British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume I - Page 508

CHAPTER XIII.

110. The first census of industry which was taken by the British Administration in 1928 indicated that there were 12,408 wage earners employed in manufacturing and mining, compared with the figures of 40,200 in 1939 and 55,200 in 1942 as shown in the above table. An estimate made of the number of wage earners in the year 1944 fixes the total of wage earners in manufacture and mining at approximately 57 ,000.

111. The classification of wage earners by religious community or by "race" is extremely difficult. For this reason it has been necessary to assume that, in general, enterprises of Jewish proprietorship employ mainly Jews, and non-Jewish enterprises employ mainly non-Jews. The assumption is, of course, not entirely accurate, and is used only in the absence of any better criterion. Among the concessions, the Palestine Electric Corporation employees are almost exclusively Jewish; the Jerusalem Electric and Public Service Corporation's staff is drawn from both communities; the Palestine Potash, although employing Arabs, has a predominance of Jews.

112. The Arab trades which are most developed are : milling, tobacco manufacturing and some branches of the textile and metal trades.

113. From 75%-80% of all persons engaged in industry were employed in Jewish owned enterprises. The growth of the Jewish labour force in the various branches of manufacture has already been indicated in a previous table. A rough estimate made by the Government Statistician of Jews gainfully employed in 1945 is :

%
Agriculture 35,000 14.8
Manufacture 65,000 27.4
Building and construction 16,000 6.8
Transport 10,000 4,8
Commerce and trade 26,000 10.9
Professions 20,000 8.4
Office employees 22,000 9.2
Police, 6,500 2.7
Domestic service 15,000 6.3
Houseowners and capitalists 12,000 5.0
Miscellaneous 10,000 4.2
---
Total 237,500 100.0 An index of Jewish industrial employment for the year 1939- 1943 is given herewith :-

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