
the time the census was taken, May 15 to June 5, 70.5 percent of the
total number of 79,610 employable persons covered were employed full-
time, 5*1 percent were employed part-time, and 24.4 percent were un¬
employed. The percentage of unemployment in the city, as measured
Employment Status of Employable Persons-in
Philadelphia Unemployment Census Sample
1929 - 1937
Percent Percent
I SsnWSNWVM y.::;Wv.;.v;-1 -•■wttv.-.y.-.l. v
1929* 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937
I 1 Employed full-time EZZ2 Employed part-time Unemployed
*Part-time employment not available for 1929.
- 2 -
by this sample survey, has fallen continuously since the peak of 46
percent in 1933 to a level lower than that prevailing in 1931. Part-
time employment reached its peak in 1932 and has declined since then
until in 1937 it reached the same level as in 1930. Assuming tfyat
the number of employable persons in Philadelphia on June 1, 1937 was
approximately 920,600, the number unemployed was 224,600.
The following table summarizes the major results of all
surveys since 1929:
Employment Status of Employable Persons in
Philadelphia Unemployment Census Sample
1929 - 1937
Number
Employable persons
of house¬
To1
tal
Employed -
Year
holds
Full-time
part-1
bime
unemployed
enumer¬
Num¬
Per¬
Num¬
Per¬
Num¬
Per¬
Num¬
Per¬
ated
ber
cent
ber
cent
ber
cent
ber
cent
1929
31,551
58,866
100.0
52,756
89.6
*
*
6,110
>' i
10*4
1930
36f665
69j884
100.0
55,788
79.8
3,648
5.2
10,448
15.0
1931
36,410
67,150
100.0
40,766
60.7
9,243
13.8
17,141
25.5
1932
35,471
66,854
100.0
24,782
37.1
13,887
20.8
28,185
42.1
1933
35,820
66,454
100.0
22,630
34.1
13,256
19.9
30,568
46.0
1934
40,931
78,121
100.0
38,420
49.2
11,437
14.6
28,264
36.2
1935
43,997
78,524
100.0
41,489
52.8
11,125
14.2
25,910
33.0
1936
44,817
79,822
100.0
48,669
61.0
7,086
8.9
24,067
30.1
1937
45,928
79,610
100.0
56,150
70.5
4,007
5.1
19,453
24.4
^Figures for part-time employment not available.
These data are based on a study of approximately nine per¬
cent of Philadelphia's employable population. The survey has cov¬
ered the same selected blocks of ten School Districts in Philadelphia
each year, although facilities for enumeration have varied from year
to year. The findings for this sample appear to be representative of
the city as a whole when tested for reliability. In all years of the
survey, employable persons were defined as those 16 years of age and
over working or seeking work. Full-time employment was defined in
terms of the practice of the industry prior to 1935; in later surveys
work of less than 30 hours per week was considered part-time employ¬
ment, Persons engaged in work-relief employment were counted as un¬
employed for the purposes of this census in all years.