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ACCORDING TO THE SURVEY, 79 470 WHOLESALE, RETAIL AND IMPORT/ EXPORT ESTABLISHMENTS, RESTAURANTS AND HOTELS WERE IN OPERATION DURING THE WHOLE OR PART OF 1981, WITH A TOTAL OF 508 910 PERSONS ENGAGED. THEY GENERATED $303 356 MILLION IN SALES AND OTHER RECEIPTS, AND SPENT $13 773 MILLION ON COMPENSATION TO EMPLOYEES, $24 441 MILLION ON OPERATING EXPENSES, AND $252 994 MILLION ON PURCHASES OF GOODS FOR SALE. WHEN COMPARED WITH 1980, SALES AND OTHER RECEIPTS INCREASED BY 22 PER CENT, WHILE THE EXPENDITURES ON COMPENSATION OF EMPLOYEES, OPERATING EXPENSES AND PURCHASES OF GOODS FOR SALE WENT UP BY 27 PER CENT, 25 PER CENT AND 21 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.
THE VALUE ADDED BY THE SECTOR, COMPRISING COMPENSATION OF EMPLOYEES, INTEREST PAYMENTS AND OPERATING SURPLUS, GREW BY 19 PER CENT TO $31 528 MILLION IN 1981 FROM $26 570 MILLION IN 1980. THIS VALUE ADDED REPRESENTED THE SECTOR'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT OF HONG KONG.
THE SURVEY ALSO REVEALED THAT IN 1981, IMPORT-EXPORT TRADE RECORDED THE LARGEST SALE AND OTHER RECEIPTS AT $194 857 MILLION OR 64 PER CENT OF THE SECTOR TOTAL. RETAIL TRADE ACCOUNTED FOR ANOTHER 18 PER CENT, WHILE WHOLESALE TRADE TOOK UP 13 PER CENT, RESTAURANTS FOUR PER CENT, AND HOTELS/BOARDING HOUSES ONE PER CENT OF THE SECTOR TOTAL.
IMPORT/EXPORT TRADE CONTRIBUTED 50 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL VALUE ADDED IN THE SECTOR. THE REMAINING CONTRIBUTION WAS ACCOUNTED FOR BY RETAIL TRADE (22 PER CENT), RESTAURANTS (14 PER CENT), WHOLESALE TRADE (NINE PER CENT) AND HOTELS/BOARDING HOUSES (FIVE PER CENT).
WHEN COMPARED WITH 1980, RESTAURANTS ATTAINED THE LARGEST INCREASE OF 31 PER CENT IN SALES AND OTHER RECEIPTS, FOLLOWED BY HOTELS-BOARDING HOUSES (30 PER CENT), IMPORT-EXPORT TRADE (23 PER CENT), RETAIL TRADE (22 PER CENT) AND WHOLESALE TRADE (12 PER CENT).
IN TERMS OF VALUE ADDED, RESTAURANTS AGAIN RECORDED THE LARGEST INCREASE OF 32 PER CENT, FOLLOWED BY HOTELS-BOARDING HOUSES (25 PER CENT), IMPORT-EXPORT TRADE (17 PER CENT), RETAIL TRADE (16 PER CENT) AND WHOLESALE TRADE (12 PER CENT).'
THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT IS NOW PREPARING A REPORT ON THE 1981 SURVEY OF WHOLESALE, RETAIL AND IMPORT/EXPORT TRADE, RESTAURANTS AND HOTELS, WHICH WILL CONTAIN A DETAILED ANALYSIS OF THE RESULTS BY MAJOR TRADE GROUP AND ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS.
ENQUIRIES ABOUT THE SURVEY RESULTS MAY BE DIRECTED TO WHOLESALE-RETAIL TRADE STATISTICS SECTION OF THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT (TEL. NO. : 3-7216024).