XN000022-1981-01-09 — Page 6

FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 1981

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TO THE SOUTH OF THE TOWN, THE BIGGEST TYPHOON SHELTER IN THE WESTERN NEW TERRITORIES IS TAKING SHAPE AND BY THE END OF THE YEAR MAY PROVIDE SUFFICIENT PROTECTION TO VESSELS TO MAKE A START ON CLEARING THE TEMPORARY SHELTER.

TO THE WEST OF THE TOWN, THE FIRST STAGE OF THE TWO MASSIVE POWER STATIONS TO BE BUILT AT TAP SHEK KOK, THAT WOULD TOGETHER PROVIDE OVER 60 PER CENT OF ALL THE POWER CONSUMED IN HONG KONG, WOULD COME +ON STREAM+ IN 1981, LESS THAN THREE YEARS FROM THE DATE THAT THE FIRST PIECE OF EARTH MOVING PLANT MOVED ON TO THE SITE.

THIS IS A MAJOR ACHIEVEMENT, EVEN FOR HONG KONG, WHERE MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS ARE NOT UNUSUAL, BUT IT IS ESSENTIAL TO HELP MEET THE RAPIDLY GROWING DEMAND FOR POWER WITHOUT WHICH THE TERRITORY CANNOT SURVIVE, MR BARDEN SAID.

THE PAVILION OFFICIALLY OPENED TODAY IS IN TRADITIONAL CHINESE STYLE AND HAS A MAP SHOWING THE LAYOUT OF TUEN MUN NEW TOWN.

IT COVERS AN AREA OF 25 SQUARE METRES.

RESULTS OF LATEST LABOUR FORCE SURVEY *****

THE RESULTS OF A SAMPLE LABOUR FORCE SURVEY CONDUCTED IN SEPTEMBER LAST YEAR BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT INDICATE THAT THERE WERE AT THAT TIME 101 900 UNEMPLOYED PERSONS IN HONG KONG.

FORCE.

THIS NUMBER REPRESENTED 4.3 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL LABOUR

THESE FIGURES COMPARE WITH 74 600 OR 3.4 PER CENT IN SEPTEMBER 1979 AND 73 000 OR 3.2 PER CENT IN MARCH 1980.

IN COMMENT ON THESE FIGURES, THE COMMISSIONER FOR CENSUS AND STATISTICS SAID THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE OF 1.1 PERCENTAGE POINTS OVER THE PAST SIX MONTHS.

+HOWEVER, THERE ARE USUALLY SUBSTANTIALLY MORE FIRST-TIME JOB-SEEKERS (PEOPLE WHO HAVE JUST LEFT SCHOOL) IN SEPTEMBER THAN IN MARCH, + HE SAID.

+THE ESTIMATED NUMBER OF FIRST-TIME JOB-SEEKERS IN THE SEPTEMBER 1980 SURVEY WAS 18 600 AS COMPARED WITH 6 600 IN THE MARCH 1980 SURVEY (AN INCREASE OF 12 000 PERSONS).

+ IF THE SEPTEMBER 1980 RATE IS ADJUSTED FOR THE SEASONAL INFLUENCE TO PUT IT ON THE SAME BASIS AS THE MARCH 1980 RATE, IT BECOMES 3.8 PER CENT.

+THE CORRECTED DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS AND THE MARCH 1980 FIGURE OF AN INCREASE IN THE RATE OF 0.6 PERCENTAGE POINT IS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT.

/HE

HE SAID ...............