WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1986
12
UNEMPLOYMENT, UNDEREMPLOYMENT STATISTICS RELEASED
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THE UNEMPLOYMENT AND THE UNDER EMPLOYMENT SITUATION REMAINED STABLE IN THE QUARTER SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER 1985 COMPARED WITH THE QUARTER ENDING AUGUST 1985, ACCORDING TO THE LATEST LABOUR FORCE STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY WEDNESDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.
THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR SEPTEMBER- NOVEMBER 1985 WAS 3.4 PER CENT, COMPARED WITH THE RATE OF 3.3 PER CENT FOR THE QUARTER ENDING AUGUST 1985.
WHILE
THE RATE FOR SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER 1984 WAS 3.8 PER CENT. THE INCREASE OF 0.1 PERCENTAGE POINT OVER THE PREVIOUS QUARTER IS STATISTICALLY NOT SIGNIFICANT, THE DECREASE OF 0.4 PERCENTAGE POINT OVER THE SAME QUARTER OF 1984 IS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT, THAT IS, THE CHANGE IS GREATER THAN MIGHT BE EXPECTED TO ARISE FROM SAMPLING ERROR.
THE NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS IN THE QUARTER ENDING NOVEMBER 1985 WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 88 900, COMPARED WITH 88 100 FOR THE QUARTER ENDING AUGUST 1985 AND 99 800 FOR THE SAME QUARTER OF 1984.
THE UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE FOR SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER 1985 WAS 1.1 PER CENT, COMPARED WITH THE RATE OF 1.4 PER CENT FOR THE QUARTER ENDING AUGUST 1985. THE RATE FOR SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER 1984 WAS ONE PER CENT.
THE DECREASE OF 0.3 PERCENTAGE POINT OVER THE PREVIOUS QUARTER AND THE INCREASE OF 0.1 PERCENTAGE POINT OVER THE SAME QUARTER OF 1984 ARE BOTH STATISTICALLY NOT SIGNIFICANT.
THE ESTIMATED NUMBER OF UNDEREMPLOYED PERSONS FOR THE QUARTER ENDING NOVEMBER 1985 WAS 30 100, COMPARED WITH 36 000 FOR THE QUARTER ENDING AUGUST 1985 AND 24 900 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 SEEK ING MORE WORK OR WERE NOT SEEKING MORE WORK BECAUSE THEY BELIEVED MORE WORK WAS NOT AVAILABLE,
COMMENTING ON THESE FIGURES, THE COMMISSIONER FOR CENSUS AND STATISTICS SAID THAT BECAUSE THE PROPORTION OF FIRST-TIME JOB SEEKERS (THAT IS, PEOPLE WHO HAVE JUST LEFT SCHOOL) VARIED 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 ADDED