ABSTRACT
The Japanese invasion of Malaya caused sudden and widespread unemployment. Estates and mines, cut off from their overseas markets, reduced production or stopped operations altogether, throwing their own laborers out of work along with people employed in the many industries that serviced the export sector. In the first year of the occupation there were few opportunities to find jobs, and many people sold personal belongings to get money to live on. In 1943, however, the Japanese began recruiting workers for military construction projects, and by 1944 the country was experiencing labor shortages. The Japanese responded by creating new channels to recruit labor. They also forced male workers out of nonessential occupations, drew women into the workforce, and mobilized the population to provide labor on a part-time basis.
