(a)
(b)
54
why the job vacancy figures are published 3 months after the unemployment figures; and
whether it will take steps to produce the two sets of figures at the same time so that there is a better chance of reducing the mismatch?
Reply:
(a)
Job vacancy statistics as at the end of a quarter are released about three and a half months after the reference date. As for unemployment statistics, the provisional estimate of the overall unemployment rate for a three-month period is released about two weeks after the end of the period. However, compilation of the final estimates of unemployment together with more detailed breakdowns requires longer time, usually around three months after the period concerned.
Statistics on job vacancies and on unemployment are obtained from two different surveys. As such, the speeds at which statistics can be produced are bound to be different, depending on the specific survey mechanism involved and, more importantly, on whether respondents can promptly report
their situation. For job vacancies, statistics are collected from business establishments through the Quarterly Survey of Employment and Vacancies (SEV). As the reference date is end of quarter, actual field work on the SEV cannot start before the end of that reference quarter. In addition, if the business establishments concerned fail to report their position by postal return, staff of the Census and Statistics Department will have to follow up through computer-assisted telephone interviewing, and if this is again unsuccessful, by field visits. This is no doubt a time - and resource-consuming process, considering that the sample for the SEV covers as many as 70 000 establishments in each quarter. The entire data collection process for the SEV takes about nine weeks to complete.
On the other hand, statistics on unemployment arc currently collected from 13 500 households each quarter through the General Household Survey. As the enquiry is made by personal interviews on a continuous basis, the time required for data collection is generally much shorter.