XN000022-1975-06-19 — Page 2

THURSDAY, JUNE 1· 1975

EMPLOYMENT IN MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

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A TOTAL OF 591,659 PERSONS WERE EMPLOYED IN MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS ON MARCH 14 THIS YEAR, ACCORDING TO THE LATEST EPLOVET SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARIN ST.

THIS REPRESENTS A DROP OF 8,469 PERSONS OR 1.4 PER CENT LIEN COMPARED WITH THE FIGURE OF 600,128 FOR DECEMER 1974.

IN INDUSTRY, THE MAIN DECREASES WERE IN RESPECT OF CLECTRONIC PRODUCTS (-8,200), BLEACHING AND DYEING (-2,374), LANUFACTURE OF METAL WRIST WATCH LAUDS (-965), SIN LUILDING AND REPAIRING (-338), COTTON WEAVING (-738), RUBBE! FOOTWEAR (-652), BAKERY PRODUCTS (-630) AND COTTON SPINNING (-627).

INCREASES IN EMPLOYMENT OCCURRED IN MANUFACTURE OF GARMENTS (+5,543), MANUFACTURE OF WOOL KNITTING (+1,423), PLAUTIC PRODUCTS OTHER THAN TOYS AND FLOWERS (+815) MISCELLANEOUS FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS (+719) AND MANUFACTURE OF CLOVES (+622).

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THE FIVE LARGEST INDUSTRY GROUPS, IN TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT, REMAINED THE SAME WEARING APPAREL, 195,914- TEXTILES, 95,314- PLASTIC PRODUCTS, 58,942- ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPLIANCES AND SUPPLIES, 55,774 AND FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS 52,133.

IN RELEASING THE SURVEY RESULTS, A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN EXPLAINED THAT THE FIGURES WERE BASED ON AN ENLARGED COVERAGE OF MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS.

AS PART OF CONTINUING EFFORTS TO IMPROVE EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION, AN EXERCISE HAS BEEN UNDERTAKEN OF MATCHING MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS REGISTERED WITH THE BUSINESS REGISTRATION OFFICE WITH THOSE KNOWN TO THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT. THIS HAS RESULTED IN A MORE COMPLETE LEGISTER OF MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS. THE PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED DECEMBER EMPLOYMENT FIGURES HAVE BEEN ADJUSTED TO ALLOW FOR TIMIS, AND ARE NOW COMPARABLE WITH THE RESULTS OF THE MARCH SURVEY.

THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE CONTINUING DECLINE IN EMPLOYMENT, FROM DECEMBER 1974 TO MARCH 1975, REFLECTED THE STATE OF THE WORLD ECONOMY, AND THE CONSEQUENT FALLS IN HONG KONG'S EXPORTS.

NEVERTHELESS, HE SAID, THE FALL IN EMPLOYMENT IN THE THREE MONTHS TO MARCH THIS YEAR HAD BEEN RELATIVELY SMALL, AS IT HAD BEEN IN THE PREVIOUS THREE MONTHS, BY COMPARISON WITH MOST OF 1974.

IT WAS REASONABLE TO INTERPRET THE LATEST EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS, IN THE LIGHT OF ALL THE OTHER INFORMATION, AS INDICATING A LEVELLING OFF IN THE DOWNWARD TREND IN THE ECONOMY.

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