The first half of this chapter will report in detail on the methods used in this study; it can conveniently be omitted by those who are not concerned with the way the data was obtained and not planning studies of their own. The last half of the chapter presents a brief overview of the results, emphasizing the general characteristics of the industrial labour force and differences between factories of various types in terms of management, size, location and type of worker.

METHODOLOGY

In order to obtain more adequate information for the proposed study of factory workers than was available from government statistics, a preliminary survey was carried out during the summer of 1965. Managers were interviewed in seventy-three large manufacturing firms in the Accra C.D. Only five large firms are known to have been omitted. One could not be located and four were not on the Central Bureau of Statistics' lists at that time. Data was collected on the number of workers in various skill categories and, in summary terms, their age, education, training and region or country of origin. Similar data was collected on managers. Information on absenteeism and turnover, work satisfaction and supervisory problems, incentives and training schemes provided a framework for comparing various types of firms. This study will hereafter be referred to as the Management Survey. Its results have been reported elsewhere (Peil 1966).