26
WEDNESDAY, NOVIMBER 18, 1987
AND
FOR THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR, SHORTAGE OF LABOUR GENERALLY BECOMES THE MOST PROMINENT PROBLEM IN THE THIRD QUARTER
THIS IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN 90 IN
QUARTER. BESIDES SHORTAGE OF HIGH LABOUR TURNOVER WERE
PROBLEMS MORE BIGNIFICANT
IN
THE FOURTH
SKILLED LABOUR, HIGH MATERIAL PRICES AND
RELATIVELY ALSO REGARDED BY FIRMS AS BOTH THE THIRD AND FOURTH QUARTERS.
APART FROM FACING THE PROBLEM OF PRICE COMPETITION, FROM BOTH LOCAL
FIRMS AND FOREIGN
IN HONG KONG, CONSTRUCTION FRIMS
FRIMS WERE COMMONLY AFFECTED BY THE PROBLEMS OF SHORTAGE OF LABOUR GENERALLY, TURNOVER SHORTAGE OF SKILLED LABOUR, HIGH WAGES RATES AND HIGH LABOUR TO A GREATER EXTENT THAN IN PREVIOUS QUARTERS. THESE PROBLEMS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN PROMINENT IN THE FOURTH QUARTER.
SECTOR,
THR
HIGH
IN
AS FOR THR "WHOLESALE, RETAIL AND IMPORT/EXPORT TRADES,
HOTELS" RESTAURANTS AND
SECTOR AND "OTHER SERVICES"
AND PROBLEMS OF PRICE COMPETITION, SHORTAGE OF STAFF GENERALLY
TURNOVER CONTINUED TO AFFECT THE RESPONDING FIRMS.
EXPERIENCED PARTICULAR, SHORTAGE OF
STAFF
A HAS BECOME PROMINENT PROBLEM
IN THE "HOTELS", "BANKS" AND "REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED SERVICES" BUSINESSES.
STAFF
AMONG FIRMS
ACCORDING TO THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT, RESULTS, OBTAINED WITH A MINIMUM TIME LAG, ARE INTENDED ONE SOURCE OF REFERENCE FOR MAKING A QUICK ASSESSMENT OF ECONOMIC SITUATION OF HONG KONG,
-
THE SURVEY
TO PROVIDE
THE
CURRENT
IN THE SURVEY, PARTICIPATING FIRMS WERE ASKED TO INDICATE WHETHER, IN THEIR OPINION, THE GENERAL BUSINESS SITUATION AND LEVEL OF CAPACITY UTILISATION HAD "IMPROVED" "REMAINED THE SAME" OR "DETERIORATED" IN THE QUARTER JUST ENDED A8 COMPARED WITH THE PRECEDING QUARTER.
I
F
SAME"
FOR THE FORTHCOMING QUARTER, THEY WERE ALSO ASKED то INDICATE WHETHER THE SITUATION WOULD "IMPROVE", "REMAIN THE
OR DETERIORATE". THE OPINIONS OF RESPONDENTS WERE TABULATED AND ANALYSED. THE SURVEY REPORT CONTAINS A SECTION ON THE BUSINESS PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED AND EXPECTED BY FIRMS IN DIFFERENT ECONOMIC SECTORS AND A BREAKDOWN OF THE VIEWS OF FIRMS BY SIZE GROUPS.
THE DEPARTMENT CAUTIONED THAT, IN A SURVEY OF THIS NATURE, THE RESULTS SHOULD BE INTERPRETED WITH CARR AS IT
IT IS DIFFICULT TO ESTABLISH PRECISELY THE EXTENT TO WHICH RESPONDENTS' PERCEPTION OF THE PAST AND THE FUTURE ACCORDS WITH THE UNDERLYING TRENDS.
COPIES OF THE REPORT, CONTAINING AN ANALYS19 OF THE SURVEY FINDINGS AND STATISTICAL TABLES, HAVE BREN DISTRIBUTED TO FIRMS TAKING PART IN THE SURVEY AND TO OTHER BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS. MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC MAY OBTAIN COPIES FROM THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS SALES CENTRE, GENERAL POST OFFICE BUILDING, CONNAUGHT PLACE, AT $3.50 PER COPY.
BE
FURTHER DETAILS OF THE QUARTERLY BUSINESS SURVEY MAY OBTAINED FROM THE NATIONAL INCOME BRANCH OF THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT ON 5-8234779.
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