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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1981
MONTHLY SURVEY OF EMPLOYMENT, PAYROLL AND ORDERS-ON-HAND
FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 1981 ******
THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY RELEASED STATISTICS FROM THE MONTHLY SURVEY FOR OCTOBER 1981, WHICH WAS CONDUCTED ON AN UPDATED AND ENLARGED PANEL OF THE 200 LARGEST MANUFACTURING COMPANIES CHOSEN BY REFERENCE TO THEIR EMPLOYMENT SIZE IN SEPTEMBER 1979, AS WELL AS A PANEL OF THE 43 LARGEST COMPANIES IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND SELECTED SERVICES SECTORS. AS THE SAMPLE WAS NOT DRAWN ON A RANDOM BASIS, THE RESULTS ON MAGNITUDE OF CHANGE MIGHT NOT REFLECT THE EXPERIENCE OF THE ECONOMY AS A WHOLE, BUT SHOULD GIVE USEFUL INDICATIONS OF THE DIRECTION OF CHANGE.
ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURERS SURVEYED, EMPLOYMENT DECLINED SLIGHTLY WHILE PER CAPITA EARNINGS IN GENERAL REMAINED STABLE IN OCTOBER 1981 COMPARED WITH THE PRECEDING MONTH. HOWEVER, WHEN PER CAPITA EARNINGS IN OCTOBER 1981 WERE COMPARED WITH THAT OF 1980, THERE WAS A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE OF MORE THAN 20 PER CENT.
EMPLOYMENT AND PER CAPITA EARNINGS DROPPED IN THE FOOD AND DRINKS INDUSTRY ON ACCOUNT OF LESS DEMAND FOR SOFT DRINKS AFTER THE SUMMER SEASON.
EMPLOYMENT ALSO DROPPED IN THE TEXTILES INDUSTRY BECAUSE A FEW OF THE FACTORIES IN THE PANEL CLOSED DURING THE MONTH. SINCE THERE WAS AN AWARD OF SEVERANCE PAY IN THE PRECEDING MONTH, PER CAPITA EARNINGS DROPPED THIS MONTH. THE DECREASE IN EMPLOYMENT ALONG WITH AN INCREASE IN PER CAPITA EARNINGS FOR THE PLASTICS INDUSTRY WAS DUE TO LABOUR TURNOVER AND MORE OVERTIME WORK IN CERTAIN PLASTICS FACTORIES.
PER CAPITA EARNINGS ROSE IN PUBLIC UTILITIES FOLLOWING THE AWARD OF SERVICE BONUSES TO WORKERS BY ONE OF THE COMPANIES SURVEYED IN OCTOBER 1981.
THE VOLUME OF ORDERS HELD BY THE MANUFACTURERS SURVEYED IN OCTOBER 1981 WAS MORE OR LESS THE SAME AS THAT IN SEPTEMBER. MORE ORDERS WERE RECEIVED IN THE PLASTICS AND WEARING APPAREL INDUSTRIES, WHILE SLIGHTLY LESS ORDERS WERE AVAILABLE FOR THE FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS AND ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES AS COMPARED WITH THE PRECEDING MONTH.
THE SURVEY REPORT FOR OCTOBER 1981 IS NOW ON SALE AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE, GENERAL POST OFFICE, AT $1 PER COPY.
ENQUIRIES ON THE SURVEY RESULTS MAY BE MADE TO THE INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION STATISTICS SECTION OF THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT (AT 3-7221914).
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