SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1987
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THE COMMISSIONER 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 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-JANUARY 1987 WAS 1.9 PER CENT AND THE PROVISIONAL UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE WAS 1.1 PER CENT. (THE UNADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR OCTOBER-DECEMBER 1986 WAS 2.2 PER CENT.)
THE UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT STATISTICS WERE OBTAINED FROM A CONTINUOUS GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE DEPARTMENT. THIS SURVEY COVERS A QUARTERLY SAMPLE OF SOME 14 000 HOUSEHOLDS OR 50 000 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.
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 DECEMBER 1986 SHOULD BE AVAILABLE FROM THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE AROUND MARCH 20 AT $8.50 PER COPY.
TALKS END ON U.S. HARMONISED SYSTEM *****
TRADE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS ENDED THEIR FIRST FORMAL ROUND OF TALKS WITH THE UNITED STATES ON THE NEW TARIFF CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (U.S. HARMONISED SYSTEM) YESTERDAY (FRIDAY) IN GENEVA.
A FURTHER ROUND OF TALKS WILL BE HELD IN APRIL.
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF TRADE, MR TONY MILLER, WHO LED THE HONGKONG DELEGATION, SAID THE WEEK-LONG TALKS HAD BEEN USEFUL AND HAD ENABLED BOTH SIDES TO FOCUS ON AREAS OF CONCERN.
+SOME PROGRESS WAS MADE BUT NO CONCLUSION COULD BE REACHED AT THIS TIME BECAUSE THE U.S. SIDE STILL NEEDS TO CONDUCT NEGOTIATIONS WITH ITS OTHER MAJOR TRADING PARTNERS. BOTH SIDES NEED TIME TO REFLECT FURTHER ON PROPOSALS MADE SO FAR, + HE SAID.
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