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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1985
THESE PROVIDE AN EARLY INDICATION OF THE LATEST TREND IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT SITUATION. THE PROVISIONAL UNEMPLOYMENT RATE (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED) FOR JUNE AUGUST 1985 WAS 3.5 PER CENT, AND THE PROVISIONAL UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE WAS 1.3 PER CENT.
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HOWEVER, IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE WILL BE LOWER AFTER SEASONAL ADJUSTMENT. THE UNADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR MAY - JULY 1985 WAS 3.2 PER CENT.
THE UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT STATISTICS WERE OBTAINED FROM A CONTINUOUS GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY (GHS) CONDUCTED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT. THIS SURVEY COVERS A QUARTERLY SAMPLE OF SOME 14 000 HOUSEHOLDS OR 52 000 PERSONS, SELECTED SCIENTIFICALLY TO REPRESENT THE LAND-BASED CIVILIAN NON-INSTITUTIONAL POPULATION IN HONG KONG.
PERSONAL AND LABOUR FORCE DATA WERE OBTAINED IN THE SURVEY BY INTERVIEWING EACH INDIVIDUAL MEMBER AGED 15 AND ABOVE IN THE HOUSEHOLDS SAMPLED. IN THE SURVEY,
IN THE SURVEY, THE DEFINITIONS USED IN MEASURING UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT FOLLOW CLOSELY THOSE RECOMMENDED BY THE ILO.
THE COMMISSIONER SAID THAT TO CONFORM TO THE LATEST STANDARDS RECOMMENDED BY THE ILO, THE GHS DEFINITIONS OF UNEMPLOYMENT+ AND +UNDEREMPLOYMENT+ HAD BEEN MODIFIED SINCE JANUARY 1985.
HOWEVER, A COMPLETE CONVERSION WOULD ONLY BE INTRODUCED IN MAY 1986 WHEN A SUFFICIENTLY LONG SERIES OF THE STATISTICS UNDER THE NEW DEFINITIONS IS AVAILABLE. USING THE NEW DEFINITIONS THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR MAY - JULY 1985 WAS 2.9 PER CENT, AND THE UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE WAS 1.8 PER CENT.
DETAILED ANALYSIS OF LABOUR FORCE CHARACTERISTICS IS GIVEN IN THE REPORT ON THE GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY WHICH IS PUBLISHED FOUR TIMES A YEAR. THE NEXT REPORT COVERING THE QUARTER ENDING JUNE 1985 SHOULD BE AVAILABLE FROM THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE LATER THIS MONTH.
AUGUST WETTER, CLOUDIER THAN USUAL
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AUGUST 1985 WAS WETTER AND CLOUDIER THAN USUAL, WITH TOTAL RAINFALL OF 501.4 MM, 21 PER CENT ABOVE NORMAL, THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY REPORTS.
THE 1741.0 MM OF RAINFALL FROM JANUARY 1 UP TO THE END OF AUGUST WAS SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL.
THERE WERE 188.4 HOURS OF BRIGHT SUNSHINE IN THE MONTH, NINE PER CENT BELOW AVERAGE.
/THE MEAN