Question: Sir Hamish, on the question of the economy, are you worried that the unemployment rate will go up again?
FS: I have the advantage of knowing what the figure is going to be tomorrow. But to take your question more seriously and looking over the coming months, it is actually very difficult to forecast what is going to happen on the figures. The underlying fact is, as I have said recently in a speech, the underlying fact is that the economy is growing very well, and even the employed labour force is growing very well. So we seem to have a temporary - I think temporary - bulge in the number of people looking for work, and of course it's been accentuated by the slow down in retail sales and therefore retail employment and restaurants, restaurant employment. But it is actually very difficult to forecast what will happen over the coming months. The figure tomorrow, will be released tomorrow. Thank you very much.
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End/Wednesday, August 16, 1995
Financial Secretary visits HKCEC extension site
The Financial Secretary, Sir Hamish Macleod, today (Wednesday) visited the construction site of the extension to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) in Wan Chai to see for the progress of the project.
Accompanied by the Secretary for Works, Mr James Blake, Sir Hamish was briefed by Territory Development Department officials on the site formation work for the project.
After a tour of the site, he proceeded to the 11th floor podium of the HKCEC to have an overhead view of the construction work. To mark his visit, he unveiled a model of the extension for permanent display at the HKCEC.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Sir Hamish said conventions and exhibitions held in Hong Kong had been hugely successful and had become an entire industry bringing great direct and indirect economic benefits to Hong Kong.
He said as the existing centre, with only about 20,000 square metres of convention and exhibition space, was approaching its maximum capacity, Hong Kong needed additional facilities to maintain its leading position as a convention and exhibition centre.