XN000022-1981-07-17 — Page 2

FRIDAY, JULY 17, 1981

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PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF THE

1981 POPULATION CENSUS ON LABOUR COMPOSITION

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PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF THE 1981 POPULATION CENSUS BASED ON SAMPLE TABULATIONS SHOW THAT THE SIZE OF THE LABOUR FORCE WAS 2 466 570 IN MARCH THIS YEAR.

OF THESE, 2 365 470 WERE EMPLOYED AND 101 100 WERE UNEMPLOYED. THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IN MARCH 1981 WAS, THEREFORE, 4.1 PER CENT.

BY COMPARISON, IN SEPTEMBER 1980 THERE WERE 101 900 UNEMPLOYED AND THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE AT THAT TIME WAS 4.3 PER CENT.

IN COMMENTING UPON THESE FIGURES, THE COMMISSIONER FOR CENSUS AND STATISTICS SAID THAT THERE WAS A DECREASE IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE OF 0.2 PERCENTAGE POINT OVER SEPTEMBER 1980. HOWEVER, THERE ARE USUALLY SUBSTANTIALLY MORE FIRST-TIME JOB-SEEKERS (PEOPLE WHO HAVE JUST LEFT SCHOOL) IN SEPTEMBER THAN IN MARCH. IF THE SEPTEMBER 1980 RATE IS ADJUSTED FOR THE SEASONAL INFLUENCE TO PUT IT ON THE SAME BASIS AS THE MARCH 1981 RATE, IT BECOMES 3.8 PER CENT- THIS INDICATED AN INCREASE IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE OF 0.3 PERCENTAGE POINT BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 1980 AND MARCH 1981 (FROM 3.8 PER CENT TO 4.1 PER CENT).

IN OTHER WORDS, THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE HAS BEEN RISING GRADUALLY SINCE MARCH 1979 WHEN THE RATE WAS AT ITS LOWEST POINT OF 2.3 PER CENT.

REFERRING TO THE FACT THAT THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE, ON A SEASONALLY ADJUSTED BASIS, HAS CONTINUED TO INCREASE, A SPOKESMAN FROM THE ECONOMIC SERVICES BRANCH OF THE GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT POINTED OUT THAT THIS WAS THE RESULT OF THE GROWTH RATE OF THE LABOUR FORCE BEING MORE RAPID THAN THE GROWTH RATE OF EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES. BUT HE EMPHASISED THAT THERE WAS NEVERTHELESS A RAPID GROWTH IN THE NUMBER OF JOBS BEING TAKEN UP, AS INDICATED BY THE INCREASE IN THE SIZE OF THE EMPLOYED LABOUR FORCE BY 96 670 DURING THE SIX MONTHS ENDING MARCH 1981.

HE FURTHER POINTED OUT THAT IT WAS PARTICULARLY REMARKABLE FOR SUCH RAPID GROWTH IN EMPLOYMENT TO BE ACHIEVED DESPITE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS PREVAILING IN HONG KONG'S MAIN EXPORT MARKETS BEING GENERALLY UNFAVOURABLE.

THE COMMISSIONER FOR CENSUS AND STATISTICS EXPLAINED THAT, ACCORDING TO THE 1981 CENSUS DEFINITION, PERSONS BETWEEN 15 AND 64 YEARS OF AGE WHO WERE NOT IN EMPLOYMENT, OR WHO HAD WORKED FOR LESS THAN 15 HOURS IN THE SEVEN DAYS BEFORE ENUMERATION, BUT WERE SEEKING WORK, WERE CLASSIFIED AS UNEMPLOYED.

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

IN HONG KONG, +UNEMPLOYED+ INCLUDED (A) PEOPLE WHO HAD JUST LEFT SCHOOL AND WHO REALLY HAD NOT MUCH CHANCE TO FIND A JOB- (B) PEOPLE WHO HAD JUST, BUT ONLY JUST, TAKEN UP WORK (C) PEOPLE WHO HAD TEMPORARILY BEEN LAID OFF WORK (WORKING LESS THAN 15 HOURS

IN THE LAST SEVEN DAYS)- (D) PEOPLE 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.

/THE SAMPLE