XN000022-1979-09-26 — Page 3

2

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1979

THE IR EXPORTS TO THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY COULD INCREASE BEYOND THE OVERALL RATE BUT THIS WAS NOT LIKELY TO BE THE CASE FOR THE UNITED STATES AND UNITED KINGDOM MARKETS.

THE SURVEY ALSO SUGGESTED THAT THE WATCHES, ELECTRONICS, PRINTING AND FOOD INDUSTRIES WOULD PROBABLY PERFORM BETTER THAN THE TEXTILES, CLOTHING AND PLASTICS INDUSTRIES DURING THE SECOND HALF OF 1979.

MOREOVER, IT SHOWED THAT EMPLOYMENT IN THE VARIOUS MANUFACTUR I NG INDUSTRIES SURVEYED COULD INCREASE BY FIVE PER CENT, AND THE AVERAGE WAGE RATE FOR OPERATIVES BY 12 PER CENT, BETWEEN THE SECOND HALF OF 1978 AND 1979.

THE PRICES OF RAW MATERIALS AND SEMI-MANUFACTURERS MIGHT RISE BY 15 PER CENT BETWEEN THESE TWO PERIODS WHILE THE PRICES OF PRODUCTS FOR EXPORT MIGHT INCREASE BY 10 PER CENT ON THE AVERAGE.

BOTH MACHINE CAPACITY AND FACTORY FLOOR SPACE WOULD CONTINUE TO EXPAND DURING 1979, EACH AT A RATE OF ABOUT SEVEN PER CENT.

THE ACTUAL UTILISATION RATE (PRODUCTION AGAINST TOTAL CAPACITY) WAS EXPECTED TO BE ABOUT 88 PER CENT IN THE LATTER HALF OF 1979, SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN THE 87 PER CENT FOR THE FORMER HALF.

AS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY, CONTRACTORS EXPECTED RATHER SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN BUILDING MATÉRIAL PRICES (24 PER CENT) LABOUR WAGES (13 PER CENT) AND CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYMENT (11 PER CENT) BETWEEN THE SECOND HALF OF 1978 AND 1979.

THE CONTRACTORS SURVEYED ALSO INDICATED THAT THEY WOULD INCREASE THEIR MACHINE CAPACITY BY 16 PER CENT THIS YEAR.

13.....