SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1985
JOBLESS RATE REMAINS LARGELY STABLE
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THE UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT SITUATION REMAINED LARGELY STABLE IN THE QUARTER MAY - JULY 1985 WHEN COMPARED WITH THE QUARTER ENDING APRIL 1985, ACCORDING TO THE LATEST LABOUR FORCE STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.
THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR MAY - JULY 1985 WAS 3.0 PER CENT, COMPARED WITH THE RATE OF 3.3 PER CENT FOR THE QUARTER ENDING APRIL 1985. THE RATE FOR MAY
THE RATE FOR MAY - JULY 1984 WAS 3.4 PER CENT.
WHILE THE DECREASE OF 0.3 PERCENTAGE POINT OVER THE PREVIOUS QUARTER IS STATISTICALLY NOT SIGNIFICANT, THE DECREASE OF 0.4 PERCENTAGE POINT OVER THE YEAR IS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT THAT IS, IT IS GREATER THAN MIGHT BE EXPECTED TO ARISE FROM SAMPLING ERROR.
THE NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS IN THE QUARTER ENDING JULY 1985 WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 80 600, COMPARED WITH 84 400 FOR THE QUARTER ENDING APRIL 1985 AND 90 200 FOR THE SAME QUARTER OF 1984.
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THE UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE FOR MAY JULY 1985 WAS 1.2 PER CENT, COMPARED WITH THE RATE OF 1.1 PER CENT FOR THE PREVIOUS QUARTER. THE RATE FOR MAY - JULY 1984 WAS 0.9 PER CENT. WHILE THE INCREASE OF 0.1 PERCENTAGE POINT OVER THE PREVIOUS QUARTER IS STATISTICALLY NOT SIGNIFICANT, THE INCREASE OF 0.3 PERCENTAGE POINT OVER THE YEAR IS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT.
THE ESTIMATED NUMBER OF UNDEREMPLOYED PERSONS FOR THE QUARTER ENDING JULY 1985 WAS 33 000, COMPARED WITH 28 300 FOR THE QUARTER ENDING APRIL 1985 AND 23 200 FOR THE SAME QUARTER OF 1984.
CONSISTENT WITH THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION (ILO), PERSONS WHO WORKED LESS THAN 35 HOURS A WEEK WERE REGARDED AS UNDEREMPLOYED ONLY IF THEY WERE SEEKING MORE WORK OR WERE NOT SEEKING MORE WORK BECAUSE THEY BELIEVED MORE WORK WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
COMMENTING UPON THESE FIGURES, THE COMMISSIONER FOR CENSUS AND STATISTICS SAID THAT BECAUSE THE PROPORTION OF FIRST-TIME JOB SEEKERS (E.G. PEOPLE WHO HAVE JUST LEFT SCHOOL) VARIES FROM MONTH TO MONTH, THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATES WHICH HAD BEEN SEASONALLY ADJUSTED FOR THE VARIATION IN FIRST-TIME JOB SEEKERS SHOULD BE USED IN MAKING COMPARISONS OVER TIME.
HE SAID THAT BASED ON A SYSTEM OF MANUAL EXTRACTION OF INFORMATION FROM SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRES FOR THE LATEST MONTH, PROVISIONAL UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATES COVERING THE LATEST MOVING THREE-MONTH PERIOD COULD BE MADE AVAILABLE WITHIN TWO WEEKS AFTER THE SURVEY.
THESE PROVIDE