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ORDERS-ON-HAND IN FEBRUARY 1981

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THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY (THURSDAY) RELEASED ORDERS-ON-HAND STATISTICS FOR FEBRUARY 1981 AS FOLLOWS:

ORDERS-ON-HAND

IN TERMS OF MONTHS

INDUSTRY GROUP

FEB 1980

JAN 1981

FEB 1981

WEAR ING APPAREL, EXCEPT FOOTWEAR

5.0

4.6

4.6

TEXTILES, EXCEPT WEARING APPAREL

2.8

2.3

2.3

PLASTIC PRODUCTS

4.5

3.6

4.1

FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS, EXCEPT

MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT

4.7

3.6

3.7

ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC

MACHINERY, APPARATUS, APPLIANCES AND SUPPLIES

5.0

4.9

5.1

OTHERS

4.0

3.7

3.8

ALL MANUFACTUR ING

4.5

4.1

4.2

THE VOLUME OF ORDERS-ON-HAND HELD BY MANUFACTURERS SURVEYED INCREASED FROM 4.1 MONTHS IN JANUARY 1981 TO 4.2 MONTHS IN FEBRUARY, SUGGESTING THAT THE TREND OF DECREASING VOLUME OF ORDERS-ON-HAND HELD BY MANUFACTURERS SURVEYED MAY HAVE CEASED. BUT IT IS TOO EARLY TO SAY WHETHER THIS DEVELOPMENT IS THE START OF A NEW TREND.

COMPARED WITH THE SAME MONTH OF THE PREVIOUS YEAR, THE VOLUME OF ORDERS-ON-HAND HELD BY MANUFACTURERS SURVEYED IN FEBRUARY 1981 WAS STILL CONSIDERABLY SMALLER THOUGH THIS MAY NOT SUGGEST A DECREASE TO THE SAME EXTENT IN BUSINESS VOLUME BECAUSE OF THE TENDENCY FOR ORDERS RECEIVED TO HAVE BECOME SHORTER AND MORE FREQUENT.

THE ABOVE STATISTICS ARE BASED ON AN UPDATED AND ENLARGED PANEL OF THE 200 LARGEST MANUFACTURING COMPANIES SELECTED BY REFERENCE TO THE IR EMPLOYMENT SIZE IN SEPTEMBER 1979. AS THE PANEL IS NOT A SCIENTIFICALLY DESIGNED SAMPLE, RESULTS OBTAINED WILL BE REPRESENTATIVE ONLY OF THE COMPANIES INCLUDED IN THE PANEL, BUT IT IS HOPED THAT THEY WILL GENERALLY INDICATE THE DIRECTION OF CHANGE IN THE PERFORMANCE OF THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY AS A WHOLE.

THIS SURVEY, WHICH IS CONDUCTED MONTHLY, ALSO ASKS QUESTIONS ON EMPLOYMENT AND PAYROLL AND COVERS THE CONSTRUCTION AND SELECTED SERVICES SECTORS BESIDES MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY.

THE SURVEY REPORT FOR FEBRUARY 1981 IS NOW ON SALE AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE, GENERAL POST OFFICE, AT 1 PER

$1 COPY. ENQUIRIES ON THE SUR EY RESULTS MAY BE MADE TO THE INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION STATISTICS SECTION OF THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT (AT 5-27-203).

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