XN000022-1982-09-09 — Page 8

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9,

1982

MARCH LABOUR FORCE STATISTICS

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THE DESEASONALISED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR MARCH THIS YEAR WAS 3.5 PER CENT, WHICH COMPARES WITH 4.1 PER CENT ESTIMATED IN MARCH 1981 AND 3.1 PER CENT ESTIMATED IN DECEMBER 1981, ALL THREE FIGURES USING THE DEFINITIONS OF THE LABOUR FORCE SURVEY, IT IS REPORTED BY THE COMMISSIONER FOR CENSUS AND STATISTICS. BOTH THE DECREASE OF 0.6 PERCENTAGE POINT IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE BETWEEN MARCH 1981 AND MARCH 1982 AND THE INCREASE OF 0.4 PERCENTAGE POINT IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE BETWEEN DECEMBER 1981 AND MARCH 1982 WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT.

COMMENTING ON THESE FIGURES, THE COMMISSIONER POINTED OUT THAT THE PROPORTION OF FIRST-TIME JOB-SEEKERS WHO HAVE JUST LEFT SCHOOL VARIES FROM MONTH TO MONTH. THE DESEASONALISED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE WHICH HAS BEEN ADJUSTED FOR THIS SEASONAL INFLUENCE, IS THEREFORE USED IN MAKING COMPARISONS WITH THE MARCH 1981 AND DECEMBER 1981 RATES.

THE UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURE FOR MARCH 1981 WAS OBTAINED FROM A SAMPLE GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT BETWEEN FEBRUARY AND APRIL. ACCORDING TO THE DEFINITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT USED IN THE GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY, THERE WERE 80 500 UNEMPLOYED PERSONS IN HONG KONG IN MARCH 1982, REPRESENTING 3.2 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL LABOUR FORCE. AFTER ADJUSTMENT FOR SEASONAL EFFECTS, THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE WAS 3.4 PER CENT.

THE COMMISSIONER DREW ATTENTION TO THE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT DEFINITIONS USED IN THE GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY COMPARED WITH THOSE USED IN THE LABOUR FORCE SURVEY. IN THE GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY, PERSONS AGED 15 AND OVER WHO WERE NOT IN EMPLOYMENT BUT WERE AVAILABLE FOR WORK AND WERE SEEKING WORK IN THE SEVEN DAYS BEFORE ENUMERATION WERE CLASSIFIED AS UNEMPLOYED. THOSE CLASSIFIED AS +UNEMPLOYED ALSO INCLUDED PEOPLE WHO WERE WAITING TO TAKE UP A NEW JOB; OR WHO HAD TEMPORARILY BEEN LAID OFF WORK WITHOUT PAY; OR 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 SURVEY REPORT WILL SOON BE ON SALE AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE, GENERAL POST OFFICE BUILDING. SIMILAR INFORMATION ON EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT IS PUBLISHED EVERY THREE MONTHS.

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