SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1986
MR GREENFIELD ADDED 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 AN EARLY INDICATION OF THE LATEST TREND IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT SITUATION.
THE PROVISIONAL UNEMPLOYMENT RATE (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED) FOR NOVEMBER 1985 TO JANUARY 1986 WAS 3.2 PER CENT, AND THE PROVISIONAL UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE WAS 1.2 PER CENT. THE UNADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR OCTOBER TO DECEMBER 1985 WAS 3.4 PER CENT.
THE UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT STATISTICS WERE OBTAINED FROM A CONTINUOUS GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY (GHS) CONDUCTED BY THE ŒENSUS 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, THE DEFINITIONS USED IN MEASURING UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT FOLLOW CLOSELY THOSE RECOMMENDED BY THE ILO.
MR GREENFIELD FURTHER POINTED OUT THAT TO CONFORM TO THE LATEST STANDARDS RECOMMENDED BY THE ILO, THE GHS DEFINITIONS OF +UNEMPLOYMENT+ AND +UNDEREMPLOYMENT+ HAVE BEEN MODIFIED SINCE JANUARY 1985.
HOWEVER, A COMPLETE CONVERSION WILL 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 OCTOBER TO DECEMBER 1985 WAS 3.1 PER CENT, AND THE UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE WAS 2.3 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 REPORT COVERING THE QUARTER ENDING DECEMBER 1985 SHOULD BE AVAILABLE FROM THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE AROUND MARCH 20, 1986.
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