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TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 1983
BASED ON THIS DEFINITION, THE UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 1.7 PER CENT OF THE LABOUR FORCE FOR THE QUARTER AUGUST - OCTOBER 1982. THUS, WHILE ABOUT 9.3 PER CENT OF ALL EMPLOYED PERSONS WORKED LESS THAN 35 HOURS A WEEK, THIS PERCENTAGE COULD NOT BE TAKEN TO REPRESENT THE UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE.
THE LABOUR FORCE STATISTICS FOR THE AUGUST - OCTOBER 1982 QUARTER WERE OBTAINED FROM A SAMPLE GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT. THIS SURVEY COVERS A QUARTERLY SAMPLE OF SOME 15 000 HOUSEHOLDS OR 55 000 PERSONS, FROM WHICH PERSONAL AND LABOUR FORCE DATA WERE OBTAINED BY INTERVIEWING EACH INDIVIDUAL MEMBER IN THE HOUSEHOLD.
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 AS UNEMPLOYED+ ALSO INCLUDED PEOPLE WHO WERE WAITING TO TAKE UP A NEW JOB; OR WHO HAD TEMPORARILY BEEN LAID OFF WORK WITHOUT PAY; OR WHO WERE AVAILABLE FOR WORK, BUT WERE NOT ACTUALLY LOOKING FOR WORK BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT THAT THERE WAS NONE TO BE HAD OR BECAUSE THEY WERE TEMPORARILY SICK.
ACCORDING TO THE DEFINITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT USED IN THE GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY, THERE WERE 106 700 UNEMPLOYED PERSONS IN HONG KONG IN THE QUARTER AUGUST - OCTOBER 1982, REPRESENTING 4.2 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL LABOUR FORCE. AFTER ADJUSTMENT FOR SEASONAL EFFECTS, THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE WAS 3.8 PER CENT. THEREFORE, IN THE AUGÚST - OCTOBER QUARTER, 5.5 PER CENT (1.E. 3.8 PER CENT PLUS 1.7 PER CENT) OF THE LABOUR FORCE WAS UNEMPLOYED OR UNDEREMPLOYED.
THE REPORT FOR THE AUGUST - OCTOBER 1982 QUARTER GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY MAY BE PURCHASED FROM THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE, GENERAL POST OFFICE BUILDING AT $5 A COPY.
SIMILAR INFORMATION ON THE LABOUR FORCE WILL BE PUBLISHED AT REGULAR THREE-MONTHLY INTERVALS.
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