FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 1991
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FEBRUARY ORDERS-ON-HAND,
EMPLOYMENT AND PER CAPITA EARNINGS FIGURES RELEASED
IN FEBRUARY 1991, THE AVERAGE VOLUME OF ORDERS-ON-HAND REPORTED BY THE 200 LARGEST MANUFACTURING COMPANIES INCREASED BY 2% WHEN COMPARED WITH JANUARY 1991, BUT SHOWED LITTLE CHANGE WHEN COMPARED WITH FEBRUARY 1990, ACCORDING TO THE RESULTS OF A SURVEY RELEASED TODAY (FRIDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.
COMPARED WITH JANUARY 1991, THE AVERAGE VOLUME OF ORDERS-ON- HAND IN FEBRUARY 1991 INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE PLASTIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRY AND TO A LESSER EXTENT IN THE TEXTILES INDUSTRY. THESE
INCREASES WERE TO A LARGE EXTENT DUE TO SEASONAL EFFECTS.
OVER THE SAME PERIOD, ORDERS INCREASED SLIGHTLY IN THE WEARING APPAREL AND THE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES, BUT SHOWED LITTLE CHANGE IN THE FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS INDUSTRY.
COMPARED WITH FEBRUARY 1990, THE ORDERS POSITION IN FEBRUARY 1991 DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE PLASTIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRY AND TO A LESSER EXTENT IN THE TEXTILES AND FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES.
ON THE OTHER HAND, ORDERS INCREASED SLIGHTLY IN THE WEARING APPAREL INDUSTRY AND SHOWED LITTLE CHANGE IN THE ELECTRICAL AND
ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRY OVER THE SAME PERIOD.
THE AVERAGE VOLUME OF ORDERS-ON-HAND IS MEASURED IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF MONTHS AND REFERS TO ORDERS OUTSTANDING AS AT THE END OF THE REFERENCE MONTH.
ON EMPLOYMENT, THE MANUFACTURERS SURVEYED REPORTED THAT THEIR TOTAL WORKFORCE IN FEBRUARY 1991 DECREASED BY 2% WHEN COMPARED WITH JANUARY 1991, AND BY 10% WHEN COMPARED WITH FEBRUARY 1990.
COMPARED WITH JANUARY 1991, EMPLOYMENT IN FEBRUARY DECREASED MODERATELY IN THE PLASTIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRY AND SLIGHTLY
1991
ALL
IN
THE OTHER MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES SURVEYED. AS REPORTED BY SOME MANUFACTURERS SURVEYED, THESE DECREASES WERE PARTLY CAUSED BY THE HIGHER TURNOVER OF WORKERS AFTER THE LUNAR NEW YEAR.
COMPARED WITH FEBRUARY 1990, EMPLOYMENT IN FEBRUARY 1991 DECREASED IN ALL THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES SURVEYED, WITH THE LARGEST DECREASES RECORDED IN THE PLASTIC PRODUCTS AND TEXTILES INDUSTRIES.
ON PER CAPITA EARNINGS, COMPARISON OF FEBRUARY 1991 WITH JANUARY 1991 AND FEBRUARY 1990 WOULD BE AFFECTED BY THE TIMING OF THE LUNAR NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS.
WHILE MOST COMPANIES SURVEYED ISSUED THEIR DOUBLE-PAY AND ANNUAL BONUSES IN DECEMBER 1989 AND JANUARY 1990 AHEAD OF THE LUNAR NEW YEAR IN LATE JANUARY LAST YEAR, THEY DID SO IN JANUARY 1991 AND FEBRUARY 1991 AS THE LUNAR NEW YEAR FELL IN MID-FEBRUARY THIS YEAR.
/THUS IT