supply of labour slowed down (2).
4.3
There was at the same time a slowing down in the
growth rate of the demand for labour,
The number of
particularly by the
retrenched workers
manufacturing sector.
reported to the Labour Department in the third quarter was
2 962. Although higher than that recorded in the same period
of last year, it was small relative to the total number of
workers employed in the manufacturing sector. The number of
persons on the register of the Local Employment Service
(excluding those on the Special Register and those
those seeking
Model I pay scale jobs with the Government) at the end of
September was 16% higher than a year ago; and the number of
vacancies reported to the Labour Department was 18% less.
/ Employment
(2) The total labour force and the employed population (according to the
definitions used for the labour force survey):
Rate of Increase/ (Decrease)
Labour force
on previous
period
Number of
persons employed
Rate of Increase/ (Decrease) on previous
period
1980
Mar
2 276 000
2 203 400
Sep
2 370 700
4.2
2 268 800
3.0
1981
Mar
2 456 300
3.6
2 355 300
3.8
Sep
2 498 500
1.7
2 403 000
2.0
Dec
2 477 600
(0.8)
2 400 200
(0.1)
1982
Mar
2 477 700
0.0
2 393 700
(0.3)
Jun
2 482 800
0.2
2 394 900
0.1
Starting from September 1981, the half-yearly labour force surveys have been replaced by a series of monthly general household surveys. The estimate for March 1981 was derived from the 1981 Population Census.
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