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In terms of change from a year earlier, employment of manual workers at construction sites showed the most significant increase, by 19.2% in December 1996. This was followed by employment in the community, social and personal services sector, rising by 6.0%; the transport, storage and communications sector, by 5.4%; the financing, insurance, real estate and business services sector, by 4.7%; and the wholesale, retail and import/export trades, restaurants and hotels sector, by 3.7%. The Employment in the manufacturing sector, on the other hand, fell by 13.5%. respective employment figures are shown in greater detail in Table 1.
As regards the vacancy situation in individual sectors, the wholesale, retail and import/export trades, restaurants and hotels sector had the largest number of vacancies, at 22 620 in December 1996. This was followed by the financing, insurance, real estate and business services sector, with 11 440 vacancies; the community, social and personal services sector, 8 380 vacancies; the manufacturing sector, 5 240 vacancies; and the transport, storage and communications sector, 3 050 vacancies. Also, there were 2 000 vacancies for manual workers at construction sites.
In terms of change from a year earlier, vacancies for manual workers at construction sites recorded a substantial increase of 92.6%. This was followed by vacancies in the financing, insurance, real estate and business services sector, rising by 54.7%; the transport, storage and communications sector, by 32.3%; the wholesale, retail and import/export trades, restaurants and hotels sector, by 27.7%; and the Vacancies in the community, social and personal services sector, by 14.8%. manufacturing sector however fell by 5.1%. Job vacancy figures for selected major industry sectors are shown in Table 2.
Of the total of some 52 700 vacancies (other than those in the Civil Service) recorded in December 1996, the majority fell into four major occupation groups, viz. associate professionals; clerks; service workers and shop sales workers; and elementary occupations. They together accounted for over three-quarters of the total number of vacancies in all the major sectors surveyed.
In December 1996, vacancies in all major occupation groups increased over December 1995. Vacancies in the craft and related workers category showed the largest increase, by 49.0%. This was followed by vacancies in the managerial and administrative occupation category, rising by 45.3%; the associate professionals category, by 41.3%; the service workers and shop sales workers category, by 33.2%; the clerks category, by 22.2%; the elementary occupations category, by 20.3%; the professionals category, by 15.3%; and the plant and machine operators and assemblers category, by 3.2%. Job vacancy figures broken down by major occupation group are shown in Table 3.