XN000022-1979-06-27 — Page 2

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 1979

LABOUR FORCE SURVEY FOR MARCH

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MORE THAN 48,000 PEOPLE OR 2.3 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL LABOUR FORCE WERE UNEMPLOYED IN HONG KONG IN MARCH, ACCORDING TO A SAMPLE LABOUR FORCE SURVEY CONDUCTED IN THAT MONTH BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

+THIS ESTIMATED FIGURE IS SUBJECT TO A RELATIVE SAMPLING ERROR OF PLUS OR MINUS EIGHT PER CENT,+ A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

DURING THE SAME MONTH LAST YEAR, THERE WERE 60,000 PEOPLE OR THREE PER CENT OF THE TOTAL LABOUR FORCE UNEMPLOYED, WHEREAS IN SEPTEMBER THE FIGURE DECLINED TO 55,600 OR 2.7 PER CENT.

THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE REDUCTION IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE OF 0.4 PER CENT (OR 7,400 PERSONS) OVER THE PAST SIX MONTHS WAS MAINLY DUE TO SEASONAL EFFECTS,

THERE ARE USUALLY SUBSTANTIALLY FEWER FIRST-TIME JOB-SEEKERS IN MARCH THAN IN SEPTEMBER. THE NUMBER OF FIRST-TIME JOB-SEEKERS ESTIMATED IN THE MARCH 1979 SURVEY WAS 4,500 AS COMPARED WITH 13,100 IN THE SEPTEMBER 1978 SURVEY (A DECREASE OF 8,600 PERSONS).

IF THE SEPTEMBER 1978 RATE IS PUT ON THE SAME BASIS AS THE MARCH 1979 RATE, IT ALSO BECOMES 2.3 PER CENT.

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

HE FURTHER DREW ATTENTION TO THE VARIOUS DEFINITIONS OF UNEMPLOYMENT USED BY DIFFERENT COUNTRIES.

IN HONG KONG +UNEMPLOYED+ INCLUDED PEOPLE WHO HAD JUST LEFT SCHOOL AND WHO REALLY HAD NOT HAD MUCH CHANCE TO FIND A JOB- OR WHO HAD JUST, BUT ONLY JUST, TAKEN UP WORK- OR WHO HAD TEMPORARILY BEEN LAID OFF WORK (WORKING LESS THAN 15 HOURS IN THE LAST SEVEN DAYS)- OR WHO WERE AVAILABLE FOR WORK, BUT WERE NOT ACTUALLY LOOKING FOR WORK BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT THAT THERE WAS NONE TO BE HAD OR BECAUSE THEY WERE TEMPORARILY SICK.

HE SAID THAT A PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE SURVEY IS NOW AVAILABLE AND COPIES COULD BE OBTAINED ON REQUEST FROM THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

HE ADDED THAT SIMILAR INFORMATION ON UNEMPLOYMENT IS SOUGHT AT REGULAR SIX-MONTHLY INTERVALS.

YEAR.

THE NEXT LABOUR FORCE SURVEY WILL BE HELD IN SEPTEMBER THIS

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