XN000022-1982-07-14 — Page 23

WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 1982

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CI CALLS ON YOUNG PEOPLE TO JOIN HONG KONG INDUSTRY

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THE COMMISSIONER OF INDUSTRY, MR PETER TSAO, TODAY (WEDNESDAY) CALLED ON ASPIRING YOUNG PEOPLE TO JOIN HONG KONG INDUSTRY, WHICH OFFERS THEM GREAT CAREER OPPORTUNITIES.

ADDRESSING THE SPEECH DAY OF THE COTTON SPINNERS ASSOCIATION PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOL, MR TSAO TOLD THE GRADUATES THAT AN INDUSTRIAL CAREER OFFERED THEM GREAT CHALLENGE ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE WHO WERE HARDWORKING AND WILLING TO LEARN.

+THE EVER CHANGING TECHNOLOGY, FASHION AND CONSUMER PREFERENCES PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR CREATIVE THINKING. IDEAS FOR IMPROVEMENTS AND INNOVATIONS ARE OFTEN EXTREMELY REWARDING, HE ADDED,

NEW

MORE YOUNGSTERS AND THEIR PARENTS HAVE COME TO REALISE THAT FACTORY LIFE IS NOT WHAT IT USED TO BE. WORKING CONDITIONS IN FACTORIES HAVE IMPROVED CONSIDERABLY OVER THE YEARS AND IN MANY

INSTANCES THEY ARE COMPARABLE TO, IF NOT SUPERIOR THAN, THOSE IN THE OFFICES.

+MANY GARMENT, ELECTRONIC AND WATCH FACTORIES, TO QUOTE A FEW EXAMPLES, ARE CLEAN AND AIR-CONDITIONED. MODERN MACHINES ARE WIDELY USED TO REPLACE THE OLD ONES, NOT ONLY FOR IMPROVING EFFICIENCY BUT ALSO FOR PROVIDING A SAFER AND CLEANER WORKING ENVIRONMENT.+

MR TSAO CITED THE FINDINGS OF THE SIXTH MANPOWER SURVEY OF THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY, CONDUCTED LAST OCTOBER, TO ILLUSTRATE THAT IT WAS NO LONGER TRUE THAT WHITE COLLAR JOBS OFFERED BETTER TERMS THAN BLUE COLLAR JOBS.

ACCORDING TO THE SURVEY, AT THE CRAFTSMAN LEVEL THE AVERAGE MONTHLY SALARY FOR A TEXTILE MECHANIC WAS $1 656, AN ELECTRICIAN $1 624, AND A BLEACHER/DYER $1 857, AT THE TECHNICIAN LEVEL, SALARY FOR A PRODUCTION-IN-CHARGE WAS $3 470 AND AN ELECTRICAL TECHNICIAN $3 137, AND THE SALARY FOR AN ENGINEER OR A FACTORY MANAGER WAS OVER $4 000,

+ IN THE TRADING SECTOR, I UNDERSTAND THAT THE AVERAGE SALARY FOR A JUNIOR CLERK IS $1 400 AND THAT FOR A GENERAL CLERK IS $2 100. THIS TREND WILL CONTINUE AS OUR INDUSTRIES MOVE STEADILY UP MARKET,+ HE SAID.

WHILE HE IS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG'S INDUSTRY, MR TSAO SAID THAT INDUSTRY NEEDED TO UPGRADE ITSELF AND DIVERSIFY INTO NEW INDUSTRIES ON A CONTINUOUS BASIS.

IN THIS RESPECT, MORE AND MORE WELL-TRAINED AND HIGHLY SKILLED MANPOWER AT ALL LEVELS WILL BE REQUIRED TO MASTER THE NEW TECHNOLOGY, NEW PROCESSES AND NEW MACHINERY THAT WILL BE BROUGHT IN, OR DEVELOPED. THIS IS WHERE YOU HAVE A VITAL ROLE TO PLAY. HONG KONG NEEDS YOUNG PEOPLE LIKE YOU TO KEEP OUR INDUSTRY GOING, HE CONCLUDED.

旗

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