FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 1992
"AND IT'S TRUE OF COURSE IT IS AND WILL BE EMPLOYING A SMALLER PROPORTION OF THE WORKFORCE,
"CURRENTLY, MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY CONTRIBUTES ABOUT 17 OR 18 PER CENT OF OUR GDP. AN INTERESTING POINT THOUGH IS THAT ALTHOUGH MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY IS EMPLOYING ONLY THREE-QUARTERS OF THE MANPOWER IT WAS 10 YEARS AGO, IT IS PRODUCING 80 PER CENT MORE IN REAL TERMS THAN IT WAS 10 YEARS AGO.
"So PRODUCTIVITY HAS BEEN GOING UP IN I THINK A QUITE UNPRECEDENTED RATE AVERAGE ANNUAL RATE 9.5 PER CENT.'
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"CLEARLY NOT JUST AUTOMATION AND MACHINERY AND ALL THE REST OF IT, PARTLY ALSO THE SHIFT OF THE LESS PRODUCTIVE, THE MORE LABOUR INTENSIVE INTO CHINA, SO WE CAN'T SAY IT IS SOLELY A SELF-GENERATED INCREASE IN PRODUCTION. BUT STILL IT IS NOTABLE, IT IS DRAMATIC, IT IS USEFUL.
MR MACLEOD SAID INDUSTRY FACED MANPOWER IS THE NUMBER ONE PROBLEM.
CONSIDERABLE
AND
CHALLENGES.
OTHERS INCLUDE PROTECTIONISM IN OUR VARIOUS MARKETS, THE VERY FLAT GROWTH IN MANY OF THE DEVELOPED ECONOMIES, AND COMPETITION FROM LOWER COST ECONOMIES.
"WE ARE SEEING WAYS IN WHICH AT LEAST SOME SECTORS OF INDUSTRY OR SOME PARTS OF SECTORS ARE COPING WITH THIS SUCCESSFULLY, HE SAID.
TO
AFTER OUTLINING THE STRATEGIES DEVELOPED BY MANUFACTURERS MEET CHALLENGES TO THEIR COMPETITIVENESS,
MACLEOD AFFIRMED GOVERNMENT'S SUPPORTIVE ROLE IN INDUSTRY.
MR
THE
"ALTHOUGH WE WILL KEEP ON BEING CAUTIOUS ABOUT INTERVENING, WE SHOULD NEVERTHELESS NOT FORGET THAT WE DO ACTUALLY ASSIST, HE ADDED.
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CITING EXAMPLES TO ILLUSTRATE THIS, HE SAID COMPANIES COULD TURN ΤΟ THE HONG KONG PRODUCTIVITY COUNCIL AND ITS CLOTHING TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION CENTRE FOR HELP WITH AUTOMATION.
ΤΟ THE TRADE MANUFACTURERS
FOR HELP WITH MARKET ACCESS, EXPORTERS CAN LOOK DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL FOR HELP WITH SKILLS DEVELOPMENT, CAN MAKE USE OF THE COURSES OFFERED BY THE CLOTHING AND INDUSTRY TRAINING AUTHORITY, THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING COUNCIL AND THE HONG KONG PRODUCTIVITY COUNCIL.
"LOOKING то THE FUTURE, WE HAVE THROUGH THE INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT RECENTLY PUBLISHED A QUITE DETAILED RESEARCH STUDY ON THE TEXTILES AND CLOTHING INDUSTRIES WHICH I HOPE PEOPLE HAVE FOUND AND WILL FIND USEFUL.
"IT'S ACTUALLY NOW BEING STUDIED FURTHER BY THE INDUSTRY AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL WHICH I HAPPEN TO BE CHAIRMAN.
"AND THAT COUNCIL ITSELF IS ANXIOUS TO PLAY A SOMEWHAT MORE ACTIVE ROLE IN ASSISTING INDUSTRY AND TECHNOLOGY AND I THINK A USEFUL SYMBOL OF THAT DETERMINATION IS THE FACT THAT WE HAVE RECENTLY APPROVED $200 MILLION A SMALL BUT I HOPE USEFUL AMOUNT INVESTMENT IN APPLIED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ON A 50-50 BASIS.
——
FOR
/"THAT IS