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WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 1974
NO EVIDENCE OF RISING UNEMPLOYMENT
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THERE IS NO EVIDENCE TO INDICATE THAT UNEMPLOYMENT HAS INCREASED MARKEDLY IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS. THE SECRETARY FOR SOCIAL SERVICES, THE HON. P.B. WILLIAMS, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.
HOWEVER, INDICATIONS FROM DEPARTMENTS MOST CLOSELY
ASSOCIATED WITH THE INDUSTRIAL FIELD ARE THAT UNDER-EMPLOYMENT IS GOING UP, HE ADDED.
+THIS IS VERY DIFFICULT TO QUANTIFY SINCE THERE IS NO GENERALLY ACCEPTED DEFINITION OF THE TERM UNDER-EMPLOYMENT+ SAID MR. WILLIAMS.
IN ORDER TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE SITUATION AND ITS EFFECT ON TAKE-HOHE PAY, THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT WILL BE CONDUCTING A LIMITED SURVEY NEXT MONTH AND REPEAT IT AS NECESSARY.
MR. WILLIAMS TOLD COUNCIL THAT IN DECEMBER LAST YEAR 627,230 PEOPLE WERE EMPLOYED IN INDUSTRIAL UNDERTAKINGS - THE HIGHEST LEVEL EVER RECORDED. VACANCIES AT THAT TIME HAD DECLINED TO ABOUT 7,000 +WHICH INDICATE A SLACKENING IN THE LABOUR MARKET.+ FIGURES FROM THE MARCH SURVEY WERE NOT YET AVAILABLE.
ONE POINT THAT WAS OFTEN BEING OVERLOOKED, MR. WILLIAMS SAID, WAS THAT THERE WILL ALWAYS TEND TO BE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE SEEKING TO CHANGE JOBS OR TO FIND EMPLOYMENT FOR THE FIRST TIME WHO WOULD BE TECHNICALLY CLASSIFIED AS UNEMPLOYED.
+EVEN IN 1971 WHEN LABOUR CONDITIONS WERE QUITE TIGHT THE CENSUS-TAKERS FOUND 72,000 PEOPLE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 15 AND 64 WHO WERE SEEKING WORK. THIS REPRESENTED 4.3 PER CENT OF THE WORK FORCE AT A TIME WHEN THE LABOUR MARKET WAS COMPETITIVE AND IT IS UNLIKELY THAT THE FIGURE COULD EVER FALL MUCH BELOW THAT LEVEL+
HE EXPLAINED THAT THERE WAS NO SYSTEM FOR ACTUALLŸ REGISTERING PERSONS WHO ARE UNDER-EMPLOYED OR UNEMPLOYED, ALTHOUGH THERE WERE A NUMBER OF REASONABLY RELIABLE INDICATORS OF THE SITUATION. THESE GUIDELINES INCLUDE THE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE STATISTICS AND THE STATISTICS OF INDUSTRIAL EMPLOYMENT.
SO FAR, THE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE STATISTICS CONTINUE TO SHOW THAT THERE HAS BEEN NO INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF NEW CASES CUMING ON PUBLIC ASSISTANCE IN RECENT MONTHS, BUT A CLOSE- WATCH IS BEING MAINTAINED ON THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION.
NEW RULES SOON ON SEVERANCE PAY
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A NEW BILL TO INTRODUCE SEVERANCE PAY FOR ALL EMPLOYEES COVERED BY THE EMPLOYMENT ORDINANCE IS EXPECTED TO BE PUBLISHED FOR PUBLIC COMMENT WITHIN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.
THE SECRETARY FOR SOCIAL SERVICES, MR. P.B. WILLIAMS, SAID DRAFTING OF THE BILL WAS AT AN ADVANCE STAGE AND WOULD BE PUBLISHED BEFORE ITS INTRODUCTION IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
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