SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1984
SHA TIN FACTORY JOBS RISE SHARPLY
***
FACTORY JOBS IN SHA TIN GREW BY 54 PER CENT LAST YEAR COMPARED WITH 1982 AND THE AMOUNT OF INDUSTRIAL FLOOR SPACE
INCREASED BY 46 PER CENT.
THIS HAS BEEN REVEALED IN AN INDUSTRIAL SURVEY CARRIED OUT IN JULY AND AUGUST LAST YEAR BY SHA TIN NEW TOWN DEVELOPMENT OFFICE OF THE NEW TERRITORIES DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
THERE WERE 7 909 JOBS IN MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY IN 1982, BUT THIS FIGURE HAD RISEN TO 12 167 WHEN THE SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED.
FACTORY FLOOR SPACE ROSE FROM 233 000 SQUARE METRES TO 340 000 SQUARE METRES.
THE SURVEY ALSO SHOWED THAT CHEAPER RENTS WAS A MAJOR FACTOR ATTRACTING COMPANIES TO THE NEW TOWN.
ABOUT 42 PER CENT OF EMPLOYERS SAID THEY HAD DECIDED TO OPERATE IN SHA TIN BECAUSE RENTS WERE CHEAPER THAN IN THE URBAN AREA, WHILE NEARLY 30 PER CENT SAID THE REASON WAS THAT THEY HAD BEEN UNABLE TO FIND SUITABLE ACCOMMODATION IN THE URBAN AREA. ABOUT 14 PER CENT SAID THE DECISION HAD BEEN MADE BECAUSE OF CONVENIENT TRANSPORTATION.
ON THE QUESTION OF TRANSPORT. 52 PER CENT COMPLAINED OF INCONVENIENCE, WHILE 30 PER CENT SAID THEY HAD NO PROBLEMS.
ON EMPLOYING WORKERS, NEARLY 56 PER CENT SAID THEY HAD NO PROBLEMS.
QUESTIONNAIRES WERE SENT TO THE 777 INDUSTRIAL ESTABLISHMENTS IN THE THREE PLANNING AREAS OF SHA TIN, OF WHOM ALL BUT 18 RESPONDED.
IN ADDITION, 1 084 WORKERS WERE INTERVIEWED.
OF THE 759 FIRMS WHICH RESPONDED, ABOUT 69 PER CENT SAID THEY HAD MOVED TO SHA TIN FROM OTHER LOCATIONS, ESPECIALLY KOWLOON. ABOUT 80 PER CENT HAD BROUGHT IN ALL OR SOME OF THEIR WORKFORCE.
TO ATTRACT WORKERS, COMPANIES OFFERED VARIOUS INCENTIVES, INCLUDING TRANSPORTATION, FREE LUNCHES, AWARDS FOR HARD WORK, MEDICAL BENEFITS AND LONG SERVICE AWARDS.
REPLIES FROM WORKERS SHOWED THAT 45 PER CENT LIVED IN SHA TIN, WHILE ANOTHER 25 PER CENT RESIDED IN KOWLOON. NEARLY 48 PER CENT TRAVELLED TO WORK BY BUS, WHILE 28 PER CENT TRAVELLED BY COMPANY COACH. OTHERS WALKED,
OTHERS WALKED, OR USED TRAINS AND MINI-BUSES.
/DESPITE SOME