Males:

Wage claims investigated during fiscal year ending June 30, 1912.
(Showing occupation and sex of complainants).

Wage claims investigated during fiscal year ending June 30, 1912.
(Showing Industries against which claims were filed).

EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES.

At the present time there are two laws upon the statute books respecting employment agencies, the one Statutes 1903, page 14, providing for the general regulation of employment agencies and the other Statutes 1909, page 191, providing for the licensing of employment agencies. While these two acts have served the purpose of regulating the employment agencies to a marked degree, especially the act of 1909, we are convinced from our experience in enforcing these laws that far more stringent regulations are required, particularly in view of the influx of foreign labor after the opening of the canal.

The present laws should be amended by providing for a uniform receipt, the original of which should be given to the person seeking employment and the duplicate to be kept on file by the employment agent. At the present time a great deal of the disputes arise over the receipts that are issued, owing to the fact that they do not contain the information that the employment agent gives to the applicant orally, and which is essential to prove misrepresentation. Provision should also be made for the keeping of uniform registers by employment agents, which registers should contain a complete record of every transaction, in such form as to facilitate the work of checking up the reports of these agents, by officers of this Bureau.

We are satisfied that collusion exists between some employment agents and contractors, or their superintendents or foremen, but it is praetically impossible to prove it. In order to put a stop to this collusion, we believe that provision should be made for the return of the fee by the employment agent when the employee is discharged within one week from time of employment, unless it is stipulated that the employment is for a period of less than one week.

The employment agencies should be required to furnish a surety bond when making application for a license, which is the practice in many eastern states, and the Commissioner should be given the power to revoke licenses when he is satisfied that the employment agent is not carrying on a legitimate business.

Special provision should be made for the control of theatrical booking agencies, as these agencies, when uncontrolled, represent one of the worst forms of abuse in the employment business. The contracts, which these agencies use, should all contain certain restrictions and requirements and should be approved by the Commissioner before the performer is employed, as is the practice in New York. The booking agents should be required to investigate the financial ability of the theaters or managers to pay for the talent furnished. One of the most deplorable conditions that we have encountered in our work has been the stranding of road shows by irresponsible managers. Young girls are left penniless hundreds of miles from home. The moral aspect of such a situation is too well known to require any description.

The following table shows the record of complaints against employment agencies filed in our Bureau during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1912:

Disposition of Claims against Employment Agencies.

*In addition, several hundred new positions were ordered furnished, in cases where there was a slight misunderstanding, and no record was kept of these, as they were settled by telephone.

That the Bureau-even under the present laws-has the employment agency problem well in hand is shown by the fact that the number of complaints in the last six months of the fiscal year reported was less than in the first six months, and furthermore, only $414.55 was ordered returned in the last six months as against $1,055.75 in the first six months.

In this report, under the chapter devoted to statistics on employment agencies, will be found-in a series of 37 tables-the first complete record ever made of the number of persons obtaining employment through these agencies, and the amount of fee they are obliged to pay for such employment. These tables also show the occupation and sex of the person given employment and the average fee paid by each classification.

The following figures give one an idea of the amount of business transacted by employment agents and at the same time lead one to realize the importance of controlling these agencies that handle the employment of close to 200,000 persons in a year, and from which persons is exacted the enormous sum of almost one half million dollars per year for the privilege of obtaining employment.

*The report on theatrical agencies was not complete as these agencies had not all been brought under control of the bureau at that time. Their business at the present time amounts to about $60,000 per year.

Average fee figured on basis of engagement of one week or less.

Of the persons employed through these agencies 84.7 per cent were males and 12.1 per cent females, while in 3.2 per cent of the cases no sex was stated; 35.1 per cent of the total number of persons were furnished positions through the agencies in San Francisco, 34.2 per cent in Los Angeles and 10.9 per cent in Sacramento, making a total of 80.2 per cent in these three cities. The average fee paid by men to the general employment agencies in San Francisco was $1.66, in Los Angeles $1.59, and in Sacramento $1.20. The average fee paid by women to the female employment agencies in San Francisco was $2.67 and in Los Angeles $1.93. The average fee charged by commercial agencies for furnishing clerical positions was $13.89.

Particular attention is called to the very large fees that are paid by school teachers. During the past license year, the teachers employment agencies collected $38,756.36 from 1,220 teachers, or an average of $31.77 for each position furnished. The injustice of the payment of such fees is more intensified when we consider that the persons paying them are employed by the people of this State. We believe that teachers should not be compelled to seek employment through private agencies, and that it should be made a misdemeanor for any one to collect a fee from persons seeking employment in the service of the state or any political or civil division thereof.