XN000022-1982-11-16 — Page 3

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1982

AFTER UNVEILING A PLAQUE TO MARK THE OPENING, THE GOVERNOR LOOKED AT DISPLAYS OF PUBLIC HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS IN SHA TIN, TOURED THE ESTATE'S MODERN COMMERCIAL CENTRE AND THEN JOINED HOUSING AUTHORITY MEMBERS AND OTHER GUESTS AT A RECEPTION THERE.

LATER HE VISITED A NURSERY RUN BY THE HONG KONG KAIFONG WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION, AND CALLED ON THE FIVE-MEMBER FAMILY OF MR LAI HONG-SANG AT THEIR 35.3 SQUARE-METRE FLAT AT MEI TAO HOUSE.

MONTHLY SURVEY OF EMPLOYMENT, PAYROLL AND ORDERS-ON-HAND

FOR SEPTEMBER 1982

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THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY (TUESDAY) RELEASED STATISTICS FROM THE MONTHLY SURVEY FOR SEPTEMBER 1982.

THE SURVEY COVERED A PANEL OF THE 200 LARGEST MANUFACTURING COMPANIES (CHOSEN BY REFERENCE TO THEIR EMPLOYMENT SIZE IN SEPTEMBER 1979) AS WELL AS OF THE 43 LARGEST COMPANIES IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND SELECTED SERVICES SECTORS.

AS THE SAMPLE WAS NOT DRAWN ON A RANDOM BASIS, THE RESULTS ON MAGNITUDE OF CHANGE MIGHT NOT REFLECT THE EXPERIENCE OF THE ECONOMY AS A WHOLE, BUT SHOULD GIVE A USEFUL INDICATION OF THE DIRECTION OF CHANGE FOR A QUICK ASSESSMENT OF DEVELOPMENTS IN THE ECONOMY IN THE SHORT TERM,

TAKING ALL OF THE MANUFACTURERS SURVEYED AS A WHOLE, EMPLOYMENT DECLINED IN SEPTEMBER 1982 AS COMPARED WITH THE PRECEDING MONTH. THE MORE SIGNIFICANT DROPS IN EMPLOYMENT OCCURRED IN THE PLASTICS, FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS, AND ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES. THIS WAS LARGELY DUE TO TEMPORARY WORKERS LEAVING THE FACTORIES AT THE END OF THE SUMMER VACATION, AND TO THE RETRENCHMENT OF WORKERS BY SOME OF THE FACTORIES SURVEYED.

PER CAPITA EARNINGS INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS INDUSTRY AS CONSIDERABLE AMOUNTS OF SEVERANCE PAY WERE AWARDED TO THE WORKERS LAID OFF BY SEVERAL FACTORIES SURVEYED. THE INCREASES IN PER CAPITA EARNINGS RECORDED FOR THE PLASTICS AND FOR THE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES WERE, HOWEVER, LESS SIGNIFICANT. THEY WERE DUE TO WAGE ADJUSTMENTS AND THE PAYMENT OF BONUSES IN A FEW CASES.

PER CAPITA EARNINGS ROSE IN RESPECT OF THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMPANIES SURVEYED OWING TO THE AWARD OF BACK PAY AND BONUSES TO THE STAFF OF TWO COMPANIES. ON THE OTHER HAND, PER CAPITA EARNINGS DROPPED SLIGHTLY IN BANKS AND IN THE +OTHERS+ CATEGORY OF THE SERVICES SECTOR SINCE BACK PAY AND CERTAIN ALLOWANCES WERE PAID BY A FEW COMPANIES IN THE PRECEDING MONTH.

THE OVERALL VOLUME OF ORDERS-ON-HAND (IN TERMS OF MONTHS) AS REPORTED BY THE MANUFACTURERS SURVEYED IN SEPTEMBER 1982 DECLINED SLIGHTLY FROM THAT IN THE PRECEDING MONTH. MORE ORDERS-ON-HAND WERE RECORDED FOR THE FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS AND WEARING APPAREL INDUSTRIES, WHILE LESS ORDERS WERE RECORDED FOR THE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC' PRODUCTS AND TEXTILES INDUSTRIES.

THE PERCENTAGE