THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1977
LABOUR FORCE SURVEY
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THERE WERE 80,000 UNEMPLOYED PERSONS IN HONG KONG IN SEPTEMBER, ACCORDING TO A SAMPLE LABOUR FORCE SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT IN THAT MONTH.
THIS REPRESENTED 4.1 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL LABOUR FORCE IN HONG KONG.
THESE FIGURES COMPARED WITH 88,000 OR 4.6 PER CENT IN SEPTEMBER 1976 AND 86,000 OR 4.5 PER CENT IN MARCH 1977.
THE COMMISSIONER FOR CENSUS AND STATISTICS EXPLAINED TODAY THAT IN THE SURVEY THE PEOPLE TAKEN TO BE UNEMPLOYED WERE THOSE AGED BETWEEN 14-64 AND WERE NOT IN EMPLOYMENT, OR THOSE HAD WORKED FOR LESS THAN 15 HOURS IN THE SEVEN DAYS PRIOR TO THE SURVEY DATE, BUT WERE LOOKING FOR WORK.
THE COMMISSIONER POINTED OUT THAT THE DEFINITION OF +UNEMPLOYMENT+ VARIED IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES.
IN HONG KONG, HE SAID, UNEMPLOYED+ INCLUDED PEOPLE WHO HAD JUST LEFT SCHOOL AND WHO REALLY HAD NOT HAD MUCH OF A CHANCE TO PICK UP A JOB WHO HAD JUST TAKEN UP WORK WHO HAD TEMPORARILY BEEN LAID OFF WORK WHO WERE AVAILABLE FOR WORK, BUT WHO WERE NOT ACTUALLY LOOKING FOR WORK BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT THAT THERE WAS NONE TO BE HAD.
IN THIS CONNECTION, THE COMMISSIONER SAID THAT THE JULY 1977 FIGURE FOR THE UNITED STATES WAS 6.9 PER CENT.
+ADJUSTING, AS FAR AS POSSIBLE, THE LATEST HONG KONG FIGURE TO THE U.S.A. BASIS, THE UNEMPLOYMENT SITUATION IN HONG KONG WAS REPRESENTED BY A FIGURE OF 3.2 PER CENT, HE SAID.
COMMENTING ON THESE FIGURES, THE COMMISSIONER SAID THAT OWING TO SAMPLING FLUCTUATIONS, THE DIFFERENCE OF 0.4 PERCENTAGE POINT BETWEEN MARCH AND SEPTEMBER DID NOT PROVIDE A SUFFICIENT INDICATION THAT THERE WAS ANY ACTUAL CHANGE IN THE LEVEL OF UNEMPLOYMENT OVER THE PAST SIX MONTHS.
THE COMMISSIONER SAID THAT SIMILAR INFORMATION ON UNEMPLOYMENT WOULD BE AVAILABLE AT REGULAR SIX-MONTHLY INTERVALS. THE NEXT LABOUR FORCE SURVEY WOULD BE HELD IN MARCH NEXT YEAR.
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