TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1982
QUARTERLY BUSINESS SURVEY REPORT
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THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY (TUESDAY) RELEASED THE RESULTS OF THE QUARTERLY BUSINESS SURVEY CONDUCTED IN JANUARY 1982.
ABOUT 800 FIRMS FROM VARIOUS INDUSTRIES AND BUSINESSES, FORMING A CROSS-SECTION OF THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY, WERE ASKED ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS EXPERIENCE IN THE FOURTH QUARTER OF 1981, AND THEIR BUSINESS EXPECTATIONS FOR THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1982.
RESULTS OF THE SURVEY INDICATE THAT OVERALL BUSINESS PERFORMANCE IN THE FOURTH QUARTER OF 1981 SHOWED SOME IMPROVEMENT OVER THAT IN THE THIRD QUARTER.
IMPROVEMENTS WERE MORE MARKED FOR THE 'CONSTRUCTION',
*WHOLESALE AND RETAIL TRADE, RESTAURANTS AND HOTELS AND THE 'OTHER SERVICES' SECTORS.
FOR THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR AS A WHOLE, BUSINESS PERFORMANCE IN THE FOURTH QUARTER WAS SUSTAINED AT A LEVEL LARGELY COMPARABLE TO THAT OF THE THIRD QUARTER.
VIEWS ON THE GENERAL BUSINESS OUTLOOK FOR THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1982 ARE QUITE VARIED AMONG FIRMS.
TAKEN SECTORALLY, FIRMS IN THE MANUFACTURING' AND 'WHOLESALE AND RETAIL TRADE, RESTAURANTS AND HOTELS' SECTORS EXPECT DETERIORATIONS AS AGAINST THE FOURTH QUARTER POSITION WHILE THOSE IN THE 'CONSTRUCTION' AND 'OTHER SERVICES' SECTORS ANTICIPATE CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT.
WITHIN THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR, FIRMS IN THE 'WEAR ING APPAREL' INDUSTRY AND MISCELLANEOUS MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES' REPORTED SOME IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FOURTH QUARTER OF 1981 BUT PREDICT SOME DETERIORATIONS IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1982.
'FOOD, BEVERAGE AND TOBACCO 'PRINTING' AND 'FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS' INDUSTRIES HAD SIMILAR PERFORMANCE IN THE FOURTH QUARTER AS IN THE THIRD, AND EXPECTED THIS SITUATION TO CONTINUE IN FIRST QUARTER 1982.
FIRMS IN THE 'TEXTILES' AND 'ELECTRONICS INDUSTRIES, WHICH ALSO REPORTED LITTLE CHANGE IN THEIR BUSINESS SITUATION IN THE FOURTH QUARTER, PREDICTED UNFAVOURABLE PROSPECTS FOR THE FIRST QUARTER. "ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPLIANCES AND SUPPLIES' AND 'PLASTICS' INDUSTRIES CONSIDERED THEIR BUSINESS SITUATION TO BE WORSE IN THE FOURTH QUARTER THAN IN THE THIRD, BUT DO NOT EXPECT FURTHER SIGNIFICANT DETERIORATION.
FIRMS IN THE WATCHES AND CLOCKS' INDUSTRY REPORTED DIVERGENT EXPERIENCE IN THE FOURTH QUARTER, WITH A SMALL BALANCE OF OPINION ON THE "DOWN' SIDE.
AS FOR BUSINESS IN THE FIRST QUARTER, THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME CONCENSUS THAT PROSPECTS ARE UNFAVOURABLE.
MILD IMPROVEMENT IN BUSINESS PERFORMANCE WAS REPORTED BY FIRMS IN THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR.
/THEY ELECTED
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