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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1986
UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT STATISTICS RELEASED
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THE UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT SITUATION REMAINED STABLE IN THE QUARTER BETWEEN OCTOBER AND DECEMBER LAST YEAR COMPARED WITH THE PREVIOUS QUARTER, ACCORDING TO THE LATEST LABOUR FORCE STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY (SATURDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.
THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR OCTOBER TO DECEMBER 1985 WAS 3.2 PER CENT, COMPARED WITH THE RATE OF 3.4 PER CENT FOR THE QUARTER ENDING SEPTEMBER 1985. THE RATE FOR OCTOBER TO DECEMBER 1984 WAS 3.8 PER CENT.
WHILE THE DECREASE OF 0.2 PERCENTAGE POINT OVER THE PREVIOUS QUARTER IS STATISTICALLY NOT SIGNIFICANT, THE DECREASE OF 0.6 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 THE UNEMPLOYED PERSONS IN THE QUARTER ENDING DECEMBER 1985 WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 85 500, COMPARED WITH 89 600 FOR THE QUARTER ENDING SEPTEMBER 1985 AND 99 500 FOR THE SAME QUARTER OF 1984.
THE UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE FOR OCTOBER TO DECEMBER 1985 WAS 1.1 PER CENT, COMPARED WITH THE RATE OF 1.3 PER CENT FOR THE
THE RATE FOR OCTOBER TO DECEMBER QUARTER ENDING SEPTEMBER 1985.
1984 WAS 0.8 PER CENT.
WHILE THE DECREASE OF 0.2 PERCENTAGE POINT OVER THE PREVIOUS QUARTER IS STATISTICALLY NOT SIGNIFICANT, THE INCREASE OF 0.3 PERCENTAGE POINT OVER THE SAME QUARTER OF 1984 IS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT.
THE ESTIMATED NUMBER OF UNDEREMPLOYMED PERSONS FOR THE QUARTER ENDING DECEMBER 1985 WAS 29 700, COMPARED WITH 35 600 FOR THE QUARTER ENDING SEPTEMBER 1985 AND 21 800 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 ON THESE FIGURES, THE COMMISSIONER FOR CENSUS AND STATISTICS, MR COLIN GREENFIELD SAID THAT BECAUSE THE PROPORTION OF FIRST-TIME JOB SEEKERS (E.G. PEOPLE WHO HAVE JUST LEFT SCHOOL) VAR IES 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.
GREENFIELD