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APPENDIX 4
do not recognise its existence, which makes the search for statistical data a somewhat laborious process. Broadly speaking, it is the class between the working class and the upper-middle class, though there is no very sharp division at either end of the scale. In England it cannot be called the middle class, since that implies the employer and rentier class, which has a fair degree of social security and a certain chance of realising its social aspirations. 'Salaried class' is not an adequate term either, as the higher-salary earners belong, in all respects, to the English middle class proper. Harold Lasswell, the American sociologist, called them 'middle income-skilled groups'; this hardly covers the case either, for, though many skilled technicians may properly be said to belong to it, the majority of skilled workers belong to the working class.
A description of the types of people who belong to it and of their social habits may give a clearer picture of this class than any comprehensive label, as it is not easy to integrate all these widely different types, with their great diversity of interests, into a single sociological concept. The class as such may be roughly divided into five major groups:
( i ) Skilled technicians.
There is a large group of skilled technicians, particularly in the newer industries such as the motor-car, aircraft and electrical industries, who, by reason of their social background, education and method of training, cannot be placed in the working class proper. They are highly qualified people, often earning good salaries, but, because they have no property background, are entirely dependent on their ability to earn. They have therefore a high consumption power in relation to their social security.
( 2 ) Commercial and financial employees of all types.
The second large group is made up of all the salaried employees, working in commerce, finance and insurance. It includes small independent shopkeepers, shop assistants, commercial travellers, insurance agents and canvassers, bank clerks and clerical workers. These again have no property background, but the nature of their work, and their own inclinations too, demand that they maintain a certain standard of life — housing, dress, etc., which is immediately endangered if once they lose employment. This standard must be maintained at least outwardly during a period of unemployment, as it materially affects the prospects of obtaining new employment.
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