FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1982
11
JUNE LABOUR FORCE FIGURES
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THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR JUNE 1982 WAS 3.4 PER CENT, COMPARED WITH 3.5 PER CENT ESTIMATED IN MARCH 1982 AND 3.1 PER CENT ESTIMATED IN DECEMBER 1981, ALL THREE FIGURES USING THE DEFINITIONS OF THE LABOUR FORCE SURVEY.
THE INCREASE OF 0.3 PERCENTAGE POINT IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE BETWEEN DECEMBER 1981 AND JUNE 1982 WAS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT, WHEREAS THE DECREASE OF 0.1 PERCENTAGE POINT IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE BETWEEN MARCH 1982 AND JUNE 1982 WAS NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT.
THERE ARE, HOWEVER, INDICATIONS FROM THE MONTHLY GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY THAT THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE HAS BEEN ON THE INCREASE SINCE JUNE.
IN COMMENTING UPON THESE FIGURES, THE COMMISSIONER FOR CENSUS AND STATISTICS SAID THAT BECAUSE THE PROPORTION OF FIRST- TIME JOB-SEEKERS (PEOPLE WHO HAVE JUST LEFT SCHOOL) VARIES FROM MONTH TO MONTH, THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE SHOULD BE USED IN MAKING COMPARISONS WITH THE FIGURES FOR EARLIER PERIODS.
THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR JUNE 1982 WAS OBTAINED FROM A SAMPLE GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT IN THE PERIOD MAY TO JULY 1982.
THE SURVEY ALSO PROVIDED INFORMATION ON EMPLOYMENT.
THE ESTIMATED NUMBER OF EMPLOYED PERSONS IN JUNE 1982 WAS 2 401 800, WHICH WAS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT FROM THE MARCH 1982 FIGURE OF 2 399 800.
IN JUNE, OVER 90 PER CENT OF THE EMPLOYED POPULATION WORKED 35 HOURS OR MORE A WEEK.
AS AN INDICATOR OF UNDEREMPLOYMENT, THE PROPORTION OF EMPLOYED PERSONS WORKING LESS THAN 30 HOURS A WEEK WAS SEVEN PER CENT IN JUNE, COMPARED WITH 12 PER CENT IN MARCH 1982.
THE MARCH FIGURE WAS, HOWEVER, DISTORTED BY SEASONAL FACTORS SINCE THE SURVEY PERIOD, FEBRUARY TO APRIL, COVERED THE LONG HOLIDAYS OF THE CHINESE NEW YEAR AND EASTER.
THE COMMISSIONER FOR CENSUS AND STATISTICS DREW ATTENTION TO THE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT DEFINITIONS USED IN THE GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY COMPARED WITH THOSE USED IN THE LABOUR FORCE SURVEY.
IN THE GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY, PERSONS AGED 15 AND OVER WHO WERE NOT IN EMPLOYMENT BUT WERE AVAILABLE FOR WORK AND WERE SEEKING WORK IN THE SEVEN DAYS BEFORE ENUMERATION WERE CLASSIFIED AS UNEMPLOYED.
/THOSE CLASSIFIED