Message to the Congress Transmitting Annual Manpower Report of the President.

To the Congress of the United States:

I am sending to Congress the 13th annual Manpower Report of the President. This report, as required by section 705(a) of The Comprehensive Employment and Training Act of 1973, as amended, reviews many of the recent economic developments impacting on employment and unemployment levels. Policies addressed to the loss of income by many workers were the keystone to my proposals of October, 1974. The Administration and the Congress agreed on several components of such a policy which are now in operation.

For example, the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act has made supplementary unemployment compensation available to experienced workers who have exhausted unemployment insurance benefits. The Emergency Jobs and Unemployment Assistance Act has made special unemployment assistance available to many workers not covered by the unemployment insurance system. In addition, over 300,000 public service jobs are being funded under the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act, as amended.

The passage of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act in December, 1973, was a landmark development in the decentralization of manpower program design and operation responsibilities to State and local government units. This report reviews implementation activities by the Departments of Labor and Health, Education, and Welfare in 1974. It also reviews some preliminary findings about the operation of this important work.

The report also analyzes the rapidly changing employment situation of women workers, exploring the significant economic role of women in recent years in an expanding number of occupations. The proclamation of 1975 as International Women's Year makes this a particularly appropriate time to encourage members of the legislative and executive branches of Government as well as the general public to study the role of women in the labor force.

Among other important questions explored in this year's Manpower Report is the relative efficiency of public service employment programs as a means of countering cycles of high unemployment. While there is some evidence that programs providing public sector jobs can relieve individual hardships and offer some short-term relief to areas experiencing substantial unemployment, it is considerably less certain that such programs can exert significant positive impact on national unemployment levels.

On the other hand, the size, skills, and employment levels of the Nation's work force are affected by changes in programs, policies, and procurement at all levels of government. This year's Manpower Report, therefore, includes an interim review of some recent research findings on the development of methods to determine the manpower impact of Government program and policy changes both at the national level and in areas where local firms have received important procurement contracts.

GERALD R. FORD

The White House,

April 24, 1975.