MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1986
HE NOTED THAT FINDINGS CONTAINED IN THE SURVEY ALSO SHOWED THAT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WORKING IN THE INDUSTRY LAST YEAR HAD INCREASED BY ABOUT ONE PER CENT TO 87 000 FROM 86 000 IN 1983.
+THE GROWTH, THOUGH MINIMAL, INDICATED THE INDUSTRY HAS BEEN UNDERGOING A SLOW RECOVERY OUT OF THE RECESSION BETWEEN 1981 AND 1983 WHEN THE WORKFORCE EXPERIENCED AN AVERAGE ANNUAL DROP OF SEVEN PER CENT,+ MR LOK SAID.
BASED ON THE FINDINGS OF THE SURVEY AND THE RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR, THE BOARD FORECAST THAT SKILLED WORKFORCE AT CRAFT, TECHNICIAN AND TECHNOLOGIST LEVELS WOULD CONTINUE TO GROW BY ABOUT SIX TO SEVEN PER CENT ANNUALLY IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
THAT MEANS EMPLOYERS IN THE INDUSTRY NEED TO TRAIN AT LEAST 420 TECHNOLOGISTS. 810 TECHNICIANS AND 1 700 CRAFTSMEN EACH YEAR TO MEET THE DEMAND FOR FUTURE RECOVERY, MR LOK SAID.
HE NOTED THAT MANPOWER TRAINING WAS A LONG-TERM PROCESS AND SHOULD NOT BE DETERRED BY SHORT-TERM BUSINESS FLUCTUATIONS. EMPLOYERS SHOULD THEREFORE STEP UP STAFF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES IN ORDER TO UPGRADE THE QUALITY OF THEIR WORKFORCE.
THE 1985 MANPOWER SURVEY REPORT ON THE BUILDING AND CIVIL ENGINEERING INDUSTRY IS NOW ON SALE AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS SALES CENTRE AT $15 EACH.
MORE LAND FOR JUNK BAY
***
WORK WILL START IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS ON A $107-MILLION RECLAMATION CONTRACT TO PRODUCE 45 HECTARES OF ADDITIONAL LAND IN THE HANG HAU AREA OF JUNK BAY.
THE CONTRACT WAS SIGNED TODAY (MONDAY) BY THE JUNK BAY PROJECT MANAGER, MR NORMAN TUCKER, AND MR AKIRA SHIMADA, GENERAL MANAGER OF THE CONTRACTORS, AOKI CORPORATION.
IT INCLUDES THE PLACING OF 3.8 MILLION CUBIC METRES OF FILLING MATERIAL AS PART OF THE RECLAMATION, FORMATION AND PROVISION OF SERVICES FOR THE COASTAL AREAS OF AP TSA! WAN AND THE WESTERN HALF OF HANG HAU.
THE NEWLY-FORMED LAND WILL BE USED FOR PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION SCHEME HOUSING, RENTAL PUBLIC HOUSING, VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT, COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT AND GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONAL AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES.
THE SOUTHERN