XN000022-1978-06-15 — Page 7

THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 1978

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RESULTS OF MARCH 1978 LABOUR FORCE SURVEY

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A SAMPLE LABOUR FORCE SURVEY BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT SHOWED THAT THERE WERE 60,000 UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE IN HONG KONG IN MARCH THIS YEAR,

REPRESENTING THREE PER CENT OF THE TOTAL LABOUR FORCE.

PREVIOUS SURVEYS SHOWED THAT THERE WERE 86,000 UNEMPLOYED OR 4.5 PER CENT OF THE LABOUR FORCE IN MARCH 1977, AND 80,000 OR 4.1 PER CENT IN SEPTEMBER 1977.

COMMENTING ON THESE FIGURES, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT SAID THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE HAD DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE PAST SIX MONTHS -- A REDUCTION IN THE RATE OF 1.1 PERCENTAGE POINTS OR 20,000 IN THE NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED.

HOWEVER, THE SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT THE DECLINE IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE WAS PARTLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO CHANGES IN THE NUMBER OF FIRST-TIME JOB-SEEKERS, WHICH IS USUALLY SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER IN SEPTEMBER THAN IN MARCH.

THE NUMBER OF FIRST-TIME JOB-SEEKERS AS FOUND IN THE SEPTEMBER 1977 SURVEY WAS 15,100, COMPARED WITH 7,100 IN THE MARCH 1978 SURVEY. THESE FIGURES SHOW A REDUCTION OF 8,000 PEOPLE OR TWO- FIFTHS OF THE TOTAL REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 1977 AND MARCH 1978.

THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT IF THE SEPTEMBER 1977 RATE IS ADJUSTED BY REFERENCE TO THE SEASONAL EFFECT, IT BECOMES 3.6 PER CENT.

+ THE CORRECTED DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS FIGURE AND THE ONE FOR MARCH THIS YEAR IS THUS LESS BUT IS STILL STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT, + HE SAID.

THE SPOKESMAN EXPLAINED THAT, FOR THE PURPOSE OF THE SURVEY, THOSE WHO WERE AGED BETWEEN 14 AND 64 AND WERE NOT IN EMPLOYMENT OR HAD WORKED LESS THAN 15 HOURS IN THE SEVEN DAYS PRIOR TO THE SURVEY DATE BUT WERE LOOKING FOR WORK, WERE CLASSIFIED AS UNEMPLOYED.

HE FURTHER DREW ATTENTION TO THE VARIATION IN THE DEFINITION OF +UNEMPLOYMENT+ IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES.

HE SAID THAT IN HONG KONG, UNEMPLOYED+ INCLUDES THOSE WHO HAVE JUST LEFT SCHOOL AND WHO REALLY HAVE NOT HAD MUCH CHANCE TO FIND A JOB- WHO HAVE JUST, BUT ONLY JUST, TAKEN UP WORK- WHO HAVE TEMPORARILY BEEN LAID OFF WORK (WORKING LESS THAN 15 HOURS IN THE LAST SEVEN DAYS) WHO ARE AVAILABLE FOR WORK, BUT NOT ACTUALLY LOOKING FOR WORK BECAUSE THEY THINK THERE IS NONE OR BECAUSE THEY ARE TEMPORARILY SICK.

THE NEXT SIX-MONTHLY LABOUR FORCE SURVEY WILL BE HELD IN SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR.

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